I’ve not been to an aquarium in years (I think the last one I visited might be COEX Aquarium, which is awfully long ago). However, I thought it would be a nice idea to bring our baby to the SEA LIFE Melbourne Aquarium for her first look at marine life. It also didn’t hurt that the aquarium was well situated in the city, so it was pretty easy to get to.
What to do and see at SEA LIFE Melbourne Aquarium
Bay of Rays is aptly named with displays of Fiddler rays and iconic Port Jackson shark, which resides in Melbourne’s iconic Port Phillip Bay.
The aquarium had an interactive display where you are more than welcome to touch starfish and even shark egg cases (!). It attracted quite a good crowd of kids, which is easy to see why. I don’t know if the shark egg cases had any actual eggs in them though.
No aquarium visit is complete without clownfishes:
SEA LIFE also boasts a very extensive jellyfish exhibit where you can find almost every jellyfish species you can think of, including Moon Jellies, White Spotted Lagoon Jellyfish, Blue Blubbers, and even Upside Down Jellyfish.
The aquarium even boasts a Jelly Lab where you can discover strange facts about the jellyfish lifecycle and take a peek behind the scenes as SEA LIFE staff tend to the care and raising of these creatures.
Very cool.
You can walk through this tunnel and watch various aquatic life swimming above and around you.
There are dedicated zones where the aquarium engage the public in their efforts to breed and raise selected species, especially the endangered ones.
You can’t miss out on seahorses at the aquarium. The unique thing about this particular exhibit is that it is also home to SEA LIFE Melbourne’s internationally-recognised Weedy Seadragon breeding program.
I have no idea if these are pregnant male seahorses or simply ones with big bellies though.
I was mildly fascinated by this giant cuttlefish, having never seen one in an aquarium before. It’s said that cuttlefish are alien-like creatures with some seriously strange adaptations. They can use amazing colour and texture changes to impress mating partners, mesmerise prey, and evade predators.
One of the biggest draws at SEA LIFE Melbourne Aquarium is none other than Pinjarra. Measuring in at just under 6 metres and weighing over 750kg, Pinjarra, is a 65-year-old male Saltwater Crocodile.
It is honestly MASSIVE to look at in person and I couldn’t help gaping in awe.
While it’s a bit unusual to feature an area dedicated to the rainforest in the aquarium, it is still rather interesting to see animals such as lungfish, turtles, frogs, and lizards. To be fair, they tried to feature those that mainly live in or near water bodies. So I guess that loosely relates to aquatic life?
The last part of the aquarium experience is arguably our favourite part of the whole visit: the Penguin Playground! They feature two species of penguins, the King and Gentoo penguins. They look pretty different so its quite obvious which is which.
The penguins also have vastly different characteristics and behaviour! King penguins are second in size only to the Emperor Penguin with vibrant plumage, impressive stature, and majestic nature. On the other hand, Gentoo penguins are curious and outgoing characters with a seemingly endless supply of energy. These cute and cheeky penguins are also the fastest underwater swimming bird in the world.
We actually managed to catch the Penguin Talk & Feed at around 3/4pm, which was very fascinating and insightful. They actually explained why we would see the Gentoo penguins trying to build their nests with stones and fighting with one another for stones.
Is it worth visiting SEA LIFE Melbourne Aquarium?
We paid about AUD 40 for each adult, and babies under 2 enter free. The price is a little steep and we were initially worried that we might not fully enjoy for the price paid. However, the visit was much better than we expected!
Our baby probably slept through most of it, but she did enjoy looking at the jellyfish and especially the penguins. I do think when she’s older, she’d enjoy it as much as we did.
If you’re looking for something to do in Melbourne with some spare time on an afternoon, I definitely recommend a visit here that would take you a few hours. However, do note if you wish to come with a stroller: you’ll have to book slots in advance, likely as there’s not much space for strollers to manoeuvre.
DIRECTIONS
Address: King St, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia
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