Nobbies Centre facts for kids
The Nobbies Centre is a cool place to visit on Phillip Island in Victoria, Australia. It's a special spot for learning about nature and seeing amazing wildlife. The centre used to be called the "Seal Rocks Sea Life Centre." Now, the Phillip Island Nature Park looks after it.
At the Nobbies Centre, you can find fun educational displays. There's also a cafe, a play area for kids, and a gift shop. Right outside, you can see Seal Rocks, which is home to Australia’s biggest group of fur seals! About 16,000 fur seals live there. Lots of people, around half a million each year, come to visit the centre. Many of them are from other countries. Outside the centre, there are boardwalks. These paths let you get great views of the seal colony, a rocky area called The Nobbies, and a cool natural blowhole.
Discovering The Nobbies Centre's Past
The idea for a marine centre at Point Grant started in 1995. A company called Seal Rocks Victoria Australia Pty Ltd (SRVA) began building it. The centre first opened its doors in April 1998. It was known as the "Seal Rocks Sea Life Centre" back then. The first part of the project cost about $13 million.
There were plans for a second, much bigger part of the project. This included a long undersea tunnel leading to a viewing tower near Seal Rocks. However, these plans faced some challenges.
A big event happened on August 12, 2002. A small tornado hit the building! It ripped off the roof and caused about $200,000 worth of damage. Because of this, the centre had to close. It took some time to fix everything. In May 2005, the government announced money to repair the centre. Finally, after a lot of work, the Nobbies Centre reopened to visitors in April 2007.
