An artist’s impression of the new-look Telstra Tower. Image: Architectus.
Telstra Tower might be the place to go for tethered base jumping, zip lines, climbing courses and “other similar activities” when it reopens to the public in 2027.
ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr revealed an update on the government’s plans for one of Canberra’s most fridge-magnet-ed icons during Budget estimate hearings this week in response to questions from Canberra Liberals leader Leanne Castley.
“The discussion with Telstra will include a visitor information [centre], and then other elements … new adventure tourism experiences … utilising the tower in a way that it hasn’t been in the past,” he said.
“There are obviously examples of other towers elsewhere in Australia and the world that have adventure experiences, and we – through Visit Canberra – are well connected with the operators of those experiences.”
The ACT Government has included funding for the revitalisation of Telstra Tower within a broader $15 million tourism and events package in the 2025-26 Budget.
The tower has sat derelict since closing on 13 July 2021, attracting “urban explorers” like Abbey Best, who visit “abandoned” places for views on social media.
@_abbeybest will it even be open then? tags 🏷️ #telstratower #news #reopen #closed #closeddown #shutdown #canberra #act #touristattraction #tourism #australia #telecomtower #blackmountain #relatable #sad
According to Mr Barr, the government approached Telstra soon after the closure, expressing concern that “such a significant icon for this city was not publicly accessible”.
“I raised it with successive Telstra CEOs, and got them to the point of them making an investment in the tens of millions of dollars in the facility,” he said.
Telstra has said the revamped tower will include a café, retail space and observation deck – even if it’s yet to confirm whether the revolving restaurant will return.
Telstra Tower has been closed since July 2021. Photo: Josip Sladic, Canberra Notice Board Group, Facebook.
“For many years it was a popular tourist attraction, and we believe this site can offer that again for Canberrans and visitors to our country’s capital,” Telstra CEO Vicki Brady said in June 2024.
“Black Mountain also has ongoing cultural significance to the Ngunnawal people, and any new development of the Telstra Tower should also reflect and incorporate this as a key element.”
Telstra agreed to partner with the ACT Government on the project because “as a national telecommunications and infrastructure provider”, it lacks the “expertise to develop or manage a tourist attraction”.
During estimates, Mr Barr said the ins and outs of the deal remain under “commercial negotiation” but confirmed the government would likely take “some responsibility for a fit out inside the tower spaces that we would either utilise or seek to sublet”.
“The principal responsibility for capital works will sit with Telstra, but our negotiations to date have seen common sense come to the fore in terms of, for example, sharing architects, not having completely different project management approaches, and the like,” Mr Barr said.
Some of the space will likely become a new visitor centre to capitalise on the “hundreds of thousands of visitors” expected at the tower every year.
An artist’s impression of the revamped observation deck. Image: Architectus.
In response to questions from Region, a government spokesperson said no final decision has been made, but examples of adventure experiences could include “elevated external walks, tethered base jumping, zip lines, climbing courses and other similar activities”.
“Opening the tower as a world-class tourist attraction will include consideration of a range of products and experiences.”
The government is looking at other “successful tower operations both in Australia and overseas … to understand the mix of experiences that may be able to be delivered in Canberra”, including the Sydney Tower Eye and the Sky Tower in Auckland, New Zealand.
The Sydney Tower Eye offers a 60-minute ‘SkyWalk’ where participants can walk on a glass platform 268 metres in the air with the CBD directly beneath their feet.
Sky Tower in Auckland includes a revolving restaurant and ‘Sky Bar’, New Zealand’s highest bar, while thrill seekers can partake in a SkyWalk similar to Sydney’s or a SkyFall – where “you’ll fall very fast at speeds of up to 85 km/h for around 11 seconds before coming to a smooth landing at the base of the Sky Tower”.
The plan is for Telstra Tower to reopen by the end of 2027, subject to “negotiations with Telstra and funding decisions made through budgetary processes”.
“This will be further informed through engagement with the tourism market and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities,” the ACT Government spokesperson said.
