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Cairns Aquarium

Coordinates: 16°55′06″S 145°46′26″E / 16.918417°S 145.773831°E / -16.918417; 145.773831
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Cairns Aquarium
Entrance to the Cairns Aquarium, Florence Street, 2018
Map
16°55′06″S 145°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]
Websitewww.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]

Sawfish, 2018
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

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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]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e "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. ^ a b 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.
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