Cairns Aquarium

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Cairns Aquarium
Cairns Aquarium Logo.png
Entrance to the Cairns Aquarium, Florence Street, Cairns CBD, 2018.jpg
Entrance to the Cairns Aquarium, Florence Street, 2018
Cairns Aquarium
16°55′06″S145°46′26″E / 16.918417°S 145.773831°E / -16.918417; 145.773831
Date opened2017 (2017)
Location5 Florence Street, Cairns City, Cairns, Queensland, Australia
Land area7,800 m (25,600 ft) [1]
No. of animals15,000+ [1]
Volume of largest tank1,800,000 L (480,000 US gal) [1]
Total volume of tanks3,000,000 L (790,000 US gal)
Major exhibits71 tanks in 10 ecosystems [1]
Website www.cairnsaquarium.com

Cairns Aquarium is a public aquarium in Cairns, Australia, that opened in 2017. It is home to more than 15,000 animals displayed in 10 ecosystems. [2]

Contents

Sawfish, 2018 Inside Cairns Aquarium, 2018 05.jpg
Sawfish, 2018
Blue crayfish, 2018 Inside Cairns Aquarium, 2018 02.jpg
Blue crayfish, 2018

The $54 million, 7,800 m (25,600 ft), three-level facility in Queensland holds 71 tanks, including a 1,800,000 L (480,000 US gal) ocean tank, Australia's largest freshwater tank with 400,000 L (110,000 US gal) of water, a deep reef tank and the world's first true tidal motion tank. [1] [3] [4]

It is among the few aquariums to display endangered or rarely seen species such as the emerald tree monitors, Jardine River turtles, ribboned pipefish, freshwater sawfish and scalloped hammerhead sharks. [4]

The aquarium is also an interactive research and education centre and is home to the Cairns Turtle Rehabilitation Centre. [5] [6]

Awards

Underside of a stingray, 2018 Inside Cairns Aquarium, 2018 03.jpg
Underside of a stingray, 2018

In 2018, the aquarium won the Master Builder Queensland award for Project of the Year and the award for Leisure Facilities over $10 million. [7]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Not Everyone Can Dive into Australia's Great Barrier Reef; an Aquarium Project Team Delivered the Next Best Thing". pmi.org. 1 February 2018. Retrieved 17 May 2023.
  2. "Experience Cairns Aquarium". www.cairnsaquarium.com. Retrieved 1 January 2020.
  3. Falvo, Andrea (September 18, 2017). Going wild for city tourist attraction. The Cairns Post, page 4.
  4. 1 2 Till, Crispin (September 18, 2017). Ribbon-cutting marks opening of underwater world at Cairns Aquarium. Tropic Now magazine.
  5. The Urban Developer (September 26, 2017). New Cairns Aquarium Opens with High Returns for Investors.
  6. The Cairns Post (June 15, 2018). Tanks a lot word from hurt turtle. page 6
  7. Wivell, Danaella (October 15, 2018). Years of work pay off. The Cairns Post, page 2.