Melbourne Aquarium

This is a gorgeous aquarium and a great spot to visit in Melbourne. We also did the Penguin Passport tour which takes you behind the scenes to learn more about the penguins and how they take care of them and you get to go into the enclosure and see them up close. The tour was fantastic and I loved every minute of it. You can’t take photos in there though, but they do take them of you.
The aquarium itself has a great selection of creatures and a ginormous crocodile too! Easy to access by public transport as well.

Very family friendly with some interactive displays. The have king penguins and the larges croc in captivity. Pram friendly venue.

Sea Life Aquarium is not a bad attraction by any account. It’s just lacking: there isn’t a lot to see, it’s quite small and, when combined with the fact it’s pricey, it simply isn’t great value for money.
The highlight for me was Pinjarra, the elderly (and somewhat grumpy) 5m crocodile. His story is fascinating and if you happen to arrive in time to hear the croc talk you should stick around for the story. It’s also really interesting to see the only Speartooth Sharks on display in the world, a rare river variety that’s quite a delight.
Most of the staff I came across were well informed, very interesting, friendly and a delight to talk to. I learnt quite a lot during my visit, mainly due to the discussions I had with them.
I’d strongly recommend purchasing tickets off the net (they’re about 20% cheaper than on site).
Melbourne Zoo is cheaper, more extensive and, in opinion, much better value for money. If you’ve only time for one wildlife attraction in Melbourne I’d strongly recommend you skip the aquarium and head to the zoo. However if you’re a fan of fish (or a bored local) then it’s still a couple hours of fun for singles, couples or families alike.

I was pretty disappointed with the tunnel. It looked so much nicer in pictures but then again, I guess everything does right? Ahh, the wonders that Photoshop can do.
A regular ticket is $ 38 but you can get a 20% discount by buying online, or with coupons from your hotel. It’s open from 9:30 to 6 but the last entry is at 5.
It’s a pretty small aquarium, or at least small compared to other ones I’ve been to. But it was cool to see the animals that live on this side of the earth.
If you have time to kill, check it out. Otherwise, you’re not missing out on much.

We have been here twice now and we do enjoy ourselves each time.
This time was the first with a little one in tow — also the first on a weekend — so we really noticed how busy it was which was a shame. We had people bumping us, pushing us and shouting loudly near the baby.
We loved all the exhibits — the baby was enthralled by the colours and movements.
Upstairs there is a balcony you can go out upon and no one was there so we went out to take a breath of fresh air — unsurprisingly then everyone followed haha.
The facilities were clean and the café, while priced high, was comfy and acessible.
Upon entry you are forced to have a photo and when you leave they try to make you buy the photo (which we did of course!)
All in all a nice day out with the littlies.

***NOTE: This only relates to the +18 only ‘After Dark’ experience***
Only heard of these ‘Aquarium after dark’ experiences through RACV newsletter, which also gave me a nice discount for two tickets to last Friday’s event. (Which was on Halloween but not really Halloween themed except for a few floating pumpkins in the water here and there)
When we were let it, it was initially to the small fish & seahorse exhibit. There were barriers blocking us off from further exploring things, and our group of four exchanged looks that suggested we might have been a bit dudded with the whole thing if this was the extent of what we would be able to explore. Oh well, the finger food was decent and the cocktails and drinks were overflowing, so may as well make the best of things…
…then 20 minutes later without any announcement a barrier was removed and you could go through to the next section — unsure initially if you were allowed to until you saw more wait-​staff waiting for you there, welcoming you with more drinks on trays.
And so the evening went — soaked up one space and exhibit only to then move onto the next, your glass constantly topped up by the friendly staff along the way. What a brilliant way to see the Aquarium for the first time! (And all without having to dodge prams and ankle-​biters).
We didn’t get to see the famous penguins, but the night did take us through most of the rest of the Aquarium, including that massive croc, and things ended in the shark exhibit with some cool live acoustic tunes that by that point had a few people dancing — slightly surreal to be having a boogie as sharks swim all around you.
The value was extraordinary — it’s around $ 40 for an adult just to enter the Aquarium normally, and (with the RACV discount) we paid only an extra $ 25 for all the food and booze we could consume in 3 hours (and they certainly were not stingy with either). Crazy value.
Was a unique night out with friends we wont forget in a hurry and strongly recommend it to other friends (and you strangers) if they put another one on.

