After visiting Wild Life Sydney Zoo, we went next door to the Sea Life Sydney Aquarium, which has the world’s largest collection of Australian aquatic life. This aquarium offers 14 themed areas from sharks and dugongs to stingrays and seahorses.
We started with the Penguin Expedition to get up close with a spectacular colony of King and Gentoo Penguins. We had a boat ride along the river through the heart of the colony in a cool-but-comfortable six degrees Celsius. The continuous chain of boats, each with a capacity of 8 guests, runs all day every day.
After the short ride, we were able to observe the penguins through the glass from the other side. We learned that the Penguin Expedition was inspired by Macquarie Island, an Australian owned island that lies in the south-west Pacific Ocean, and aims to educate guests by highlighting the impacts of plastic pollution and habitat destruction affecting these majestic birds.
Wow Fact! Male Gentoo Penguins propose to females by presenting the smoothest stone they can find.
The aquarium displays some of the world’s most incredible animals unique to each habitat, including dugongs, huge sharks, massive stingrays, turtles, platypuses, sea jellies, thousands of tropical fish and much, much more.
The Shark Walk and Shark Valley are very impressive parallel underwater tunnels. They house one of the world’s largest collections of shark and ray species, including Lemon and Grey Nurse Sharks. Sharks have lived in our oceans for more than 420 million years! That makes them older than trees!
Leopard or Zebra Shark.
The White-Spotted Guitarfish, also known as the White-Spotted Wedgefish because of its distinctive shape, is a type of ray even though it also looks like a shark. It can grow 3 meters long (10 feet) and to a weight of up to 300 kilos (650 lbs). Despite its size this harmless animal can be safely and closely approached by divers and snorkelers.
We enjoyed watching White-Spotted Eagle Rays. They are so fast. The White-Spotted Eagle ray can grow up to 8.8 meters in length including the tail and up to 3.5 meters wide. They are easily recognized by the distinct white spots on the top side of the body.
The aquarium has two of only five dugongs on display in the world. Dugong or Sea Cow is an aquatic herbivorous mammal that inhabit swamps, rivers, estuaries, marine wetlands, and coastal marine waters. Australia is home to the largest population of dugongs, stretching from Shark Bay in Western Australia to Moreton Bay in Queensland. They are similar to manatees.
While they eat sea grass in the wild, at the Sydney Aquarium they are fed lettuce, every 10-15 minutes! The two dugongs consume 80-120 kg (176-265 lbs) of lettuce a day. They have four staff solely dedicated to preparing and feeding both dugongs 12 hours a day.
The Port Jackson shark inhabits the temperate waters surrounding Port Jackson (Sydney Harbour). The appearance of this shark species is browner in colour than its relatives and possesses distinct harness-like markings making them easily distinguishable.
Lemon shark.
This is a Wobbegong Shark. Wobbegong sharks are a species of carpet sharks found in the temperate and tropical waters of the Indo-Pacific Region. The origins of the name ‘Wobbegong’ is derived from the Australian Aboriginal language meaning ‘shaggy beard’, a reference to the whisker-like growths around its mouth. The Wobbegong’s skin is patterned, which assist its ability to camouflage itself on the ocean floor. Most species of Wobbegong grow up to 1.5 meters in length.
Ornate or Spotted Wobbegong Shark.
Grey Reef Shark is one of the most common sharks of the Indo-Pacific.
Despite its fearsome appearance and rows of sharp teeth, the Grey Nurse shark offers no threat to humans and is, in fact, a superbly adapted fish-eater, usually swallowing its prey whole.
Dave is recording video in the Shark Walk.
The Great Barrier Reef section of the aquarium is amazing. The Great Barrier Reef oceanarium is the largest in the world – just like the Great Barrier Reef itself! It includes the stunning Reef Theatre, a huge floor-to-ceiling window into the reef. It houses hundreds of fish, sharks and sawfish.
Below is the Estuary Cod or Blackspotted rockcod.
The Diamond trevally bears an uncanny resemblance to the diamond shape, and can be found inhabiting the coastal waters, estuaries and seagrass beds of the Indo-West and Pacific Oceans. They can grow up to 1.5 meters in length.
Cute fish. 🙂
Queensland Groper is a huge fish even the sharks are scared of.
Not sure what it is, looks like Horned Bannerfish.
While exiting the aquarium, we had a chance to look at a beautiful Blue-spotted Fantail Ray and other tropical fish at the Bay of Rays section.
More beautiful tropical fish.
Our next stop was at Madame Tussauds Sydney, which is home to more than 70 lifelike celebrities, sporting legends, rock stars and politicians. This is a wax figure of Madame Tussauds herself.
Crocodile Dundee is right at the entrance to Madame Tussauds.
With Gandhi.
With The Royal Family.
Keith Urban is on the right.
With Albert Einstein.
Steve Irwin nicknamed “The Crocodile Hunter”, was an Australian nature expert and television personality. Irwin achieved worldwide fame from the television series The Crocodile Hunter, an internationally broadcast wildlife documentary series.
Breakfast at Tiffany’s is a 1961 American romantic comedy with starring gorgeous Audrey Hepburn.
Spider-Man.
Hugh Jackman as The Wolverine.
With the Road Warrior.
E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial.
With Bruce Willis.
Dave with Bruce Willis.
Dave with Johnny Depp.
One of my favorite actresses – Nicole Kidman.
A scene at the exit.
Exiting Madame Tussauds wax museum. Wild Life Zoo, Sea Life Aquarium and Madame Tussauds are conveniently located next to each other.
We were planning to take a boat across the harbor to visit another wild zoo, but we ran out of time.
Darling harbor on our way back to the hotel.
