Chapel St: Giant robots take over shopping strip for Robot SPACEland during January

Four huge robots have descended on Melbourne for an ultimate COVID-safe school holidays attraction. Here’s where you can find them.

Ecobot is one of four robots who will light up nightly in the Chapel Street precinct from January 14-31. Picture: Supplied.

Four giant robots are set to wow families on a famous Melbourne shopping strip, in what could be the city’s biggest COVID-safe activation this summer.

The Chapel Street Precinct has partnered with Stonnington Council to bring the 17m-high robots to four hot spots in Prahran and South Yarra for its Robot SPACEland initiative.

The Herald Sun took exclusive pictures of workers using 60m cranes to install the robots – Eco Bot, Arch of Evolution, Barrel of Transformation and Spaceship – ahead of their debut on Thursday, January 14.

Workers are busy assembling four robots in the Chapel Street Precinct. Picture: Tim Carrafa

The up to 17-metre high Transformer-like robots will invade Chapel Street. Picture: Tim Carrafa

The robots will be visible up to 30m from their positions. Picture: Tim Carrafa

The robots are made out of recycled industrial waste by Sydney’s XYZ Dimensions. Picture: Tim Carrafa

They are made out of recycled industrial waste by Sydney’s XYZ Dimensions and will light up with sounds, lasers and special moves from 8pm nightly until January 31.
The robots will be visible up to 30m from their positions at Grattan Gardens, Prahran Square, the Chapel Off Chapel forecourt and 402 Chapel St.

Chapel Street Precinct general manager Chrissie Maus predicted the robots would bring up to 200,000 visitors to the area, including visitors from regional Victoria.

She said the robots – whose visit has been planned since August – cost $143,000 and hoped they would give the precinct’s traders a predicted $1.2 million economic boost.

The robots’ visit has been planned since August. Picture: Tim Carrafa

The activation is perfectly timed for school holidays. Picture: Tim Carrafa

Spaceship is one of four massive robots being installed in the Chapel Street Precinct. Picture: Supplied

“It’s been an incredibly tough 2020 and we wanted to start the year with joy and happiness and keep the cool vibe going in Chapel St,” she said.

“We want to make sure our world-famous precinct is leading the way in covid-safe activations and build on our increasing foot traffic, which is at an 18-month high.”

Ms Maus said the activation was perfectly timed for school holidays and would also allow visitors to check out almost 50 new businesses in the precinct.

Stonnington mayor Kate Hely said there was “no better place to be invaded by robots than in one of the city’s best locations to live, work, stay and play.”

Visitors are encouraged to upload pictures with the robots to Instagram and use the hashtag #robotspaceland