Exterior of the Sealife Aquarium taken from across the river on Southbank.

©Kate Morgan/Lonely Planet

Sea Life

Melbourne


This interesting but extremely pricey aquarium is home to giant rays, gropers and sharks, all of which cruise around a 2.2 million-litre tank, watched by visitors in a see-through tunnel. Gentoo and king penguins potter about in icy ‘Antarctica’, while one of Australia's largest saltwater crocs casts a menacing eye over his lair. Divers are thrown to the sharks three times a day; for a mere $299 you can join them. Tickets are cheaper online.

The whole complex is well designed for kids, with child-height tunnels and domes where they can pop their heads up into some of the smaller tanks. There's also a cinema screening a 4D Ice Age short.