Melbourne Webcam – Penthouse View West from Southbank

The Melbourne Webcam looks west from a penthouse apartment at Freshwater Place in Southbank, on the south bank of the Yarra River. The curved glass tower of Crown Towers fills the middle of the frame, with the Crown emblem on its rooftop plant box. Beyond it the river bends away past moored boats toward the high-rises of Docklands, while the raised deck of the West Gate Freeway carries a steady line of traffic across the left of the picture. On clear days a strip of Port Phillip Bay shows along the far left horizon, with low hills beyond the western suburbs. Because the camera faces west, late afternoon sends glare and haze straight into the lens, and after dark the scene turns into a sheet of lights that runs all the way to the horizon.

About Southbank, Melbourne

Southbank sits 1 kilometer (0.6 miles) south of the Melbourne CBD, across the Yarra from Flinders Street. It was a mostly industrial district until the early 1990s, when an urban renewal program began turning it into the dense cluster of apartment and office towers on screen today. The Southbank Promenade, designed by Denton Corker Marshall and completed in 1990, was one of the first pieces, and Crown Casino opened on the riverfront in 1997.

The camera’s own building, Freshwater Place, is a 63-floor residential tower with 536 apartments, completed in 2005 to a design by Bates Smart. It stands beside Crown and close to Eureka Tower, the 91-floor tower finished in 2006 that was once the tallest building in Australia. Platinum Apartments runs serviced penthouses in Freshwater Place and streams this view from one of them day and night.

West of Crown, the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre opened in 1996 as the riverfront redevelopment pushed downstream. The river then carries on past South Wharf to Docklands, where the towers around the bend in the frame stand over the marinas. Closer in, apartment towers crowd the right edge of the picture, and at the bottom right a riverside park and curving rail tracks follow the north bank of the Yarra.

Weather and Climate in Melbourne

Melbourne has a temperate climate with famously changeable weather. Averages at the Olympic Park station for 1991 to 2020 put January highs at 26.6 C (80 F) with nights around 15.6 C (60 F), but heat waves can push far beyond that: the city’s record is 46.4 C (115.5 F), set on 7 February 2009. Autumn is mild, with April averaging 21 C (70 F) by day and 11.6 C (53 F) at night, and clear autumn afternoons give this camera its sharpest views out to the bay.

Winter is cool rather than cold. July highs average 14.1 C (57 F) and lows 7.3 C (45 F), and low grey cloud can flatten the whole skyline. Spring warms slowly, with October averaging 19.8 C (68 F) and 10.3 C (51 F). Rain is spread through the year, about 597 mm (23.5 inches) over 135 rain days, and conditions can switch within minutes, which is where Melbourne’s reputation for four seasons in one day comes from. Since the camera faces west, weather arriving from that side shows on the horizon before it reaches Southbank.

Things to Do Near Southbank

The Southbank Promenade runs along the river at the foot of Freshwater Place, with restaurants and bars along the Crown frontage, and SEA LIFE Melbourne Aquarium sits on the north bank across the water. For a higher version of this view, Eureka Skydeck is the observation deck near the top of Eureka Tower, a few minutes’ walk east along the river. Keep going east to reach Arts Centre Melbourne, marked by its spire, and NGV International on St Kilda Road.

Across Princes Bridge are Federation Square and Flinders Street Station, the gateway to the laneways of the CBD. The Royal Botanic Gardens and Kings Domain lie south-east along the river, an easy walk from Southbank. Heading west instead, the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre and South Wharf lead on toward Docklands, and South Melbourne Market is a short trip south of the camera.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Where is the Melbourne Webcam?

The camera is on a penthouse at Freshwater Place in Southbank, Victoria, on the south bank of the Yarra River, 1 kilometer (0.6 miles) south of the Melbourne CBD. Crown Towers stands right next to the building, which is why the hotel fills the foreground.

What can you see on the Melbourne Webcam?

The camera faces west. Crown Towers is in the foreground, the Yarra River bends toward Docklands on the right, the West Gate Freeway crosses the left side, and Port Phillip Bay shows as a strip of blue on the far left horizon when the air is clear.

Does this webcam show the CBD, Federation Square or Flinders Street Station?

No. The main CBD skyline, Federation Square and Flinders Street Station are all north and east of the camera, outside its westward view. The picture runs the other way, toward Docklands and the bay.

Can you see St Kilda or Albert Park from this camera?

No. Both lie south of Southbank, beyond the left edge of the frame. The water on the horizon is the part of Port Phillip Bay out toward the west, not the St Kilda foreshore.

Is this a good Melbourne weather webcam?

For a quick look at the sky, it works well. Half the frame is sky and horizon, so cloud, haze and rain are easy to read, and weather coming in from the west shows up before it reaches the city. There are no temperature or wind readings on screen, so pair it with a forecast.

Is Melbourne hot or cold?

Neither for long. Average highs run from 14.1 C (57 F) in July to 26.6 C (80 F) in January, but the weather can turn within minutes, and heat waves have reached 46.4 C (115.5 F).

What is Southbank in Melbourne?

Southbank is the inner-city district on the south bank of the Yarra, opposite the CBD. Once mostly industrial, it was redeveloped from the early 1990s and now holds Crown Melbourne, Arts Centre Melbourne, Eureka Tower and dense apartment towers such as Freshwater Place.

What does the camera show at night?

After dark, the lit windows of Crown Towers and the glowing Crown lettering on its side take over the foreground, and lights from Docklands and the western suburbs stretch to the horizon. The stream keeps running overnight.

Source: Platinum Apartments