Victoria's answer to the London Eye was billed as a key attraction of the revamped Harbour Town precinct on the outskirts of Melbourne's CBD, with the American supermarket CostCo to open in July and the National Ice Sports Centre scheduled to be completed in early 2010.

However, engineers flown in from Japan to inspect the Wheel have reported back to owners ING Real Estate that it might not be safe to spin again until August. Sections of the Wheel were designed by the Osaka-based Neisho Corporation.

A spokeswoman for ING Real Estate and operators Southern Star Management Group declined to comment on the extended delays, but did confirm that engineers from Australia and Japan were working to identify the most appropriate solution.

It is expected that any repairs done on the Wheel would be covered under the manufacturer's warranty.

The state secretary of the CFMEU's structural division, Bill Oliver, has said that his members had told him there were at least 12 to 14 cracks in a section of the wheel.