List of tallest buildings in Melbourne

[4] Melbourne was also the location for the first modern post World War II high-rise in Australia, ICI House built in 1958.

The late 1880s 'land boom' saw the construction of approximately a dozen 'lofty edifices' of 8 to 10 floors, made possible by the introduction of a pressurised hydraulic power network to operate lifts, and taking load bearing brickwork to great heights.

[6] The main reasons for the limit, as well as fire proofing, were the preservation of light and air to the streets, avoiding congestion, and the influence of the City Beautiful movement, preferring evenly scaled streetscapes over those with buildings of varying heights.

The Manchester Unity Building (1932), for instance, achieved a total height of 64 metres (210 ft) to the top of its corner tower.

Slightly taller, the Optus Centre was completed in 1975; and then in 1977 Nauru House was crowned the tallest building in Melbourne, at a height of 182 metres (597 ft).

By the early 1980s, Melbourne had a total of 6 buildings above 150 metres (490 ft), with the completion of the Wentworth (later Regent then Sofitel) Hotel at Collins Place in 1980.

In 1986, the Rialto Towers surpassed Sydney's MLC Centre as the tallest building not only in Australia but in the Southern Hemisphere, with a height of 251 metres (823 ft).

[14] The skyscraper, which stands at 266 metres (873 ft) in height, held the titles for tallest building in Australia and the Southern Hemisphere for fourteen years, until the completion of the Gold Coast's Q1 in 2005.

[17] Construction trends significantly increased throughout the 2010s, which included the completion of Prima Pearl (2014) and Aurora Melbourne Central (2019), both of which exceed 250 metres (820 ft) in height.

[23] In September 2015, the Minister for Planning, Richard Wynne, introduced a 12-month height limit of approximately 229 metres (751 ft) for all buildings proposed in the Melbourne central business district and segments of Southbank, along with interim planning laws that re-introduced a floor area ratio of 18:1, which could be exceeded up to a maximum of 24:1 only with the provision of certain public benefits.

Should projects exceed the plot ratio, developers will need to make a special case to the Minister, outlining the proposal's state significance.

[33] The central business district skyline is broken down into two distinct sections: the east and west, divided by Swanston Street.

This precinct, located adjacent to the City Centre, includes some of the tallest buildings in Melbourne, such as Australia 108, Eureka Tower, and Prima Pearl.

[35] South Yarra, St Kilda Road (a locality adjacent to the City Centre), the inner-city suburbs Carlton, and Docklands each comprise a skyscraper.

Exceptions to this, include the mixed-use building Sofitel Hotel (1980) on Collins Place, and the all-hotel Crown Towers (1997) in Southbank.

[40] These figures are set to change dramatically by 2020; when factoring those buildings still under-construction (but to be completed by 2020), 44% of the city's skyscrapers will be of residential use, 35% commercial, 18% mixed-use, 2% hotel, and 2% government.

[41] Melbourne has 77 skyscrapers completed or topped out within the city, which stand at least 150 metres (490 ft) tall, based on standard height measurement.

The skyline of Melbourne in January 2024, as viewed from the Shrine of Remembrance
The intersection of Collins Street and Queens Street in 1903.
An aerial view of Melbourne in 1956.
The skyline of Melbourne city as viewed from Williamstown in June 2015.
Melbourne's two tallest buildings, Eureka Tower (left) and Australia 108 (right), were constructed in 2006 and 2020, respectively.
Since the 2000s, high-rise density has taken form in urban renewal regions like Southbank.
The skyline of Melbourne city as viewed from Williamstown in January 2020. Prominent skyscrapers visible in this image include West Side Place Towers A and B (then-under construction), far left; Aurora Melbourne Central , Premier Tower (then-under construction), Bourke Place , and 568 Collins Street , left of centre; the Rialto Towers , centre; 120 Collins Street , 101 Collins Street , Freshwater Place North , Prima Pearl , Eureka Tower , and Australia 108 (then-under construction); and Melbourne Square Tower 1 (then-under construction).
Buildings above 200 metres in height in Melbourne. Skyscrapers in black are complete, while skyscrapers coloured orange are in the construction phase
Sapphire by the Gardens (left) and Shangri-La by the Gardens (right), under construction in March 2022. Sapphire was completed in 2022, whilst Shangri-La is expected to be completed in 2023.