Geelong Ferris Wheel (Giant Sky Wheel) Suburban Icon Poster
In 2005, the Giant Sky Wheel rolled into town — a gleaming, European-built Ferris wheel that still towers over the Geelong foreshore like a slow-moving guardian of the bay, gently spinning locals, tourists, and the occasional seagull enthusiast toward the clouds.
But it wasn’t the first to do so.
Before the Sky Wheel, there was Hi-Lite Park — an amusement park that lit up Geelong’s Eastern Beach from 1956 until somewhere in the hazy, Kodachrome-tinted 1980s. Dreamed up by Emile Verfurth, Hi-Lite Park was Geelong’s answer to Melbourne’s Luna Park. It had dodgems, a carousel, a Ferris wheel, and just enough danger to feel like fun. Kids got dizzy, parents got fleeced, and everyone went home a little sunburnt and slightly stickier than when they arrived.
By the 1990s, Hi-Lite Park was gone — swept away by a wave of urban redevelopment and “family-friendly” planning. The Giant Sky Wheel now stands almost exactly where Hi-Lite once did, like a reincarnated ride on the seaside.
Step onto the Sky Wheel at sunset and you’ll see it: the glittering water, the carnival lights, the ghosts of dodgem cars past — and maybe, just maybe, a trace of Emile Verfurth’s old dream, still spinning quietly in the sea breeze.
This artwork is available in A0, A1, A2, A3, A4. Professional framing is available on A0, A1 and A2 sizes via pick up only.
In 2005, the Giant Sky Wheel rolled into town — a gleaming, European-built Ferris wheel that still towers over the Geelong foreshore like a slow-moving guardian of the bay, gently spinning locals, tourists, and the occasional seagull enthusiast toward the clouds.
But it wasn’t the first to do so.
Before the Sky Wheel, there was Hi-Lite Park — an amusement park that lit up Geelong’s Eastern Beach from 1956 until somewhere in the hazy, Kodachrome-tinted 1980s. Dreamed up by Emile Verfurth, Hi-Lite Park was Geelong’s answer to Melbourne’s Luna Park. It had dodgems, a carousel, a Ferris wheel, and just enough danger to feel like fun. Kids got dizzy, parents got fleeced, and everyone went home a little sunburnt and slightly stickier than when they arrived.
By the 1990s, Hi-Lite Park was gone — swept away by a wave of urban redevelopment and “family-friendly” planning. The Giant Sky Wheel now stands almost exactly where Hi-Lite once did, like a reincarnated ride on the seaside.
Step onto the Sky Wheel at sunset and you’ll see it: the glittering water, the carnival lights, the ghosts of dodgem cars past — and maybe, just maybe, a trace of Emile Verfurth’s old dream, still spinning quietly in the sea breeze.
This artwork is available in A0, A1, A2, A3, A4. Professional framing is available on A0, A1 and A2 sizes via pick up only.
In 2005, the Giant Sky Wheel rolled into town — a gleaming, European-built Ferris wheel that still towers over the Geelong foreshore like a slow-moving guardian of the bay, gently spinning locals, tourists, and the occasional seagull enthusiast toward the clouds.
But it wasn’t the first to do so.
Before the Sky Wheel, there was Hi-Lite Park — an amusement park that lit up Geelong’s Eastern Beach from 1956 until somewhere in the hazy, Kodachrome-tinted 1980s. Dreamed up by Emile Verfurth, Hi-Lite Park was Geelong’s answer to Melbourne’s Luna Park. It had dodgems, a carousel, a Ferris wheel, and just enough danger to feel like fun. Kids got dizzy, parents got fleeced, and everyone went home a little sunburnt and slightly stickier than when they arrived.
By the 1990s, Hi-Lite Park was gone — swept away by a wave of urban redevelopment and “family-friendly” planning. The Giant Sky Wheel now stands almost exactly where Hi-Lite once did, like a reincarnated ride on the seaside.
Step onto the Sky Wheel at sunset and you’ll see it: the glittering water, the carnival lights, the ghosts of dodgem cars past — and maybe, just maybe, a trace of Emile Verfurth’s old dream, still spinning quietly in the sea breeze.
This artwork is available in A0, A1, A2, A3, A4. Professional framing is available on A0, A1 and A2 sizes via pick up only.
© 2025 Historic Prints / Suburban Icons, part of The Brand Garage, Melbourne. All images and intellectual property remain the property of Historic Prints. No part of this artwork may be copied, reproduced, or distributed without prior permission.
