Melbourne Aquarium

It’s official. Melbourne Aquarium is Melbourne’s most popular tourist attraction. It is home to over 10,000 animals including one of the world’s largest saltwater crocodiles, majestic King Penguins, sharks, prehistoric sea turtles, the world’s largest collection of seahorses and more. With interactive animal encounters, state-of-the-art displays and animal feeds the aquarium is educational, engaging and fun.

Melbourne Aquarium is located on the corner of Flinders and King Streets, on the Yarra opposite the Crown Entertainment Complex. It opens from 9:30am to 6:00pm daily (last entry 5:00pm) every day of the year. There are twelve ‘zones’ in the aquarium, each quite different and each with its own rewards.

You could begin the journey in Conservation Cove with some unique local species that celebrate the beauty of the oceans and its creatures.  There’s the Bay of Rays where you go beneath the surface of Port Phillip Bay to encounter some of the graceful marine creatures that usually reside well out of view, 200 metres below sea level. Mangroves and rock pools invites you to explore the murky swamps and coastal mangroves to encounter the swamp-dwellers and touch beautiful sea stars and shark eggs.

In Coral Caves you go deeper into the ocean to a colourful array of coral species to be captivated by the serene sea jellies floating by. This is where you will find Nemo clowning around the anemones. At Shipwreck Explorer look through the rusty portholes of the abandoned wreck to see moray eels and some of the ocean’s most venomous animals like the Stone fish and Lion fish. Mermaid Garden is an underwater paradise that is home to huge stingrays, massive sharks and thousands of multi-coloured marine animals

Ocean Discovery shows the breeding programs for the juvenile Brown Banded Bamboo sharks and rehabilitating Sea Turtles. Crocodile’s Lair is designed to be one of the most captivating aquarium exhibits ever created with three spectacular viewing levels for a 360 degree jaw-dropping experience with Pinjarra, one of Australia’s largest saltwater crocodiles. Coral Atoll is a colourful underwater wonderland where the most magnificent tropical animals in the world swim right next to you in the floor to ceiling display.

Rainforest Adventure is the newest interactive experience with bizarre bugs, Lungfish, freshwater turtles, frogs, stick insects, hermit crabs and the smooth scaly Blue Tongue Lizards. The mystically-themed Seahorse Pier is home to the largest collection of sea horse and seadragon species in the world and Penguin Playground is fun for both the visitors and the penguins. You can’t help but smile watching the majestic King Penguins and the cheeky Gentoo Penguins slip and slide across the snow-covered ice. Interactive displays and stunning visuals educate and entertain. There are also daily feeds and talks from the keepers to help you discover more about the daily life of the adorable critters.

SEA LIFE Melbourne Aquarium provides people in wheelchairs full access to all exhibits. Each floor of the aquarium is accessible via either a lift or ramp. Each level also has wheelchair accessible toilets.

Here is a link to the official Melbourne SEA LIFE website.