Surfers Paradise Skywheel: Sad rise and fall of giant Gold Coast ferris wheel attraction

It was meant to be the next big tourist attraction but the Surfers Paradise Skywheel had a long and difficult road to being built. Things didn’t get better after it opened. FIND OUT WHY

New tourism infrastructure is back on the agenda for the Gold Coast.

The last months of 2024 saw the election of a new state government which came out of the gates storming, declaring its support for a cableway in the Hinterland.

Council is also looking to get cracking on a short-list of projects, including eco-cabins and a “marine tourism experience” development on the Broadwater, as well as glamping at Tipplers.

It comes 15 years after the Gold Coast enjoy short-lived success with a giant ferris wheel which was built in Surfers Paradise.

The wheel was built in 2010 above the Surfers Paradise Transit Centre and became an instant landmark which could be seen from a significant distance.

Surfers Paradise Ferris Wheel.

It had 43 airconditioned gondolas, each of which could carry eight people and was built by Swiss company Ronald Bussink Professional Rides

However, the path to getting it built was long and painful.

It was proposed by Ken Jackson who had previously operated it at Sea World when it was known as the Sea World Eye.

The Gold Coast City Council ticked off on the proposal in August 2008 and it was expected to be operational by October that year, right in time for Indy.

It was to cost $12m to redevelop the transit centre and revamp it.

“It takes about a month to assemble so, hopefully, we should have it ready for Indy and we’re looking forward to the trade over the Christmas-New Year period,” Mr Jackson said at the time.

“The Skywheel will bring something different to Surfers and reignite the family element, which has seemingly vanished over the years.’’

However the project immediately ran into difficulty, with Mr Jackson revealing only a month later that his company was `low’ on funds and that it would be delayed.

The Global Financial Crisis hit, causing the cost of the project to skyrocket.

It also meant he lost the Sea World wheel, instead having to source a different skywheel.

“It is not going to be the Sea World one any more because the drop in the Australian dollar pushed the price out so far,’’ he said.

Gold Coast singles went to the Wheel of Surfers Paradise to participate in a speed dating evening. Korey Williams and Sarina Murr had 6 minutes to make an impression on each other.

“When we put the deposit down, the euro was at 65c and now it is at 49c I believe … that makes a big difference.

“We have made arrangements for another wheel … it is only a couple of metres shorter and is a very beautiful ride.

“If council agrees, we can have it up in 10 days.”

Council finally ticked off on the project after years of delays and it was installed in September 2010.

More than 4000 people rode it during its first weekend of operation as it offered “panoramic views of the ocean, as well as south to Coolangatta and Mt Warning and west to the Hinterland.”

`I think (the wheel) looks magnificent and most of the locals do too,’’ said Mr Jackson at the time.

The 'Wheel of Surfers Paradise' being slowing pulled down from it's position in Surfers Paradise

However the wheel hit another snag in 2011 when a dramatic drop-off in tourists saw Mr Jackson searching for new income.

It closed in June 2011 after just nine months after a payment dispute between the owner and operator.

A Roc Australia spokesman told the Bulletin at the time the company had been paid only a month’s rent.

It was taken over by new management in late 2011 with a new operator, Greg O’Neill.

However despite being used for all sorts of unusual purposes, such as speed dating, it never caught on.

The wheel ceased spinning in May 2013 and was dismantled before being shipped to Mexico.

“It’s not economically viable in the long term,’’ Surfers Paradise Alliance boss Mike Winlaw said at the time.

“It’s better that it goes to some other country.”