Melbourne Aquarium

By JAMES ANTHONY

If you are in Melbourne and have a hankering to do something a little different then it is very easy to recommend the Melbourne Aquarium.

Located on the banks of the Yarra River, the aquarium is a multi-level building filled with fish and marine creatures of all descriptions, shapes and sizes.

Ever wanted to know what a cuttlefish looks like? Well you'll see one in all its grotesque glory and believe me they are not what you'd call the most beautiful creatures in the ocean. Poor things, no wonder they end up being eaten by pet budgies.

When you enter and go into the dim interior of the aquarium you get to see the first of the aquarium's nicely backlit tanks displaying the fish. There are the aforementioned cuttlefish, seadragons, giant crabs and heaps of silver sparkly fish (I'm no science whiz as you can tell).

That gives visitors a bit of a taste of what's ahead and from there you hop on an escalator and go to the top floor of the aquarium. Up there is excellent for youngsters as they can check out lots of interesting info about marine creatures, see how a fish sees or if you are as fit as a fish. Don't ask me, I was trying to get out of the way of noisy schoolkids so I didn't stop for long.

On this level are several excellent displays including shallow tanks where you can see small creatures - like hermit crabs and sea stars - up close, another has animals that lives in billabongs like long-neck turtles, water dragons, eels and fish. But, the thing kids may well most of all is hopping under several tanks and viewing from the inside out through a perspex bubble. These are winners with the children!.

From the top floor you then wind your way a walkway that takes you into the first of the huge display tanks. This is a seriously impressive wall-to-ceiling display featuring a coral reef.

And I have to say the jellyfish tanks are excellent. You could spend hours watching them floating about.

Descending further into the depths you can check out a 60,000-litre baby-shark tank that is part of a shark conservation project, through a 12 Apostles Lookout and then into the main Oceanarium.

This part of the aquarium is just fantastic and you should set aside at least an hour to just wander around and enjoy the sights of fish, sharks, rays and other beasties swimming around behind massive glass panes.

There is a tunnel that has them swimming over you and then a large cavernous room - known as Australia's Biggest Fish Bowl - where you can just sit and chill out to the max. This would have to be one of the most peaceful parts in the whole of Melbourne!

Now I have to say the aquarium is not the best designed building for finding your way around easily. In fact, if you've got a youngster who happens to be hungry and doesn't want something from the top eating area then it is one major pain-in-the backside to get to the lower floor. In fact you need to exit the building (you do get a pass-out with your ticket) but it says a lot about whoever designed the people-flow plan.

The Melbourne Aquarium is open every day of the year. For 11 months of the year it is open from 9.30am to 6pm, with the last admission at 5pm. In January, between the 1st and 26th, it has extended hours from 9.30am to 9pm and the last entry at 8pm.

You can get to the aquarium from Flinders St Station or Spencer St Station and the short 10-minute walk from either of those transport hubs has got some interesting things to see or photograph.

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