Reed Travel Features
SYDNEY, Australia -- Travelers who are looking up gaming action
down under might want to try their luck at the Star City Casino,
which made its debut here in late November.
The gaming complex, built by Sydney Harbour Casino Holdings
Ltd., will be managed by Harrah's Entertainment Inc., which also is
a 24.6% shareholder in the $1 billion project. Harrah's, based in
Memphis, Tenn., acquired its interest in the casino through the
purchase of Las Vegas-based Showboat Inc.
As part of the project plan, Star City's opening coincided with
the closing of the Sydney Harbour Casino temporary facility.
The new Star City complex, which includes 153,000 square feet of
gaming space, is located on the Sydney inner harbor across from the
central business district and next to a major leisure attraction in
Darling Harbour.
The decor of the public gaming area, which features 200 table
games and 1,500 slot machines, takes its theme from the country's
natural geological attractions, such as the Great Barrier Reef, the
Outback and the rain forest. A private gaming floor for high
rollers features a Moroccan motif.
In the complex are a hotel with more than 500 rooms, suites and
condominiums, seven restaurants, five bars, a nightclub and a
retail center.
The 2,000-seat Lyric Theater, which is scheduled to host
productions by Andrew Lloyd Webber's Really Useful Co., also will
offer the musical "Showboat" for one season beginning in April.
Another theater, this one seating 900 people, is slated to host a
roster of such entertainers as Natalie Cole, KD Lang, Kenny G,
Jimmy Barnes and Air Supply.
Showboat Inc., owns and operates casino hotels in Las Vegas and
Atlantic City and is part owner and manager of the Showboat Mardi
Gras Casino in East Chicago, Ind.
For more information or to make reservations, agents can contact
the hotel directly at (011) 612-9777-9000.