Casino operator The Star Entertainment Group Limited, which operates several properties across Australia, has announced the first phase of its new The Star Brisbane development is to begin opening from August 29, following over six years of construction.

The Sydney-listed firm began work on the gambling-friendly venue within downtown Brisbane’s coming Queen’s Wharf casino destination in March of 2018 and wants the massive enterprise to serve as a magnet for tourists from around the world.

Attractive Addition

The Star Entertainment Limited is already responsible for the nearby Treasury Casino Brisbane enterprise as well as the more distant The Star Gold Coast and The Star Sydney facilities. 

The firm detailed that The Star Brisbane is to replace this former venue and sit within a 30-acre Queen’s Wharf development eventually featuring an array of restaurants, more than 1,000 hotel rooms and a 37,600 sq ft events center with a pillarless ballroom.

The Chief Executive Officer for The Star Entertainment Group Limited, Daniel Finch, disclosed that The Star Brisbane is to sit at the heart of the mixed-used Queen’s Wharf scheme and come complete with a two-story casino hosting as many as 2,500 slots. 

He explained that this is to be complemented by 18.5 acres of public space, the pedestrianized Neville Bonner Bridge over the Brisbane River, a rooftop lounge and an open-air leisure deck perched between the development’s four hotel towers.

“Like the rest of Brisbane, I am excited for this game-changing development to invigorate the central business district, including our nighttime economy and we will soon announce more exact dates for the diary,” Finch said. 

“Fittingly, public spaces will be among the first areas to be opened and that includes the viewing platform on Sky Deck, Miller Park and the Neville Bonner Bridge linking Queen’s Wharf to South Bank.”

Eventful Era

Finch revealed his firm decided to open The Star Brisbane ‘over many weeks and in numerous stages’ beginning the same weekend as this year’s Brisbane Festival international arts extravaganza. 

The executive also asserted that the events center at the $2.4 billion Queen’s Wharf should be ready to debut in September while his company is working ‘at full throttle’ to get its adjacent hotels ready for guests.

“We want to ensure our team members are prepared, our facilities have been tested, our processes are right and, importantly, our guests have an exceptional experience that they will talk about and come back to experience again,” Finch said. 

“Not everything will open all at once on day one and that also means returning guests will find something new to experience.”