Sea Life Sydney is a world-class aquarium that places you in the best place to see Australia's marine life – right at the bottom of the tank.
The sea may be only on Sydney's doorstep but the wildlife of Sydney Harbour are just a drop in the ocean compared to all of Australia's diverse and fascinating marine life. Make your way to the Sea Life Sydney Aquarium, however, and an enthralling mix of crocodiles and corals, sharks and dugongs, can be experienced in just one day – and under one roof. Sea Life have gathered the whole extraordinary range of Australia's watery universe here – just off of Darling Harbour – presenting visitors with a geographical romp around its rivers, coasts and swamps. And to show off, naturally, all their wacky, wild and wonderful inhabitants. You'll find the platypuses swimming in the Southern Rivers section, the giant salt-water crocodiles basking in the Northern Rivers exhibit, and the sharks patrolling the depths of the Open Ocean Oceanarium. And what makes this aquarium one of the most popular in the world is its careful and imaginative reconstruction of each habitat. That, and the numerous tank-bottom, see-through tunnels, which allow you the utmost intimacy with their water-borne occupants. So you get to ogle the octopuses skulking around a South Sea's ship-wreck. Or to take your heart in your hands, as you walk down Shark Valley, with the largest shark collection in Australia. The looming menace of Grey Nurse sharks, accelerating out of the gloom, isn't a sight you'll forget quickly. The Sea Life aquarium does cute as well as killer, too. A well-loved recent addition is Dugong Island, which has two dugongs, mermaid-like mammals, paying you a curious-but-friendly once-over, as you walk beneath them. And if you want an inkling of the majestic beauty of Australia's Great Barrier Reef, the last exhibit won't disappoint. This is the largest aquarium tank in the world, with 2 million litres of pristine tropical sea-water. It is a mesmerising display of multi-coloured reef fish, darting around a living, breathing coral, wafting in the gentle currents. The rocks are alive with anemones, sea stars and sea cucumbers, while the reef sharks circle over all. You may just be tempted to don that scuba gear, next time your near one of Sydney's beaches.
