The overall concept of Shannon Bennett’s flagship restaurant Vue de Monde on the 55th floor of the Rialto is the abstract Australian landscape, in particular, the landscape of Melbourne and its waterways. The Yarra River, the reeds, the billabong, Australian animals and insects - the platypus, fireflies, frilled neck lizards and kangaroos - were all referenced for inspiration. The design celebrates Australiana in its true essence – its sense of wonder and its contradictions, possessing both wildness and sophistication.

It has taken two years to plan and construct a 60-seat fine dining restaurant 240 metres in the air.

The opening of the lift door reveals a gleaming black lobby leading to the Lui Bar. Mismatched pre-used chairs of all styles - classic, wingbacks, several chaise longue - have been refurbished and re-covered in gold and black fabrics from latex to linen. Antique silver trays are now on the tops of side tables while old telephone poles are squat stools.

Bennett has drawn his inspiration from the city below using bluestone tiles lining the bar, and as flooring, to represent the city’s lanes and corrugated chrome on the lavatories - a mirror to the historic corrugated iron toilets at the back of the old Rialto building.

There are no tablecloths rather the large hand-made tables are covered in black, polished kangaroo hide. Local artisans have been used where possible: the table bases were made by Ross Didier and the skins were applied by James and Theo at shoemakers Captains of Industry, as were the big, rounded dining chairs backed with kangaroo fur with bases made from recycled telephones. The hides are authentic right down to the bullet-hole marks that Bennett didn’t want obscured.

The new restaurant reclaims the heat from other tenants’ airconditioning units to warm the water used throughout the site. All cleaning and hand washing is done using water and salt, treated with electrolysis, to create acidic and alkaline water. Called e-water, it almost entirely reduces the need for any extra cleaning products, saving $70,000 in chemicals every year. By eliminating tablecloths Bennett will reduce his water and energy input by cutting out the need for laundering napery.

The green changes extend to the tiles in the kitchen made from recycled materials, induction cooktops and on-demand extraction fans.