Fire on the river: the gas brigade timetable

The gas brigades are Crown Melbourne's own spectacle, a row of eight towers on the Southbank side of the river below the hotel. Crown's page gives the rule in three parts: the shows start at a seasonal time, repeat on the hour, and end at midnight from Sunday to Thursday or at 1am on Friday, Saturday and the night before a public holiday.

Start times through the year

Counted from that timetable, a weeknight in November has five firings (20:00 to midnight) and a Friday or Saturday six. From December to February the evenings are shorter — four firings on weeknights, five at weekends — because the first show moves to 21:00. From April to September the shows begin at 18:00, which gives seven firings on a weeknight.

When they do not fire

• On days of total fire ban for Victoria's Central Region, as declared by the Country Fire Authority. In summer this is the most likely reason for a dark evening.
• When weather conditions make it unsafe, at Crown's discretion.
• During maintenance.

Watching from the hotel

Crown does not say which rooms look onto the gas brigades, and no category promises a river outlook in those words. Several room pages mention city, Yarra or bay views; the river side is the one that faces the promenade. A guest who wants the fire in view should write “river side” in the request notes. The desk passes it to the hotel as a preference and reports the answer.

From the ground, the obvious places are on Crown Riverwalk itself: the terrace of Bellevue, the balcony of LAYAL and the Riverwalk tables of Bistro Guillaume all face the promenade where the towers stand.

A note for families

The early shows from April to September (18:00) and in October and November (20:00) are the ones that fit around children's bedtimes. Crown's page does not set any age or viewing rule; the promenade is public space.