History
In the 1970s and '80s, the site was an iconic Melbourne attraction, and was well-known to most Melburnians; however, in the early 1990s the site fell into disrepair, and the building began to look aged and dilapidated. What had previously been a large tourist attraction quickly slipped from the minds of Melburnians. This culminated with the site being shut down completely in 1997.
In 2004, a new lease was negotiated with Parks Victoria, the government authority in charge of the land. The restaurant and surrounding gardens were given a $3.5 million facelift, and the site re-opened in December 2004, with the name officially being changed from “Mount Dandenong Observatory” to the current “SkyHigh Mount Dandenong”.
The renovations to the site included construction of an upstairs balcony and an enlarged viewing window. Besides work on the building itself, the land around was also graded and landscaped, with many new plants going in. In addition, the beginnings of a hedge maze were started.
Read more about this topic: Sky High Mount Dandenong
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“If you look at the 150 years of modern China’s history since the Opium Wars, then you can’t avoid the conclusion that the last 15 years are the best 15 years in China’s modern history.”
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“The history of modern art is also the history of the progressive loss of art’s audience. Art has increasingly become the concern of the artist and the bafflement of the public.”
—Henry Geldzahler (1935–1994)