High fives as Sky soars

By Tania Martin
SKY High restaurant staff have labelled receiving an encouragement award from the Minister of Tourism John Pandazopoulos last week as ‘spectacular’.
The restaurant in Mt Dandenong was the only business to receive an encouragement award from the Minister at the 2005 Melbourne Airport Victorian Tourism Awards.
Sky High’s general manager Sean Robinson said it was lucky that the Palladium at Crown was well built because the team from SkyHigh Mt Dandenong nearly brought the house down when it was announced as the sole winner of the award.
Mr Robinson said the award was due to the commitment of all the staff in creating the ultimate Sky High experience for all of its customers.
Since the well-known and beloved Sky High Restaurant closed down more than eight years ago, the site was left to languish, but all that changed last year.
In June last year, Melbourne businessman John Connellan took over the site.
And Mr Robinson said so far this year the restaurant has proven very popular with locals as the bistro opens seven days a week for lunch and dinner and the function room is already heavily booked for weddings and group dinners.
Mr Pandazopoulos said the awards recognise tourism businesses striving for excellence in an increasingly competitive environment.
“Over the past five years, regional tourism has grown by nearly 30 per cent in Victoria and these awards reflect the hard work our regional tourism businesses are putting,” he said.
Victorian winners will take part in the 2005-06 Australian Tourism Awards on the Gold Coast in February.