Queen’s Wharf opening weekend: Closed venues, dust and lack of signage sour visitor experience

It was meant to be the grand opening, but did the dusty surfaces, weeds and boarded up venues do more harm than good for the $3.6bn Queen’s Wharf? HAVE YOUR SAY

• Explained: What’s open, what’s not

It opened to much fanfare on Thursday and the steady stream of punters into the casino since may well have vindicated Star Entertainment Group’s decision to open its doors, but did Queen’s Wharf open too soon?

Locals and tourists alike were warned not to expect the finished article when the $3.6 billion development finally opened its doors but, after years of being treated to glossy, colourful artist’s impressions of bustling hospitality venues, bright lights and clean public spaces, the reality hit a little differently.

Thousands of curious locals streamed across the new Neville Bonner Bridge and into the development that has come to dominate Brisbane’s riverside skyline, and it’s here the reality of the true scale of the project become clear, and not necessarily in a positive way.

An artist’s impression in publicity images for the SkyDeck at Queen’s Wharf. Picture: Supplied

The reality, for now, is a lot more sparse. Picture: Richard Walker

Immediately upon leaving the bridge you are greeted with an escalator, ascending into the main building, offering much promise of excitement and discovery as it glides upwards to the fifth level.

But here you become trapped. Unless your only aim is to enter the vast casino, or you’re a guest at the Star Grand Hotel, there is nothing for you here except a row of lifts that will only take you back down again.

Opening day of The Star Casino attracted big crowds. Picture: David Clark

Confused families are left milling about looking for access to the much-publicised 23rd-floor SkyDeck or seventh-floor Leisure Deck, others simply wanting to look around as much of the development as they can are blocked at every turn – unless they’re old enough to enter the casino or don’ have children with them – and there are no staff on hand to help guide them aside from the security staff at the entrance to the casino.

It’s understandable this staged opening was going to result in many places being off limits to early visitors, but would it have been too much trouble to put up a few signs to help people navigate this exciting but unfamiliar venue? Or signs in blank, dusty windows to explain what will be filling these spaces in the months to come to fuel further excitement?

After making it back down to the fourth floor, a long queue contained by lines of orange temporary security barriers is the only obvious indication of the route to the three lifts that take visitors to the SkyDeck and its sweeping views of the city.

But here, those views, which are truly spectacular in the late afternoon sun and well worth experiencing, are tainted by what’s missing, as the route around the deck is fringed by papered-up venues that are yet to be completed, while dusty pavers and barely established greenery make it feel more like a construction site than the finished article.

By Sunday afternoon, newly laid turf was turning up at the corners under the weight of the feet of punters seeking to kick back and enjoy the view with a drink, while weeds were already seen sprouting through some of the freshly mulched borders.

Again, it’s understandable that some venues aren’t ready, given the planned phased opening between now and November, but wouldn’t it have made sense to take this opportunity to advertise all the delights that are still to come to all those who showed enough interest to make the effort to visit in the first few days?

Queen's Wharf, with the SkyDeck atop the centre building, and Neville Bonner Bridge in the foreground. Picture: Nigel Hallett

Some 43 of the promised 50-plus restaurants, bars and cafes are still yet to open, in fact, but fortunately Cicada Blu, the SkyDeck’s cocktail bar, was open and doing a roaring trade – albeit with staff telling customers that cocktails weren’t being served because it was too busy and would take too long to make them.

Those visitors who were able to tear themselves away from the views, and the genuinely exciting added touch of the glass floor around part of the deck which allows people to look right down to the Riverside Expressway more than 100 metres below, could gaze inward and down to the much-hyped Leisure Deck below on level 7.

But here too there were issues, not least the fact that it was only half complete, and any attempts to further explore the 23rd level beyond the SkyDeck were blocked off.

The pressure to open on August 28 was no doubt immense, with Riverfire providing an landmark first weekend too good to miss for the new Star Grand Hotel.

Financial pressures might also have eased a little thanks to the money-making opportunities at the casino while Star’s ASX suspension continues as it deals with regulatory failures.

When fully complete, Queen’s Wharf is justifiably shaping up to be one of Brisbane’s most visited attractions, and a place well worth spending a lot of time and money at.

But for those people who wanted to come along and sample the city’s biggest and most exciting entertainment precinct, some simple touches such as decent signage and presentations of the exciting prospects that lie ahead could have done so much to avoid souring what could have been a far more memorable weekend.