SEA LIFE Melbourne Aquarium - Victoria's Leading Attraction

SEA LIFE Melbourne Aquarium

When I was in Melbourne recently I made it a point to visit the SEA LIFE Melbourne Aquarium. I had heard good reports about this leading tourist attraction so it was high up on my list of things to do. It was only s short tram ride away from the hotel where I was staying.

Even though it was school holiday time, with people queing up out the door and along the footpath to get it, it did not feel crowded once inside. There was plenty of space to view the more than 10,000 aquatic animals on display.

Lionfish

The SEA LIFE Melbourne Aquarium, designed to look like a ship moored to a river, is built on 4 amazing levels, partly underground. The Aquarium first opened in 2000 and has recently had a make-over with a new entrance on the corner of King and Flinders Street. I joined the many other visitors on the one-way self-guided walk through the 12 new zones of discovery:-

King Penguins

• Conservation Cove, is all about breeding. rescuing and protecting marine life
• Bay of Rays, which has displays of Fiddler rays, Eastern and Western Shovelnose rays, and the worlds only display of Elephant Sharks
• Mangroves and Rockpools, which has interactive Rockpools, where visitors can touch sea stars, sea urchins, and shark eggs and see Giant Cuttlefish
• Coral Caves, with Sea jellies, Nemo the Clown fish, and Maori octopus
• Shipwreck Explorer, with some of the ocean’s most venomous marine creatures including Moray eels, Stone fish, and Lionfish
• Mermaid Garden, is the huge 2.2 million litre walk-through Oceanarium housing huge stingrays, massive sharks and thousands of multi-coloured marine animals.



Jellyfish

• Ocean Discovery, with Brown Banded Bamboo sharks and Sea Turtles
• Rainforest Adventure, has on display unique animals not found anywhere else in the world including bizarre bugs, aquatic reptiles, river giants, ancient Australians and the world’s largest display of Archerfish.
• Coral Atoll, is a spectacular floor-to-ceiling display with a variety of exotic animals, including moray eels, sea stars and hundreds of multi-coloured fish
• Seahorse Pier, which is a rainbow of colors
• Penguin Playground, with its majestic King and cheeky Gentoo penguins in the icy waters of the Antarctica, and has real ice and snow
• Croc Lair, which only opened at the end of September has Pinjarra, one of the world’s largest Saltwater Crocodiles residing in the state-of-the-art exhibit. 

Mermaid Garden

Apart from viewing all the 12 zones of discovery at SEA LIFE Melbourne Aquarium, several exciting experiences are offered (for an additional payment). These include: Sea Horse Nursery, Shark Dive Xtreme, Penguin Passport, Behind the Scenes Tour, Fish Feeding, Aquarist Programs, and Ocean Rangers.

The visit to the SEA LIFE Melbourne Aquarium was made even more interesting by listening to some of the talks about the exhibits, and seeing the feeding sessions that take place at different times each day.

Pinjarra reflected

It was interesting to see the wide range of ages - from tiny tots to grandparents - enjoying themselves as they walked around seeing and interacting with the various exhibits. Small children could see the various marine life without having to be lifted up by their parents all the time to see. A cafe was available for snacks and drinks inside the Aquarium, and a gift shop was placed after the displays to purchase souvenirs.

Tickets

A variety of ticket options are available to see  SEA LIFE Melbourne Aquarium. The best way to buy them is to go online, where savings of between 10% and 25% can be made depending on date and the time of the day of the visit:

Stingray

• Single visit for adults, children, concessions and families
• Group tickets, for 10 or more adult, child or concession tickets
• Midweek: Parent & Child,
• Annual Pass, with unlimited entry and member benefits
• Merlin Annual Pass, whic provides 12 months unlimited entry to SEA LIFE Melbourne Aquarium (VIC), WILD LIFE Sydney Zoo, SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium, Sydney Tower Eye, Madame Tussauds Sydney and Manly SEA LIFE Sanctuary in Sydney, Otway Fly (VIC), Illawarra Fly (NSW), Kelly Tarlton's Underwater World (Auckland, NZ) and WILD LIFE Hamilton Island in the Whitsunday Islands (QLD).

Information

Touch pools

Location: SEA LIFE Melbourne Aquarium is located on the corner of Flinders Street and King Street, Melbourne. It is situated on the Yarra River, opposite Crown Entertainment Complex.
Opening Times: SEA LIFE Melbourne Aquarium is open from 9.30am until 6.00pm every day of the year, including public holidays. Last admission is one hour prior to closing time.
Phone: Tel: +61 3 9923 5999 (9:30am - 6pm).
Email: info@melbourneaquarium.com.au  
Website:  http://www.melbourneaquarium.com.au/