An Estate Built on River Light
Since 1997, Eucalyptus Stay has stood on Whiteman Street as Melbourne's quiet counterpoint to the casino floor below — a family-founded towers resort where architecture, art and discretion carry equal weight.
Summer at the Towers — the pool deck opens at dawn, the terrace pours until midnight, and the river turns silver by eight.
A Letter From Mr Ellison
“I did not set out to build a casino hotel. I set out to build a place where my family could sleep above a city that never quite sleeps — and be certain of silence. Everything else, the salons, the kitchens, the gardens, followed from that single promise.”
Marcus J. Ellison
Founder & Chairman
Suites & Villas
Years of Service
Restaurants & Bars
Team Members
From a single riverfront tower in 1997 to a two-tower estate today, our growth has been deliberately slow: one level, one kitchen, one garden at a time. We remain independently owned — no flags, no franchise manual — which is why the chef still walks the market each morning and the chairman still reads the guest book.
1894 — 2026, One Address
The site began as a riverside wool warehouse in 1894. Drag the divider to compare the original facade with the restored structure that anchors the Towers today.
Archive Passport
- RegisteredVHR H2094
- Facade restored2019
- Heritage TrustSeal 88-A
Elements We Saved
- Original bluestone loading wall, lobby south
- Cast-iron columns, now the Cellar Bar
- 1894 pulley beam — Atrium centrepiece
Concrete, Glass and Living Green
Architect Helena Marchetti wrapped the towers in a double skin: raw concrete inside, a glass veil outside, and planted terraces threading between the two.
“The building should behave like a eucalyptus trunk,” she wrote in the design charter — silver-toned, self-cooling, and rooted so deeply in its site that removing it would feel like erasing the riverbank.
- Green surface ratio38%
- Recycled structure61%
- Glass veil panels2,840
The Glass Veil at Noon
A Courtyard That Mutes the City
Still Water as Architecture
At the estate's heart sits a 40-metre reflection pool — a black-granite mirror that absorbs traffic noise and returns only sky.
Acoustic Moat
Water masks up to 18 dB of ambient sound — the courtyard reads 34 dB at midday.
Stone Garden
Ninety granite river stones set by Kyoto-trained gardeners, raked weekly by hand.
Engineered Quiet, Class A+
Every suite wall is a sandwich of mass, air and wool — so the casino's celebration ends at your door, not your pillow.
Quieter than a whispered conversation — certified by an independent acoustic laboratory.
Inside the Wall — Five Layers
Gardens and an Apiary in the Sky
Level 56 carries a working garden and ten beehives. The honey lands on your breakfast table; the herbs land in the kitchen by noon.
Signature Harvest
Level 56 Honey
A pale, eucalyptus-noted honey from our own hives — served at breakfast and folded into the signature soufflé.
Ten Hives, One Gardener
- Resident bees~400,000
- Annual harvest260 kg
- Garden toursTue & Sat
Walk With the Head Gardener
A 45-minute rooftop tour ending with a honey tasting and a cutting of river mint to take home.
A Gallery You Can Sleep In
Sixty-two commissioned works live across the estate — sculpture in the gardens, photography in the corridors, a permanent collection curated with the Ian Potter Centre.
- “River Bend” — Ingrid Kessler, 2019, bronze
- “Night Ferry” — Tom Barra, 2021, steel & light
- “Canopy Study” — Miri Yoon, 2023, glass
- “Threshold” — Samuel Adeyemi, 2024, stone
Temporary Exhibition: “Silver Light”
Photographs of the Yarra at dawn — closes 30 November.
Art Walk
A self-guided route through all 62 works — map at the concierge, audio guide in four languages.
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Days until “Silver Light” ends
The Questions Behind the Towers
Who we are, who owns us, and why a casino hotel keeps bees. More answers live on the full FAQ.
Yes. The estate is owned by Eucalyptus Stay Melbourne Pty Ltd, a private Australian company chaired by founder Marcus J. Ellison. We hold no franchise flags and answer only to our guests and the Victorian regulator.
The sculpture walk, courtyard and gallery level are open to the public daily until 22:00. The rooftop garden and apiary are reserved for guests and guided tours booked through the concierge.
EarthCheck Gold since 2021, a 38% green-surface ratio across the towers, geothermal exchange for the pool deck, and a zero-landfill kitchen program audited annually.
The Grand Atrium floor and private salons sit within the estate but operate under a separate VGCCC licence with their own entrances — guests may enjoy the entire stay without ever crossing the gaming floor.
The Story Reads Better From the 55th Floor
Walk the archive wall, taste the rooftop honey, and understand why Melbourne treats this address as its own.