Melbourne Skydeck (Eureka Tower)

Melbourne Skydeck, on Level 88 of Eureka Tower at 7 Riverside Quay in Southbank, is the city's highest public viewing platform and gives a 360-degree view across the CBD, Port Phillip Bay, the Dandenong Ranges and the Yarra River corridor below. The deck's floor-to-ceiling glass makes it possible to shoot straight down onto the city grid as well as out across the wider skyline, and the north-facing side looks directly over the Yarra toward Flinders Street Station and the CBD towers. Sunset is the busiest and most rewarding window, since the deck fills with the warm colour of the setting sun before transitioning into blue hour, when the CBD's office towers and street grid light up against a darkening sky; arriving in the last hour of daylight and staying through blue hour captures both looks in one visit. The glass reduces reflections best when the interior lighting is dimmer, so shooting close to the glass with a lens hood or a rubber lens skirt cuts down on reflected interior light, particularly after dark. Tripods are generally restricted on the main deck due to crowding, though a small tabletop or clamp-style support can sometimes be used against the glass; visitors should check current rules with staff on arrival since policy can change. Entry requires a paid ticket, and the deck can be busy with other visitors at peak sunset times, so arriving thirty to forty minutes before sunset secures a position at the glass. There is no drone use permitted from an enclosed public deck. The Edge, a glass cube that projects out from the building, is a separate paid add-on and is not needed for standard skyline photography.