Sydney Tower Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Sydney Tower

Alternative names	Sydney Tower, AMP Tower, Westfield Tower, Westfield Centrepoint Tower, Centrepoint Tower
General information
Type	Observation and communications tower
Location	Sydney, Australia
Coordinates	33°52′13.64″S 151°12′32″E / 33.8704556°S 151.20889°E / -33.8704556; 151.20889
Construction started	1970 (office building), 1975 (tower)
Completed	1981
Cost	A$36 million
Owner	Westfield, Operated By Trippas White Group and The Merlin Entertainments Group
Height
Antenna spire	309 m (1,014 ft)
Top floor	279 m (915 ft) for Sydney Tower Skywalk
Technical details
Lifts/elevators	3
Design and construction
Architect	Donald Crone and Associates (Now Crone Architects)

The Sydney Tower is the tallest building in Sydney, Australia. It is also the second tallest observation tower in the Southern Hemisphere. People call it by many names, like the Sydney Tower Eye, AMP Tower, Westfield Centrepoint Tower, or just Centrepoint.

The Sydney Tower is part of a special group called the World Federation of Great Towers. It stands 309 m (1,014 ft) tall in the heart of Sydney's main business area. You can find it on Market Street, between Pitt and Castlereagh Streets.

The tower is easy to reach from the Pitt Street Mall. It sits right above the Westfield Sydney shopping centre. Many people visit the tower each year, and it's one of Sydney's most famous sights. You can see it from many places across the city! While Auckland's Sky Tower is taller, the main viewing deck of Sydney Tower is actually higher up.

The shopping centre at the bottom of the tower is managed by Scentre Group. However, the tower itself is run by two different companies. Trippas White Group manages the restaurants, and Merlin Entertainments runs the "Sydney Tower Eye" observation deck and a fun ride called "Oztrek".

History of Sydney Tower
What's Inside Sydney Tower?
Cultural Events at the Tower
Engineering Heritage Award
Sydney Tower in Movies
Gallery
See also

History of Sydney Tower

The idea for Sydney Tower came from an Australian architect named Donald Crone. He first showed his plans in March 1968. Building the office part of the tower started in 1970. The tower itself began to be built in 1975. Before this tower, buildings in Sydney could only be up to 279 m (915 ft) tall. This rule was in place because of the flying boats that used to land in the harbour.

The Sydney Tower first opened to the public in September 1981. It cost about A$36 million to build. In 1998, a lightning rod was added to the very top. This made the tower even taller, reaching 309 m (1,014 ft) in total. This is 327 m (1,073 ft) above sea level.

For many years, the tower was called "AMP Tower" because AMP Limited managed the shopping centre below. But in 2001, the Westfield Group took over. Then, the tower's name changed to Sydney Tower.

In 2009, the shopping centre at the base of the tower closed for a big update. It was connected to other shopping areas and completely improved. The shopping centre slowly reopened from 2010 and was renamed Westfield Sydney. In June 2011, the "AMP" sign was taken down from the tower. A large, bright "Westfield" logo was put up instead. A helicopter helped with this big job!

In 2011, Merlin Entertainments started to manage the observation deck. This is when the name changed again to the Sydney Tower Eye.

What's Inside Sydney Tower?

Public Areas in the Tower

There are four main parts of the tower that visitors can enjoy. Three of these are restaurants run by Sydney Tower Dining.

360 Bar and Dining is on the first level of the tower. It's a special restaurant that slowly spins around. This means you get amazing changing views of the Sydney skyline while you eat!
Sydney Tower Buffet is on the second level. It's a modern restaurant where you can choose your own food from a buffet.
STUDIO is on the third level. This space is used for parties and events. It can hold many guests for different kinds of gatherings.

The main viewing area is called the Sydney Tower Eye. It is on the fourth level of Sydney Tower. You can buy a ticket to go up to this level. Your ticket might also let you visit other Sydney attractions like Wild Life Sydney and the Sydney Aquarium.

The Sydney Tower Eye is about 250 m (820 ft) above the ground. It has a fully enclosed viewing platform. From here, you can see 360-degree views of the city and everything around it. On this floor, you'll also find a small gift shop. There are also multi-language touchscreens. These screens show interesting facts about the tower. They tell you things like wind speed and how much the tower sways.

In September 2011, a special 4D cinema opened on the fourth floor of the shopping centre below. It shows a film with amazing views of Sydney. The theatre has cool effects like wind, bubbles, and even fire!

Skywalk Experience

The Skywalk is an exciting open-air platform. It has a glass floor and goes all the way around the Sydney Tower Eye. It's 268 m (879 ft) above the ground! This platform actually sticks out over the edge of the tower. It opened in October 2005. It cost about A$3.75 million to build. It took four years to design and two months to construct. You can only go on the Skywalk as part of a special tour that you need to book ahead of time.

Tower Details

The golden top part of the tower, called the turret, can hold up to 960 people at one time.

Cultural Events at the Tower

Leading up to the Sydney 2000 Olympics, the tower had special sculptures on it. These were made by an Australian artist named Dominique Sutton. The sculptures showed athletes, like a runner, a gymnast, and a wheelchair basketball player. They were placed high up on the tower. These sculptures were moved in 2003 to Sydney Olympic Park. A huge helicopter called "Elvis" helped put them on top of the tower.

The tower is often used for fireworks shows. It is also lit up with colourful lights for different celebrations in Sydney. This happens on New Year's Eve and during big events like the Olympics.

Each year, there's an event called the Sydney Tower Stair Challenge. People race up 1,504 stairs from Pitt Street Mall to the Observation Deck. This event helps raise money for the Cancer Council. The winners can even compete in a similar race at the Empire State Building in New York!

Engineering Heritage Award

The Sydney Tower has received an award from Engineers Australia. It got an Engineering Heritage Plaque. This award celebrates important engineering achievements.

Sydney Tower in Movies

The Sydney Tower has appeared in several movies:

In the 1990 Disney animated film The Rescuers Down Under, the tower can be seen.
The tower also appeared in the 2003 Disney/Pixar animated film Finding Nemo.
In the film Mission: Impossible 2, the tower is shown many times when the city of Sydney appears.
The tower was featured in the 1995 film Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie. It was used as the Angel Grove Observatory. A computer-generated version of the tower even became a weapon for the villain, Ivan Ooze!
The tower is destroyed in the films Godzilla: Final Wars and Supernova.