SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium

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SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium sits in the thriving hub of Darling Harbour, Sydney, sandwiched between Sydney Wildlife World and Madame Tussauds, across the harbour from the Australian National Maritime Museum. Open every day of the year, including Christmas Day, the Aquarium’s hours vary from season to season. To enter, you will need to prebook your ticket – I hadn’t been in five years when I went, and was not aware that we had to prebook, so make sure you head to the website and get the time you want. If you do decide on an impromptu visit, there are kiosks to purchase tickets and you can book the time you want there – the safest option though is to book before you go, especially if you are going during busy times such as school holidays or weekends.



Keep in mind that some animals might be off display as changes are made, and you can keep up-to-date with this on the website.

SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium is home to over 4,000 animals and has several new exhibitions after undergoing renovations recently. 300 species can be found throughout the various habitat zones: Jurassic Seas, Penguin Expedition, a hands-on Discovery Rockpool, Shark Valley, Dugong Island, and Sydney Harbour.



SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium has several new exhibits and nine interactive zones that will allow you to explore the sea. One of these is Day and Night on the Reef , showing what the Great Barrier Reef is like throughout all hours of the day. It showcases the range of life on the Reef – 600 types of coral, 1,500 types of fish and 4,00 types of molluscs live on the actual Reef.



This exhibition showcases the reef transitioning through day and night for guests to experience what life is like 24 hours a day. Using state of the art technology, visitors get a unique and interactive experience at the largest Great Barrier Reef experience in the world. The fantastic new exhibit is not only eye-catching and intriguing, and it is a 1.7 million litre display, with over 500 creatures, including reef sharks, tropical fish (yes, you can find Nemo in several exhibits at the aquarium), jellyfish, and turtles.



So, which turtles call the Great Barrier Reef Home? Well, there is the Green Sea Turtle trio, Plugga, Dave, and Chong. One of the new aspects of the exhibits at the aquarium is the use of technology, and one interesting animation is an animated projection map educating visitors about the life cycle of turtles – from nesting until the birth of the hatchlings. Once you have seen them hatch, you can help guide them to the water’s edge. This is one of the new educational aspects of the aquarium that contributes to a new experience.



If you have ever wanted to see a penguin up close, then you will love the Penguin Expedition , which is very popular. Guests get into a small boat, and ride through the wintry, icy penguin colony to get close to King and Gentoo Penguins. This is another immersive experience – a continuous chain of boats that carries up to 6 guests along a river and the penguin colony in a cool sub-Antarctic environment, and it is a lot of fun if you get to experience it. The boat ride is included with all tickets bought to enter the aquarium.



One zone that has never really changed in my experiences at the aquarium is Shark Valley, where guests walk through underwater tunnels as sharks swim overhead. It is always chilling to see them swim over – but also see what other sea creatures you can see as you go through Shark Valley.



Jurassic Seas is another new exhibit and is one of the first ones you walk through, showing what life during the time of the dinosaurs was like under the sea. It also shows that there are many sea creatures that are millions of years old, and this exhibition shows how they and other creatures have evolved and how life under the sea began.

I’ve picked a few highlights, as when I visited there were still some things being fixed up, so I highlighted what I was able to see. However, it is worth exploring the whole aquarium to see what you can see – whilst I didn’t get to see turtles or dugongs this time, doesn’t mean they won’t be there another day. Remember to keep your eyes peeled and enjoy your visit!

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