Sea Life Melbourne Aquarium facts for kids
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the Sea Life Melbourne Aquarium seen from the Yarra River in February 2018
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| Date opened | 2000 |
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| Location | Melbourne CBD, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia |
| Coordinates | 37°49′16″S 144°57′29″E / 37.821044°S 144.958017°E |
| No. of animals | 10000+ |
| No. of species | 550+ |
The Sea Life Melbourne Aquarium is an amazing place in central Melbourne, Australia. It's a special aquarium that focuses on animals from the Southern Ocean and Antarctica. You can find it right by the Yarra River, near the Flinders Street Viaduct and the King Street Bridge. This cool attraction is part of the Sea Life Centre family, owned by a company called Merlin Entertainments.
Contents
History of the Aquarium
The building you see today was built between 1998 and 1999. It was designed by architects from Peddle Thorp to look like a ship docked by the river. The aquarium first opened its doors in January 2000. Even though it looks like a ship, much of it is actually built deep underground, going down about 7 meters! At its heart is a huge 2.2 million liter "oceanarium in the round." This means visitors stand in the middle, and the marine life swims all around them.
In 2008, the Melbourne Aquarium got a big upgrade. It was made even larger, stretching from the Yarra River all the way to Flinders Street. A new entrance was added at the corner of Flinders and King Streets. This expansion brought exciting new exhibits, including king penguins and gentoo penguins. It also features many Antarctic fish, which was a first for Australia! These exhibits even have real ice and snow to make you feel like you're in Antarctica. The penguins came all the way from Kelly Tarlton's Underwater World in New Zealand.
In April 2013, the owners, Merlin Entertainments, announced they would spend $8 million to make the aquarium even better. As part of this big project, the aquarium was renamed a Sea Life Centre and reopened in September 2013.
Before this aquarium, there was an older one in the Royal Exhibition Building. Sadly, that one burned down in 1953.
What You Can See Inside
The aquarium offers a self-guided tour that takes you through four different levels. It's a one-way path, so you won't miss anything!
Level One
- Rainforest Adventure
- Crocodile's Lair
- Upper Deck Cafe
Ground Floor
- Penguin Playground
- Mangroves and Rockpools
- Coral Atoll (being updated right now!)
- Bay of Rays
- Seahorse Pier
- Coral Cafe
- Conservation Cove
- Crocodile's Lair
- Aquarium Shop
Level B1
- Coral Caves
Level B2
- Mermaid Garden
- Shipwreck Explorer
- Ocean Discovery
The most famous part of the aquarium is the 2.2 million liter Mermaid Garden oceanarium. This huge tank is home to amazing sharks, like grey nurse sharks and sandbar whaler sharks. You can also see up to 2,000 other marine creatures of many different kinds swimming around!
Research and Conservation Efforts
Sea Life Melbourne Aquarium does a lot of important work studying marine animals. They also work hard to protect them. Their conservation efforts are guided by a group called T.R.A.C.K.S. (Turtle Rehabilitation and Conservation of Keystone Species), which is part of the Sea Life Conservation Trust.
- Grey nurse sharks. The aquarium is involved in a special breeding program for grey nurse sharks. This program works with Sea Life Manly Aquarium to help save this endangered species. Grey nurse sharks are already gone from the waters around Victoria. The aquarium currently has one grey nurse shark, and they are even looking into using IVF (a special way to help animals have babies) to help them breed.
- Bamboo sharks. Sea Life Melbourne Aquarium is famous for being home to the first-ever shark born using IVF! This brown-banded bamboo shark pup was born on March 3, 2014. The process started in September when experts collected a sample from a shark in Mooloolaba, Australia.
- Sea turtles. The aquarium also helps sea turtles that get washed south into the colder waters of Victoria. These turtles can't survive in the cold. The aquarium takes care of them until they are strong enough. Then, they are taken north to Queensland to be released back into the ocean.
- Seadragons. Melbourne Aquarium is one of the few places in the world that has successfully bred the weedy seadragon in captivity. These beautiful creatures are native to the local area.
Past Attractions You Might Have Missed
Sea Life Melbourne Aquarium used to have a giant squid exhibit. This was a frozen squid, not a live one! It was later moved to UnderWater World in Queensland. The aquarium also used to feature other interesting creatures like angler fish, Japanese spider crabs, jellyfish, horseshoe crabs, venomous scorpions, and tarantulas.
Who Owns the Aquarium?
In 2012, Merlin Entertainments bought the Living and Leisure Group, which owned and operated the Melbourne Aquarium at the time. Merlin Entertainments is a big company that owns and runs many attractions around the world, including Sea Life Centres, Legoland, and Madame Tussauds.
After Merlin Entertainments invested $8 million and made many improvements, the aquarium reopened in late 2013 under the Sea Life brand. It became one of nearly 100 Merlin-owned attractions worldwide.
Images for kids
See also
In Spanish: Acuario de Melbourne para niños
