The Funky Site -

Victoria - Melbourne Aquarium

Created July 2001, last updated July 2001.

The Melbourne Aquarium was opened on the 21st January 2000, after a two year building program. It's located on the banks of the Yarra opposite the Southbank complex and the Crown Casino, and easily reached via public transport or on foot from the city centre. The aquarium is split into three levels and numerous content areas, including a swamp area. Interactive displays are dotted around and provide an intriguing insight into marine life - how fish see with eyes on the side of their heads, the relative physical effort of swimming and how they perceive the waterworld they live in. There is a wealth of information for those who want to know more including computer terminals with quizzes, built in references on all the habitants of the aquarium and spoken guides. As you'll see from the picture annotations, I didn't learn as much as I should have!

Aquarium

Crocodile

Cuttlefish

Grouper

Jellyfish

Leafy

Towards the end of the museum is a large glass walled room which contains some of the larger fish on display including rays and sharks. The entrances into this room are glass tunnels where you get to see the marine life floating above you, but these corridors are only a couple of metres long and not really up to much. There is a seated presentation area if you're interested in finding out more about the occupants.

The final (optional) attraction is a simulated rollercoaster trip through an underwater world. In line with most attractions of this nature the actual substance is a little lacking, the technology being the main pulling point. The world you see does include dolphins and killer whales but you're not going to learn anything new here. If you're visiting on a busy day I doubt it'd be worth the wait.