Wrest Point
Australia's first legal casino, opened 1973 — a 73-metre cylindrical tower on the Sandy Bay waterfront
| Address |
410 Sandy Bay Road, Sandy Bay |
| Opening Hours |
Casino 24 hours; bars and restaurants vary |
| Admission |
Free entry; gaming over 18 only |
A landmark 1970s casino-hotel tower on a small headland in Sandy Bay, visible from across the harbour and from anywhere on the slopes of Mount Wellington. Wrest Point's main interest for visitors is the revolving restaurant on the top floor, which makes a complete 360-degree rotation in 90 minutes and offers the highest restaurant view in the city. The food is fine; the view is the experience.
The casino itself is busy but unremarkable. The hotel has good views from the upper floors. The headland gardens around the tower are publicly accessible and have an excellent perspective on the Derwent.
things to do
sight
sandy bay
A story
Wrest Point opened in February 1973 as the first legal casino in Australia, the result of a Tasmanian referendum two years earlier. The vote was bitterly contested — opposed by churches and welfare groups — and passed by only a narrow margin. The tower's design, an unusual 73-metre concrete cylinder by architect Sir Roy Grounds, was deliberately tall enough to be a landmark from anywhere in the city, signalling the new era. Within five years the casino was profitable enough to single-handedly fund 12% of Tasmania's state budget.