WTC Northbank Wharf

WTC Northbank (formerly the World Trade Centre) is a twelve-storey office complex, shopping centre and convention centre on the north bank of the Yarra River in Melbourne, Australia.

History

On 19 December 1978, the Government of Victoria passed the Port of Melbourne (World Trade Centre) Act 1978, vesting the Port of Melbourne Authority with authority to construct, maintain and operate a World Trade Centre in the Port of Melbourne. [ [http://www.access.prov.vic.gov.au/public/component/daPublicBaseContainer?component=daViewAgency&entityId=1426 Port of Melbourne Authority] , Public Records Office (Victoria).] The centre, an example of Brutalist architecture, was built in the early 1980s and opened in 1983.

On 30 June 1994, Melbourne's first casino, Crown Casino opened in the World Trade Centre. The location was a temporary measure while Crown's permanent home, the Crown Casino and Entertainment Complex was constructed adjacent. [Silkstone, Dan: [http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/06/29/1088487960843.html Ten years of Crown] , "The Age", 30 June 2004.] In 1997, the centre hosted a temporary exhibition of waxworks from the Madame Tussauds wax museum in London.

Current use

The building currently houses the headquarters of Victoria Police, and the Victoria Police Museum, a collection of exhibits and memorabilia from over 150 years of policing in Victoria. [ [http://www.dpc.vic.gov.au/domino/Web_Notes/newmedia.nsf/35504bc71d3adebcca256cfc0082c2b8/f4e84dca1ff01ca4ca25736a0080494e!OpenDocument New Victoria Police Museum opened] , Department of Premier and Cabinet (Victoria), October 4 2007.] The WTC shopping centre is undergoing redevelopment, including the proposed installation of an environmentally-friendly air-conditioning system using water from the Yarra River. [ [http://www.insideretailing.com.au/articles-page.aspx?articleType=ArticleView&articleId=2540 Shopping centre to use Yarra River for air cooling] , "Inside Retailing", March 27 2008.]

References

External links

* [http://www.wtcnorthbank.com.au/ WTC Northbank website]