Key partners
- ING Real Estate Development Australia
- Ashe Morgan
- Capital Alliance
Overview
Waterfront City is a retail, entertainment, residential, commercial and leisure precinct. It offers an alternative to high-rise living in Docklands, with architecturally designed apartments and townhouses with private garden settings.
Key features of Waterfront City include:
- The O’Brien Icehouse – Australia’s premier ice skating and ice sports venue
- The District Docklands shopping precinct
- Australia's first Costco wholesale warehouse
- Dining and entertainment including Hoyts state of the art eight-screen cinema, Archie Bros Cirque Electric and Urban Alley Brewery
- 46 residential townhouses and apartments which sit on top of The District Docklands shopping precinct, and a 58-room apartment building
- Market Lane fresh food precinct and Woolworths supermarket
Location
Just two kilometres from the CBD, Waterfront City is the western entrance to Docklands. It sits between Victoria Harbour, NewQuay, and the Bolte Bridge.
Waterfront City is connected by several tram services within Melbourne’s free tram zone and has easy access to the Westgate and Tullamarine Freeways.
Key buildings
O’Brien Icehouse is Australia’s largest ice sports entertainment venue. As well as offering a recreation place for Melbournians, the Icehouse is home to the Olympic Winter Institute of Australia and is the training grounds for Australia’s figure skating, speed skating, curling and ice hockey teams.
Stage: Complete, Project duration: 2008- 2010, Type: Public, Architect: Cox Architects and Brisbin Brook Beynon, Developer: ING Real Estate Development Australia.
The Docklands Marriott Hotel is the first in Australia in 20 years and it will form part of a mixed-use development including the Docklands Residences. Forecast for completion in 2020, the development includes 190 hotel guest rooms and 110 apartments spread over 16 levels.
Stage: Construction, Project duration: 2019- 2020, Type: Residential, Architect: DKO Architects, Developer: Capital Alliance.
This dining and entertainment precinct offers Australia's most technologically advanced Hoyts experience, Archie Brothers Cirque Electriq, 8Eight Street Asian hawker-style restaurant and Urban Alley Brewery along with other food and beverage offerings. The new fresh food precinct District Market Lane, features a Woolworths supermarket, complimented by Dan Murphy’s, a large scale Asian Grocer, Priceline Pharmacy and 25 specialty retailers.
Stage: Complete, Project duration: 2002- 2019, Type: Public, Architect: NH Architecture, DKO Architecture, Hassell, Developer: ING Real Estate and Ashe Morgan.
Nesuto Docklands Apartment Hotel offers a unique hotel experience with a focus on apartment lifestyle design and comfort. Located centrally in District Docklands and above Market Lane, it offers 211 serviced apartments over 13 levels featuring fully equipped kitchens, separate bedrooms, open plan living, dining spaces, plus internal laundry facilities and car park.
Stage: Complete, Project duration: 2021- 2023, Type: Public, Architect: Fender Katsalidas Architect, Developer: AsheMorgan.
Timeline
2002
- Waterfront City Holdings (ING Real Estate and Lewis Land Group – previously called LEWING Developments) awarded development rights for the Waterfront City entertainment and retail precinct
2006
- Waterfront City named as a stopover for the Volvo Ocean Race 2005—2006
- Docklands hosts seven events at the 2006 Commonwealth Games and Waterfront City is a Games ‘live site’ and Central Pier is used as a cultural/exhibition site during the games
2007
- Construction is completed on Harbour Town Stage 1B South townhouses and Watermark Apartments
2008
- Harbour Town Shopping Centre opens
- ING Real Estate’s second residential development, a 58-dwelling apartment building on The Arcade, is completed
- The Southern Star Observation Wheel opens but closes a month later due to structural defects
- American discount retail giant Costco announces plans to base its first Australian store at Waterfront City, creating 225 jobs and commences construction
- Costco opens in Docklands
2010
- The National Ice Sports Centre, Medibank Icehouse (now known as O’Brien Icehouse) opens
2013
- The 120metre Southern Star Observation Wheel is purchased by Sanoyas and renamed Melbourne Star Observation Wheel
2014
- Ashe Morgan acquire Waterfront City from ING Real Estate with plans to revitalise the precinct including Harbour Town Shopping Centre
2016
- Development Rights for two stages in Waterfront City are assigned from Ashe Morgan to Capital Alliance
2017
- Harbour Town Shopping Centre relaunched as The District Docklands by developer Ashe Morgan
2019
- Capital Alliance commence construction on the 200 room Marriott Hotel
- Acting Lord Mayor, officially opens Market Lane fresh food precinct
Updated on 22 December 2023