Crown Melbourne opened on June 30, 1994, at the World Trade Centre as a temporary setup while its permanent location was being built. The permanent site, located on the southern bank of the Yarra River, opened on May 8, 1997, and was designed by Bates Smart, Perrott Lyon Mathieson, and Daryl Jackson.
On opening night, actress Rachel Griffiths protested the project by running topless through the casino. Crown is a major feature of the Southbank area and has a total space of 510,000 m², making it the largest casino complex in the Southern Hemisphere. It houses 540 table games, 100 poker tables, and 2,500 poker machines.
