Dining and luxury shops to be a Crown Casino highlight
Melbourne’s Crown Casino could be revitalised via a masterplan to make the entertainment precinct an alfresco European-style riverfront destination.
The plan outlines better connections to the Yarra River, new restaurants, shops and entertainment, luxury brands and of course dining experiences.
A two-storey shopping mall is also part of the plan.
The idea is to modernise the now 30-year-old casino, which would also see Crown Towers refurbished.
Crown’s executives are scouring the globe to find world-best experiences, with the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas already providing inspiration.
Disneyland is another inspiration, with plans to constantly change and improve attractions.
“We really want to revitalise this area, to bring Crown to a new level and put us back on the map as an international destination,’’ Crown Melbourne chief executive Mike Volkert said.
He also said a new mall on the Clarendon St side would provide a “really incredible shopping experience”.
No brands have been signed for the upgrade, but Melbournians can expect “some of the most high-end fashion houses from around the world”.
“We want to redevelop our retail offering and how we deliver that and do it in a different way than we have,” Volkert said.
European-style but Melbourne-focused dining will feature on the promenade, while fine dining venues will be moved up a level.
Diners could also get excited by a brand new restaurant – the first in years.
“Right now, as you walk down the riverfront most of those restaurants you can’t access — you have to go into the building and they are all blocked off,’’ Volkert said.
“So we want to open that whole perimeter up on that river walk, really creating a more vibrant atmosphere.
“Right now it is closed windows, five-star restaurants, and it’s great to have those restaurants. But they also have a quiet, controlled feel to them.
“The way we are seeing it, we really want to make that riverfront come alive and think about the restaurants having a much greater variety as well.’’
Plans are also afoot to upgrade the fire breathing gas brigades along the river.
“We have some plans to make that a much more entertaining experience, to make it more interesting and more fun,’’ he said.
“It’s something we want people to come back and see over and again.”
The upgrade is expected to cost Crown hundreds of millions of dollars and is backed by US investment fund Blackstone.
Jonathan Jackson, 10th October 2023