This is an amazing place for Kids and just every human in general.
El acuario de Melbourne no es tan grande como quizás uno se lo imaginaría, pero tiene un par de secciones que son lo suficientemente copadas como para mantener la imaginación de los pequeños y grandes por igual.
Tres pisos con distintas piletas bastante grandes y algunas pequeñas que tienen todo tipo de animales desde Manta rayas, tiburones, pingüinos y cocodrilos. (Bah, uno solo, we’ll get to him in time).
Todos los pecesitos, ranitas, lagartos y cositas así chiquititas tienen onda, son cute y las piletas son pequeñas como para que la gente las pueda ver bien.
Todos queremos THE GOOD STUFF que es el TIBURÓN tigre, las manta rayas y bocha más. Las grandes atracciones son la gran pileta en el medio con un túnel bajo el agua que tiene cientos de especies de tiburones y mantas y peces que conviven en paz y la sección para Pinguinos del ártico con piletón incluído.
SON LO MÁS LINDO DEL MUNDO. Quiero doce para mi casa.
Si pagás una fortuna podés meterte en la pileta de tiburones a nadar con ellos. Yo tenía mucho miedo. Y era una fortuna posta.
Hay otro piletón con un cocodrilo de agua salada. Es GIGANTE y me dió un cagazo enorme de solo verlo. Aunque está tras un vidrio super grueso y no se movió ni medio milímetro todo el tiempo que lo miré.
Disfruté mucho el paseo y ver todos los bichitos raros. Hay bocha de fotos!

Unfortunately this is operated by Sea Life. They are known world wide for cheaply built aquariums. Same here. Fish tanks Are poorly fitted with plants. Often plastic plants are used. Also plastic corals. Touch tank has 2 seastars in it. And they charge a family nearly 100 dollar. Better go to the next rocky shore and look into rockpools. You see more.

This establishment is an embarrassment for all Melburnians. The thought of how many tourists must go through this sub par, low rent, poor quality aquarium that acts as one of the icons of Melbourne’s tourist destinations is shocking. As someone who has called Melbourne home my entire life, I am ashamed that our aquarium is run by a pack of idiots who charge too much and completely under-​deliver.
~ WAY OVERPRICED. DON’T COME HERE. SAVE YOUR MONEY.
As many reviewers have mentioned here already, this aquarium is totally overpriced for what they have on offer. At the time of writing, the standard adult (15+ years) price is a ridiculous $ 38. Children are $ 22, and if you’re a student or pensioner you’re looking at a price of $ 66. This is way too much for approximately an hour or two’s worth of «value», tops.
~ STAFF ARE APATHETIC, RUDE
Similarly, not only do the staff appear to be apathetic about their employment, some are outright rude. I bought my ticket online from the Sealife Melbourne Aquarium website, who have apparently whored out their ticket sales system to a third party vendor (but cleverly disguised on the website by using the exact same site design) aptly named «Experience Oz».
When I showed up at the aquarium entrance with the barcode on my mobile phone that they emailed to me, I got lectured by the young employee at the entrance gate, «Lachlan», that I should have printed out the confirmation email. I told him that I wasn’t aware that I had to print the document, and that the barcode was clearly visible and scannable from my phone. Lachlan did not appear to appreciate this response of rationality, and threatened to not let me in to the aquarium at all! «You are meant to print the confirmation. We have to send the printed confirmation back to the online vendor.» And then gave me an aggressive ultimatum. «I can deny you entry if you want to give me attitude,» Lachlan squawked at me.
Lachlan’s rude behavior totally ruined the entire aquarium experience for me and my guest. I don’t believe it is the customer’s responsibility to print forms off for the business to send as a business document to one of its suppliers. When I got home I checked the confirmation email I received and no where did it mention that a physical copy of the confirmation document was a requirement for entry.
This level of privileged behavior, poor communication, and lack of proper disclosure might give you an insight into the quality of the establishment’s business practices, and perhaps sets overtones for the quality of their enclosures on display.
~ DON’T TRUST THE SIGNS, DON’T TRUST STAFF’S TIMEKEEPING
NB: Don’t expect the aquarium’s staff to run on time, or even at all. We were here on a Friday afternoon, and the crocodile enclosure had feeding time signs set to 4pm. I was waiting from 3.50pm till 4.10pm, along with a number of others, including families with young children, for the crocodiles to be fed as per the sign. Guess what? No feeding. Thanks Melbourne Aquarium. Useless.

