For children interested in learning about the animals and plants that call the waterways of Sydney and Australia home, a trip to Sea Life Sydney Aquarium with kids is the place to head, providing the opportunity for the family to get up close without getting wet.
Situated in the bustling, family-friendly Darling Harbour precinct, it is an all-weather location, open every day of the year!
Sea Life Sydney Aquarium with Kids
Table of Contents
Exploring the Aquarium
Sea Life Sydney Aquarium boasts over 13,000 animals from 700 different species including penguins, a dugong called Pig, sharks, rays, seahorses and more.
Currently, the aquarium features a range of exploration zones.
South Coast Shipwreck
This space is home to the aquarium’s Little Penguins (when did we stop calling them Fairy Penguins, and why?), Port Jackson sharks and moon jellies. Simulating a beached shipwreck environment, this space provides an opportunity for the kids to learn about the animals native to the Southern Oceans and to watch the Penguins dart around in the water.
Sydney Harbour
With over 600 species calling Sydney Harbour home, learning about the ecosystem of our home city is important to us so we always enjoy exploring this section of the aquarium. Watch out for the Silver Sweep, Mado, and Cuttlefish.
Dugong Island
SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium is home to the only dugong in captivity in Australia. Pig was saved as a baby, rehabilitated and released only to wash up on shore a little while later, malnourished as he finds living outside captivity difficult. There are three opportunities each day to hear the resident aquarists tell the story of Pig the Dugong.
Shark Walk and Shark Valley
The underwater tunnels of the Shark Walk and Shark Valley spaces have always been favourite of ours. It’s, hopefully, as close as we will come to a shark and there is plenty to see here including Grey Nurse Sharks. While you’re there, see if you can spot the Queensland Groper too.
Penguin Expedition
The penguin expedition area is relatively new to the aquarium and quite interactive. Here you wait in line (it usually moves quickly) to board a sub-Antarctic boat which takes you on a snowy adventure to meet the King and Gentoo penguins. The kids will love it. It is cold, but doesn’t last that long.
Click to read about our Penguin expedition experience
Day and Night on the Reef
The Day and Night on the Reef is the newest of all the SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium exhibits and one of our favourites as it is so interactive. The whole area focuses on Australia’s amazing Great Barrier Reef and shows you how it transitions through day and night.
The kids will adore walking across bioluminescent beaches, watching coral spawning, meeting the marine turtles, journeying through jellyfish swarms and much more. It is such an exciting exhibit.
Discovery Rockpools
Kids love to touch things! Head to the Discovery Rockpools, roll up the kids sleeves and tell them to put their hands in the water and see what they can find. You will usually find Shark Eggs, Sea Stars and a range of Coral. There’s a washing station nearby to use after your little adventure too.
Jurassic Seas
Head back in time and discover how sealife has evolved over time. Learn about living fossils such as the Nautilus, lungfish, peacock mantis shrimp and jellyfish.
Sea Life Sydney Aquarium Tickets
Sea Life Sydney Aquarium tickets are available both online and at the door. They are cheaper online.
Whilst they are available as single tickets, Merlin Annual passes are a great option for families who are hoping to visit at least two of the Merlin attractions. We usually budget for these through the year so we can buy them as Christmas gifts as the povide pass holders with unlimited entry to 11 attractions for 12 months
Getting There
By Foot: The Aquarium is a short walk from Town Hall down Market St.
Train: A short walk from Town Hall station.
Light Rail: Disembark the light rail at either the ICC Sydney or Pyrmont Bay stations.
Ferry: Disembark at Aquarium Pier.
Bus: Sydney Explorer bus stop no 24.
Sea Life Sydney Aquarium Parking
For those visiting Sydney by car, parking can be an expensive experience if you don’t plan ahead. Sea Life Sydney Aquarium has partnered with Wilson Parking to offer cheap parking at a number of their locations close by.
We usually park at 100 Murray Street (Harbourside) Car Park which is below the Novotel.
To validate your ticket, head to the gift shop at the end of your visit, and present your parking ticket and Merlin pass/entry ticket to get it validated. It must be validated for you to grab the discount.
A big thank you to Janine from Familes Magazine for visiting the aquarium with us.
Australian Aquariums to visit
Sea Life Melbourne Aquarium
AQWA- The Aquarium of Western Australia
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