As well as the regular tanks, this impressive complex has large pools that you can walk through – safely enclosed in Perspex tunnels – as a fearsome array of sharks and rays pass overhead. Other highlights include a two-minute boat ride through the king and gentoo penguin enclosure, a dugong, disco-light jellyfish, evolutionary throwbacks and the grand finale: the enormous Great Barrier Reef tank, which takes you through the different times of the day in a lifetime. I ride a bicycle. Corals, turtles, rare sharks and numerous fishes.
An aquarium’s dugong was rescued after an orphan washed up on a Queensland beach. Attempts to return it to the wild failed, so the dugong island wall was built. As sad as it is to see such a large marine mammal in captivity, it provides an exciting and rare opportunity to get up close.
Fancy jumping in the tank with those sharks? Shark Dive Extreme Gets you half an hour there ($239 to $299 including aquarium admission, ages 14 and up). Other additional activities include an ice penguin encounter and a glass-bottom boat ride in the main tank.
Needless to say, kids love this place. Arrive early to beat the crowds. It’s cheap to book online, and there are various combo deals with other attractions operated by the same company, including the adjacent zoo and Madame Tussauds.