Cairns Aquarium — Attraction in Cairns City

Visited the Cairns Aquarium as part of our holiday and thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

We were able to easily spend a couple of hours there, absorbing the endless information and observing the large number of both aquatic and terrestrial creatures that call this place home. Everything appeared in pristine condition, with enclosures well maintained, clean, and well presented, while the animals seemed healthy and content in their environment.

A big highlight was being in the right place at the right time to watch a shark laying an egg. She delivered right in front of the group present, using membrane to tie it to a rock. The staff member with us explained it would be safely and carefully removed and, all going well, would hatch in isolation and welcome one new pup into the Aquarium.

We also enjoyed the presentations given throughout the day, as they provided additional insight and awareness into multiple topics. I think everyone present took home some nugget of information they hadn't previously known. One small criticism is that both presenters were quite casual in their delivery, using slang and some quirky tales (Aussie male names for sharks wanting to go the pub, have a great Barramonday, etc.). Not at all an issue for us, and quite entertaining. I do worry, however, with sizeable tourist numbers frequenting the Aquarium, that many of these tales will be lost in translation. Aussie English is already a curious beast, so delivering information in that style may limit understanding.

Overall, we truly enjoyed and appreciated our time at Cairns Aquarium. It was informative, educational, visually impressive, and plenty of fun. The layout is logical and easy to follow, and the staff were all lovely. Thank you very much, keep up the great work.

PS......the Aquarium has full disability accessibility, ranging from an entry/exit ramp through to lifts and...

Five Stars – Bigly Impressed!

I just visited the Cairns Aquarium in beautiful Queensland, and let me tell you—this place is doing it HUGE. It’s one of the best aquariums I've ever seen, maybe the best. People are talking about it. Tremendous.

You walk in, and you’re greeted by very friendly staff—some of the nicest people, really. They smile, they help, they know everything about the fish. Not like some places with sad staff who don't care. These people? They care bigly.

Now let’s talk about the tanks—massive, immersive, and filled with the most incredible Rays and Sharks you've ever seen. It was like being under the ocean without getting your hair wet. You’ve got Rays on one side, Sharks on the other—there was good fish on both sides, folks. I’m not picking. They were all terrific.

The kids’ exhibitions? So good. So educational. The kids were learning, having fun—no boring stuff, just pure excitement. I even learned something myself. Smart exhibitions, for smart kids. We love that.

And then you’ve got Dundee’s Restaurant—very classy, very tasty. You’re eating amazing seafood, and guess what? They’ve got their own display tanks right there! You’re dining with the fish, folks. It’s beautiful. It’s elegant. It’s seafood with a view.

I left the aquarium thinking just one thing: Make Ray Sharks Great Again. And Cairns Aquarium? They’re doing it. They really are.

Five stars. Would visit again. Maybe buy it...

What an epic place!

Don’t have time to check out the Great Barrier Reef while visiting or perhaps you’re not quite fond of snorkelling off the waters of FNQ?; this is the right place for you, be amaze and immerse yourselves with colours, shapes, size, habitats, from the friendly to the curious and outright weird and venomous aquatic species. The facility are clean, air conditioned, wheel chair friendly, helpful staff (some are bilingual like knowing Japanese making it easy and comfortable for tourists from Japan for example), a dining and cafe area accompanied by a gigantic fish tank to keep you amuse while zipping a cocktail or ice coffees.

We didn’t eat there but plenty of options on the menu during dinner periods, booking is essential to guarantee a good spot, now the big question, is it pricey? YES, as a couple visiting we did budget in our aquarium visit (AUD52 for one adult) a little cheaper for children and seniors and students, if you don’t plan and budget for this attractions, this place can ballon out easily, probably the only slight negativity because we find single adult price is a bit rich but I’m sure it costs a lot to run a magnificent...