Cairns Aquarium

Not going to lie. I was a tourist 🤣

My best friend got me out of the house on Christmas day as we needed a little something to take our minds off of cleaning and sorting after the floods in Cairns.

From the time we walked in, the staff were all very friendly & knowledgeable.

I felt there could be a whole lot more to see but at the same time I was not disappointed in any way.

Thanks guys and girls.

I'll definitely be back when I'm in the area again.

Our visit to Cairns Aquarium was nothing short of mesmerizing. Despite opting out of the boat tour to explore the coral reefs, we were captivated by the abundance of marine life within the aquarium's walls. Spending a half day here proved to be an enriching experience, as we encountered a diverse array of colorful fish and intricately beautiful coral reefs. The aquarium boasts some of the finest displays in the world, showcasing the wonders of Australia's aquatic ecosystems. Each exhibit offered a fascinating glimpse into the underwater world, leaving us in awe of nature's breathtaking diversity. The knowledgeable staff enhanced our visit with their passion and insights. For anyone seeking a glimpse into the wonders of the ocean without venturing far, Cairns Aquarium is an absolute must-visit destination.

Fantastic place to spend a few hours just relaxing watching the underwater world just pass by.
The exhibits were amazing! Not only lovely to look at but also set out for the comfort of the fish or other creatures in them.

Loved all of the different enclosures and the huge variety of fish. I was surprised to see that even during school holiday times there was still room to get an amazing look at everything. As well as it being an aquarium it also has it's fair share of reptiles and amphibians to cater to everyone. The Dundee restaurant attached was very good and I would highly recommend it!!! Lots of funs for kids and adults and will be returning. 👍👍👍

Fantastic aquarium…. The best I have been to in Australia. The exhibits were carefully thought out and clean. If I ever come back as an aquarium fish in my next life … I want it to be here. We took our 3 kids with us and there was something for everyone. One improvement for the customer experience would be to make kids 3 and under free. At the moment it is 2 years and under is free. Keep up the good work guys!

Great experience, amazing staff at the reception ( Ari received us really well! Nice to have nice people like him, it’s make someone day sometimes 😀). I really recommended to visit during a rainy day, worth your time if you don’t know what to do :)

The Cairns Aquarium is fairly new (6 years old). Cameron was the BEST! He was kind, answered ALL of our questions, and had intimate knowledge of the animals there. He had some pretty funny stores to share about the fish and sea turtles. We were lucky enough to do the 30-minute Turtle Talk (behind the scenes, turtle hospital tour) with Cameron as well. Definitely go to the Aquarium!

We have spent more than 2 hours in the aquarium and it was a surreal experience. It was my first time experiencing a big aquarium like this. I can assure you that it is going to be a feast to your eyes and also educational for both kids and adults. Love to come back here again. Highly recommend this place for everyone.

We loved this aquarium. My favourite are the turtles, but every tank and exhibit in the aquarium was amazing, the coral was stunningly beautiful. The talks by the staff were all informative and fun.

We also stopped at Dundee’s for a drink, and we both selected a dessert to eat. Deliciously yummy.

Well worth the visit. We loved it

We initially thought it was just another Aquarium, but we were proven wrong! It was well worth the visit. The animals were divided by their natural habitat and the Aquarium had different themes, starting from the fresh water in the rainforest, then all the way to the coral sea, then under the coral sea. It was very informative, and we truly enjoyed the visit.

I loved it got some great photos and videos a good outing for all the family I did the turtle hospital tour it's a must see

I loved the aquarium. We booked the twilight tour with dinner and it was fabulous. The tour guide was exceptional and made the tour very interesting. My mum has mobility issues and the staff loaned us a wheelchair! We then moved on to dinner at Dundee’s and it was fabulous!! It was a truly terrific trip!!!

Great variety of displays, informative signage, very clean enclosures, and great commentary from the staff on site, lots of fun and interesting facts.

Went at opening time 9.30 am during school holiday, yet very quiet, plenty of room to move around.

We even witnessed a barramundi eating a catfish, made for a great video!

The aquarium is located in the city centre, walking distance from cafés for breakfast before visit, then head off to the markets nearby for lunch with fresh produce and recipes.

We spent a couple hours at the aquarium, could easily have spent another hour there, to ready for descriptions and maybe to include some of the feeding sessions available.

Great choice of how spend our Sunday morning, would definitely return.

We were a little put off by the high admission price but it is a wonderful and well maintained aquarium. The staff were exceptionally friendly and helpful and the displays were enormous and beautiful. It is on the smaller side but a really beautiful spot for a little touristy peruse. Excellent for kids. We were there for about an 2 hours and 15 mins so by no means a half day experience but really wonderful nevertheless.

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 place like this!

First time in cairns! If you stay in the city this is walking distance. Super affordable and 3 levels of displays. Very enjoyable. Only $45 for students and $50 for adults.

Definitely recommend you not skip this when visiting Cairns. There are a lot of interactive exhibits and beautiful, big aquariums. I loved everything about it. They had huge manta rays that were mesmerizing. It’s the best aquarium I’ve been to so far, really well maintained and has a full restaurant at the bottom.

We enjoyed the twilight tour followed by dinner at Dundee's restaurant. It was absolutely amazing! The wealth of knowledge that the 3.15pm tour guide had was sensational. She was extremely informative, and so passionate about the environment. Given she was not originally from Australia made it even more enjoyable. To see someone come to the country and embrace the culture, wildlife and environment was really lovely to see. Thank you for having us. This tour is highly recommended and is great value for money with dinner and a 2 hour tour after the venue closure.

By far the best aquarium experience in Australia thus far! Could have easily spent many hours here, just immersing ourselves in the beautiful environment and all the sights to see. The educational presentations were exceptional, we learned so many incredible facts during our visit. From start to finish, our time at the aquarium was wonderful. I particularly appreciate the layout and design, explaining all about the various tropical environments that home aquatic wildlife from the creeks and rivers, to the reefs and oceans. It was interesting and engaging. There was ample parking at the front entrance and the queue to enter moved quickly. Staff were friendly, efficient and informative. Please disable your flash before taking photos within the aquarium.

Really incredible exhibits, and fun for the whole family. We spent about 2 hours here and it went by fast. Love the focus on conservation and local aquatic life!