As a local it never quite made sense to me as to why Cairns lacked an aquarium despite its proximity to the GBR. As such I was very happy to see this place enter the tourism scene and visited it with my wife recently.
We did the 'twilight tour' which at a cost of $125pp affords a 2 hour guided tour of the cairns aquarium followed by a 3 course dinner and drink (the drink and appetiser served at the end of the tour to allow viewing of the coral sea aquarium area). It starts at 1545 (tour commencing 1600) and is a good way of seeing the aquarium after the masses have left.
I was really impressed with the knowledge of our tour guide Alex, an Australian marine biologist. The aquarium certainly wasn't the biggest I've been to and it did lack the massive tanks and fish that I have seen at others. However, what it did well was highlight the biodiversity and various ecosystems found in cairns, with a 'journey' that takes you from the mangroves to the reef. The aquarium also housed a couple of native species to the cairns region including Jungle Perch and Lake Eacham Rainbowfish.
The food served at the attached restaurant 'Dundees' was great and the whole thing took about 3.5 hours so it would be a good activity on a rainy day or for those that are time poor.
Thank you for your great review :)
We are glad you enjoyed your experience at Cairns Aquarium.
Hope to sea you again soon!
Cairns Aquarium was a great way to spend a couple of hours learning about the reef and river systems in the local area and the fish and animals that populate them.
Great layout from eco-system to eco-system and lots of talks going on to educate everyone - great way to see what is out there!
Recommend getting there early - very busy spot!
Thank you for your review!
Small, but really interesting place, with some great local sea life. Very economic family price of about 70 for two adults and two children.
Thank you for your kind review!
We have over 16,000 animals on display from 71 habitats, across 2 floors :)
Hope to sea you again soon!
We really enjoyed our morning at the Aquarium. It’s cool, informative and contains the many and varied reef marine life. The eels were a favourite as were Dory and Nemo. People of all ages would love this Aquarium.
Thank you for your great review!
Visited on a rainy day in Cairns, and what an amazing way to spend an afternoon! There are a range of exhibits, plus plenty of informative talks. Staff were friendly and helpful with any questions. A nice touch is that your admission allows you to come and go, so you can stop by Dundee’s restaurant (another great spot to visit, with its own wall fish tank) before continuing on around the Aquarium. Would definitely recommend!
Thank you so much for your kind review!
Hope to sea you again soon :)
