Solitary Islands Aquarium — Attraction in Coffs Harbour

❗️Only open weekends and school holidays.

🐠 🐟 🐙 🦀 A small aquarium operated by the university, with beautiful tanks showing local fish species. The Solitary Islands are a natural gem so close to Coffs. It’s great to know the centre is research-based, and animals aren’t exploited. The staff are passionate and friendly.

An interesting place whether you have kids to take or not. Very interactive exhibits for the kids which teach about responsible stewardship of the seas, as well as a touch tank and one of those bubbles you can stand in and watch the little sharks swim around your head.

Call first and ask about feeding times. We got to see the moray and octopus get fed around 10:30, and the lion fish was fed...

Very healthy animals, fantastic clean displays. Feeding demo in different tanks every hour. Nothing too commercial & staff are very enthusiastic. So beautiful looking at the fish and underwater plant life in close up in such pristine tanks that have so much variety inside each one. Everything is well looked after and we enjoyed every minute there including all four demonstrations. Even a touch tank where you can touch live urchins, cucumbers, stars. The variety of life there is huge if you’re into looking at details. Being university n not commercial obviously the place is not massive but we easily spent nearly three hours there and got to ask lots of questions. Only $12 per...

This animal attraction is at the National Marine Science Centre, part of Southern Cross University.

You can visit on weekends and school holidays to discover just what makes the Solitary Islands Marine Park so important for ocean wildlife, without getting wet! In large, perfectly presented saltwater tanks you can peer into these ecosystems, viewing more than 60 fish species and 20 different kinds of invertebrates.

Some of the stars are the anemonefish, blue tangs and super-smart octopuses, while at the touch pool you find out what sea cucumbers, sea urchins and sea stars feel like.

All these species are accompanied by interpretive info and...