What it is
It is a two story building full of underwater magic that showcases everything the Great Barrier Reef has to offer without having to get your feet wet.
It was built in 2017 and is the first public aquarium built in Australia since 2001, when Merrimbula Wharf opened on the NSW south Coast.
It also contains a world-first five-star resort for coral, similar to the “dooms day” vault for seeds in Norway.
What it offers
Day admissions, yearly passes, night tours, marine encounters, snorkeling, diving, turtle rehabilitation hospital, multi-park discounts, gift shop and a restaurant/cafe.
It is home to more than 16,000 specimens and 10 ecosystems.
It is open every day, details can be found on their website: CairnsAquarium.com.au
Wheelchair Accessible
What we did
We loved it so much that we purchased an annual pass! It was at this time that we started to watch 72 Dangerous Animals Australia TV series on Netflix. We loved watching the episodes, which often showed various aquatic animals, then we would go to the aquarium and see them first hand. It was scary how many of the list of deadly animals lived where we lived, Far North Queensland. When you walk into the aquarium you start with the fresh water fish. When you go upstairs you go past turtles, through a rain forest section, reptiles including pythons, tree monitors, and crocodiles, crayfish, the reef tank, which is fantastic. Then you walk through jelly fish, coral reef fish, a marine touch tank and finish with sharks and rays. They do daily talks in different sections of the aquarium at different times, so make sure you check what talks and shows you want to attend when you arrive.
Note – Unfortunately I am really special with technology and i managed to loose a heap of our photos. All of my Aquarium photos (even though we went several times) were amongst the loss. I have temporarily borrowed the above images from google until we can get back to Cairns and revisit the Aquarium and take our own photos. Please advise us if you own any of the images and want them removed and they will be removed immediately. Thank you for your understanding.
Highlight
A 10 meter high two story tank
Would I do it again
Yes. We visited the Aquarium on numerous occasions over the year we had our annual pass.
What do you need
As a couple: A bottle of water and your phone or camera to take photos
With Kids: Bottles of water, phone or camera, snacks, activities (scavenger hunt)
With Pets: Only service pets allowed.
If you do need to leave you pet with someone you could try to locate a pet sitter on one the following websites:






