It’s the new 20 million dollar attraction located right in the heart of Melbourne, Monopoly Dreams is here to make your dreams come true. Melbourne’s Monopoly Dreams attraction is twice as big as the one in Hong Kong!
Mr. Monopoly has decided to switch his New York luxury to come down under and show the Aussies how rich he really is. The entry of the attraction is all flashing lights and a surprisingly long queue for 10:30 on a weekday morning. My friend reminds me it is still the school holiday period, which explains the queue. The carpets and walls are draped in a luxurious and almost obnoxious red. This guy is rich and he wants you to know that.
The attraction contains many fun things to do—like a tour of Mr. Monopoly’s mansion, playing games and getting Monopoly money.
The first stop is his mansion, which we get to by squishing into an elevator with another 20 attendees. The doors open, and there it is, the home of the richest man on the planet—Milburn Pennybags’ lair. There are pictures hung on the wall, paintings of him and his dog. It makes you question what type of lonely life Mr. Monopoly leads. My friend and I question his path to success—did he have to sacrifice his loved ones? Either way, the room is immersive and misses out on no detail. The skirting boards are decorated with golden swirls. Intricate paintings of snapshots from his life adorn the dark, money-green wall.
The next part of the experience is the Monopoly Museum. Here are hundreds of Monopoly board games—from the first one manufactured in 1935, to the newest Melbourne Monopoly Dreams edition! You can take a quiz that gives you hypothetical Monopoly scenarios and from this you learn what Monopoly token you are—I’m a cat! There are many interactive elements like this throughout the attraction. Many games require skill and a bit of chance and luck to win Monopoly Money. 1000 dollars in Monopoly Money can be redeemed for 1 AUD to be used at the gift shop or the cafe—keeping in mind the maximum discount you can receive is 5 AUD.
After having a turn at some of the games, you get a chance to experience the 4D cinema. In the cinema, my friend and I put our 3D glasses on and take a seat on the comfy crimson couches. On the arm rest there is a water on/off option. My friend and I look at each other—this is the real deal. The movie starts, and the seats begin to shake, spray and shout scents in our faces. The audience screams and gasps as blasts of air and spritzes of water dash across their faces. They clap at the end of the movie, which epically narrates Mr. Monopoly’s loyalty to the City of Melbourne.
After being immersed in the movie, we are guided onto the streets of Monopoly City. Here there are all these opportunities to immerse yourself in the famous board game—from fixing the water and electricity systems to being a criminal and ending up in jail. Each of these locations contain brain-busting puzzles for you to solve to earn Monopoly money.
The ultimate money winning experience is the money booth, in which you have the chance to win Monopoly notes of up to 500 dollars. As my friend and I walk into a booth, the wind starts blowing notes all around us. A 500 sticks right onto my friend’s head but blows away before she can reach it. Jumping and waving her arms around, my friend meant business and business she got, walking out with more than 500 Monopoly dollars.
After we cash our winnings, we decide to continue to the laser game where one can live out their Mission Impossible fantasies, navigating a laser security system to steal Mr. Monopoly’s prized diamond. Smoke billows all around us as we walk into the dark room. The lasers are bright red and cut across the room. This initially looks too complicated for a child to complete, but we quickly realise that the challenge is simpler than it seems—despite hitting the lasers multiple times, no alarms go off. After we steal Mr. Monopoly’s prized possession, my friend and I sign our own property deeds and stamp them with a special seal.
At the end of our experience, we are shocked to find out that despite spending over two hours in the attraction, we had yet to visit the gift shop or the Monopoly Cafe! At the gift shop there are many Monopoly merchandise to choose from—we buy a bookmark for 95 cents.
Our experience ends at the Monopoly Cafe where my friend and I score half-priced slices of cake with the remaining amount of Monopoly Money.. A dense and divine piece of carrot cake for me and a decadent slice of Oreo cheesecake for my friend. The cafe serves the cakes on a Monopoly themed plate and we eat with weighty golden forks.
I would definitely recommend this experience for all, especially the kids. This is a once in a lifetime experience for two reasons. Firstly, it is so special and unique that it becomes a core memory. Secondly however, the hefty ticket fee ensures that you can really only experience it once. Adding new games and providing returning customers with incentives might help create sustainability—otherwise, it’s going to get old quick.
If you haven’t yet experienced Mr. Monopoly in all his opulent glory, head here to purchase tickets!
Want a visual teaser? Head here!