Don't Miss A Great Time At The Melbourne Aquarium

You might guess that the Melbourne Aquarium is something special when you remember that it is in Australia and Australia is an island. It is a continent too but, unlike other continents that are semidetached, Australia is surround by oceans.

Australia has three oceans to call its own -- the Pacific, the Indian and the Southern. Being surrounded by all that water and all those fish might give Australians that they are inside a fishbowl looking out at all the sea creatures looking back.

  The people who designed the Melbourne Aquarium seem to understand the two sidedness of fishbowls. The have created an environment in which people and fish have many opportunities to look at each other from many angles.

The Aquarium is divided into four "Worlds", Antarctic World, Weird and Wonderful World, River to Reef World and Sharks Alive World. Each world displays a different aspect of life in, on, near or under the sea.

Antarctic World is the home of two species of penguins. Human visitors enjoy watching them play on the ice and swim in their pool. There is even an area where visitors can observe the penguins from under the water.

The Aquarium exhibits display at the various fish and animals in context emphasizing their interrelatedness. Human beings are part of the context in which fish and animals live. Visitors are encouraged to consider what their place is in the world of ocean dwelling creatures.

Along side the penguin exhibit there are interactive exhibits about the experiences of explorers and how modern day scientists live in that harsh environment. There is also a replica of an icebreaker that visitors can explore.

River to Reef World takes visitors on a journey along a tropical river revealing many life forms in and near the water. You can see exotic fish as well as land dwelling animals that live in the dense jungle. Your journey takes you to caves and waterfalls. The journey eventually takes you to a tropical atoll with all its diverse life forms.

Weird and Wonderful World gives visitors an opportunity to see examples of fish and other sea animals who have adapted to their world in unusual and surprising ways. Fish that look like plants and body parts that look like what they are not are normal here. Strange colors and shapes and surprising ways for acquiring food and interacting with other creatures will amaze and delight.

Everybody loves Sharks Alive World. Brave visitors can even put on diving gear and meet sharks face to face. Even people who have no diving experience can take a beginner lesson, rent equipment and join an instructor for a walk on the other side of the window. Less daring friends can observe from inside the 360 degree Panarama of the Oceanarium.

After a morning of seeing and being seen by the denizens of the deep visitors will enjoy a stop at the gift shop for present and souvenirs. And then it might be time for a snack or lunch at the Aquarium cafe with its river view.