The Reef Eye will remain on the Esplanade until the end of January 2026.
Under a new agreement endorsed by Council today, the ferris wheel will operate on the Western Events Lawn for 11 months of the year, with a mandatory annual shutdown during February.
The ability of the ferris wheel to be operated safely and successful during the annual wet / cyclone season was a consideration in extending the agreement with Westshell Pty Ltd.
The ferris wheel is cyclone rated and there is no need to fully dismantle the entire structure in preparation for an extreme weather event.
Only the gondolas need to be removed during a cyclone, which can be done within 24 hours.
The new gondolas are also airconditioned, and provide more protection from the weather, rain and heat.
A review of Reef Eye users revealed about two-thirds of customers are visitors to the region, which is higher than predicted based on Westshell's initial assumptions.