One of the better aquariums I’ve visited. The sea dragon section was really cool, they have lots of cephalopods (although no cuttlefish that we saw, despite signage that strongly implied that we’d find them), a really quite nice walkthrough, a cool archerfish tank, a giant aquarium theatre (a theatre-​screen sized window into the walkthrough tank).
However — the place was a bit run down. Some of the design decisions contributed to this (little bubble domes in tanks that you had to crawl to access combined with a rough textured foam floor = crumbly bits of floor texture everywhere); some of the maintenance decisions contributed to this (the tanks need cleaning; algae on all of the plexi, all of it).
I was really disappointed when I saw the sign explaining that the sea turtles were off display. Then I read it all the way through — they were off display because this aquarium rehabilitates rescues and they had been released back into the wild.
That’s sooooooo freaking cool!

On the morning we visited the Melbourne Zoo, they had suddenly closed due to a «plumbing issue» which is pretty much code for wild man eating tiger on the loose, right? Well this is what I liked to think because frankly plumbing issues sound pretty boring and trying to explain to Miss Three why we weren’t going to see the Meerkats was just a bit difficult. Instead we promised the giant crocodile and penguins at the Melbourne Aquarium and then hightailed it over there.
Having an annual pass helps because paying $ 38 per adult for entry here seems exorbitant for what ends up being less than two hours entertainment in a dark, funny smelling and at times claustrophobic environment. If I were visiting Melbourne and came here as a once off I’d feel ripped off but paying $ 79 to go as often as you like all year long isn’t such a bad deal.
Pro tips:
— Buy tickets online in advance for a significant discount.
— Consider an annual pass if you have kids as it’s a great place to kill an hour or two on a very hot or rainy day.
— Avoid peak times if you want better viewing of the critters.
— Don’t miss the penguins, giant saltwater crocodile and the jelly fish.

Well…
For the price that you spend, I don’t think its worth it.
There is a very cool Seahorse section, and some under water tubes to walk through. overall you can walk through it in less then an hour, and theres nothing that really makes you say, «oh wow!»
I am definitely comparing it to some of the other aquariums I have been too. but still, I think its not worth the money.

This was a great fun afternoon activity and very educational too!
I’d never been to an aquarium before but I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. I think this would be a fantastic family activity that kids would thoroughly enjoy — as would their parents.
The sharks are truly wonderful to watch, and the penguins were a real highlight for me — so cute and they are currently nesting which is a interesting activity to watch.
To make the most out of your ticket price, make sure you plan your day around some of the presentations and feeding times, otherwise you can make your way through the venue very quickly, feeling as if you have spent a decent amount of cash for only a short amount of entertainment. If you manage to find a 2 for one voucher in your entertainment book, or similar, most definitely use this!

One of my favorite aquariums I’ve been to thus far. The place is huge and they have wonderful tanks for all their aquatic life. I saw so many fish, stingrays and seahorses I’d never seen before. Must have spent hours walking around and hearing the various animal talks. A great place for children and adults.

Three levels filled with aquatic creatures was a good way to spend a few hours. Though I was disappointed that it was under construction when we visited. My favorite part was seeing the penguins. You can spend a good amount of time seeing them interact with each other, swim or just lounge around. Last, the ticket was good for an entire day so you can come back anytime during the day.

Okay, the first thing you need to know is the entry price. At $ 35 for an adult and $ 29 for a concession, the Melbourne Aquarium isn’t exactly cheap. If you live in the area, it might be worth paying for a 1 year membership, I did this a while ago, but didn’t really notice any significant changes to any of the exhibits during the year.
Once you enter, the first thing you’ll notice is the penguin exhibit; this is quite possibly the best part about the aquarium, so take your time here and see if you can stay for feeding time.
After this you see a bunch of tanks with sea dragons and sea horses, then on the next level you’ll see some native fish, turtles, eels, and a big pool in the middle with some catfish, and when I went last, some archer fish.
The next level is the cafeteria, which has a really large round tank with a fairly decent collection of reef fish in it. It’s not a bad view while having your coffee. Finally, you get to the main tank. This contains the sharks, rays, grouper, and some snapper.
As you make your way out, there are a few more smaller tanks you can look at. You exit through the back of the gift shop and have to walk through the length of the store back to the front of the main building.
Overall, I’d say it’s probably worth one visit. Membership is probably worth doing if you plan on going more than a couple times. Don’t go during school holidays! Trust me, it’s horrible — screaming kids everywhere.

The penguins are fun, and we enjoyed the HUGE rays in the shark tank. Holy mole, those guys are impressive! It’s also neat to see some really rare species, like the freshwater sharks, which you can’t see anywhere else. They also have an amazing collection of sea dragons, which are one of my favorite creatures on Earth. Much better than the Sydney aquarium’s collection and even that of Seahorse World in Tassie. Don’t miss them in Melbourne!
It’s a relatively small aquarium, we spent about an hour and a half there, but the price seemed really fair to us.
Discounts of 20% and up are available for having a MIKY card, a student ID, buying online, etc so make sure you take advantage of that.

I went for the penguins. And stayed for the penguins. Then came back a little later for the penguins again.
Having been to the Sydney and London aquariums multiple times, it was amazing to see something a little different. The exhibitions are well maintained, with your standard sharks and rays, tropical fish and local or regional fish… but the highlight at Melbourne is the Penguins.
The Penguins are amazing to watch for hours on end… they are great to interact with in the glass enclosure, and almost as inquisitive about the humans, as we are them. With plenty of ice to run around on, and water to swim in, they are active and there is plenty of viewing space to stand and watch for extended periods.
Highly recommended as a day out, though would avoid weekends as the crowd was a little overwhelming, but that was to be expected.

I hate to give such a low rating for an public space, but we were disappointed with the Aquarium!
Perhaps if the cost were less, our expectations would be lower. We even bought our tickets online at a reduced cost, but for a city on the water, I guess we wanted more.
The exhibits themselves were well maintained and the penguins were a very cool experience, but we were there for just over 1 hour and were a bit bored by the end of it.

Fantastic day for all ages. I was very impressed with the new penguin exhibit. The penguins are visible and energetic and easy to interact with.
All sealife and environments looks extremely clean, healthy and well maintained.
Easy process to buy tickets and once you are in you can explore at your own pace and in any order.

There’s something fishy about this review!
(lame ‘Dad’ joke acknowledged)
There is also something fishy about Melbourne Aquarium.
Its location overlooking the Yarra and Southbank is fitting although don’t do what I did and try and find an entrance along the river side. You will end up doing a lap of the building, enter via Flanders’s Street only.
Melbourne Aquarium can be likened to a giant fish bowl, at times your not sure whether your circling the fish or they are circling you. Not that it matters, there is just something about watching sea creatures that is calming and thought provoking… or is that just me?
My first stop in my Aquarium tour was the Antarctica exhibit to watch the penguins chilling on the ice and generally running amok. Yep, they were awesome to watch! The fish, turtles, sharks and their friends were great to watch, but I especially enjoyed the stingrays seemingly floating above my head in the fish bowl.
You could also swim with the sharks if your game. I’m not. I missed all the feeding times and shows during my visit, however I assume they are aimed to kids anyhow. The end of your visit is heralded by the gift shop, which is fun to explore but not exactly the cheapest place to pick up a stuffed toy shark… or whatever.
Yes, as expected Melbourne Aquarium can be expensive. However, sometimes you just need to get amongst the ocean dwellers.
Melbourne Aquarium is the place to do just that.