SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium

Really nice experience. The shark and sting ray tour was amazing. You can take tons of photos with them. Penguin tour on raft is very short. Great barrier reef tour was nice and colourful. There are many amazing photos you can take with family.

"Great Experience, But Room for Improvement" I recently visited SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium and had a great time overall! The highlight for me was definitely the sharks—seeing them up close was an incredible experience. The underwater tunnel gives you a unique perspective, and it’s truly awe-inspiring to watch these magnificent creatures glide past you. The aquarium also has a diverse range of marine life, including beautiful fish, seahorses, and rays. The interactive exhibits were fun and educational, making it a great stop for both families and animal lovers. However, I did feel a bit concerned about the living conditions for the penguins. While the penguin exhibit is fun to watch, the space seemed a bit small for such active animals, and I couldn’t help but feel that they could benefit from a more natural environment. It’s something I hope the aquarium will address in the future. That being said, if you’re roaming around the city and have some time to spare, I’d definitely recommend stopping by SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium. It’s an enjoyable experience with plenty to see, especially if you’re fascinated by marine life.

In need of an upgrade and/or price decrease. Charge for kids over 2 but most viewing areas/ tanks are barely accessible for a 5 year old. Would also question tank cleanliness and lettuce diet.... If you have been in the last 5 years would definitely give it a miss unless you have a new family member to attend.

The experience at SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium is truly enjoyable. The shark and stingray tour is incredible, offering plenty of opportunities for amazing photos. The Penguin Expedition is a fun but brief raft ride, while the Great Barrier Reef exhibit impresses with its vibrant colors and stunning marine life. With attractions like Shark Valley and the Great Barrier Reef, the aquarium provides up-close views of fascinating creatures, including sharks, rays, and dugongs. Perfect for all ages, it’s an educational and entertaining destination that’s ideal for families—a must-see in Sydney!

A perfect place to visit with kids to view wide variety of sea life especially Penguins and Sharks, to clear several questions they have. Visit penguins through boat ride or go near to them through Penguin Encounter (a paid ticket) which is time worth spending. Enjoy your visit to sea life aquarium Sydney

Awesome place! I had a fabulous time there. You get to see tons of fish and marine life but to me, the highlights are "Pig" the Dugong and the stingrays. There are some glass tunnels and you can walk "among" the sharks, huge eagle rays and Pig. You can also see a lot of penguins and that's quite fun. It's well kept and the displays are quite nice. Some things look a bit old but honestly it's a great experience overall.

This is pretty good. You get to explore a submarine. A destroyer and one of the original old wooden ships. Everything is well laid out and reasonably easy. The sub is quiet tight and confined to get into, but once inside, it's a breez. The museum is also very good, well played out and interesting.

I absolutely love visiting Sea Life! I have been many times, and each time, I have been amazed. This occasion was no exception. We came on a Sunday afternoon. Tickets can be a little pricey ($51 per adult). If you visit on a weekday, the cost is a bit cheaper. There are also packages and group tickets which can be purchased and these help bring the cost down. The ticket lets you stay at the aquarium for as long as you like. All the enclosures and displays are well organised and arranged, and this really helps make easy and fun viewing throughout the aquarium. It can get quite busy and crowded at times, but foot traffic generally flows well. There is a rock pool area where you can get hands-on with various small marine life. Throughout the aquarium, there are also numerous plaques and displays informing visitors of environmental issues and conservation efforts. I appreciated this. The highlight for me was definitely being in the underwater enclosure and watching the stingrays gliding around. I found it really peaceful! I would highly recommend visiting Sea Life and look forward to going again.

Really nice experience. The shark and sting ray tour was amazing. You can take tons of photos with them. Penguin tour on raft is very short. Great barrier reef tour was nice and colourful. There are many amazing photos you can take with family.

"Great Experience, But Room for Improvement" I recently visited SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium and had a great time overall! The highlight for me was definitely the sharks—seeing them up close was an incredible experience. The underwater tunnel gives you a unique perspective, and it’s truly awe-inspiring to watch these magnificent creatures glide past you. The aquarium also has a diverse range of marine life, including beautiful fish, seahorses, and rays. The interactive exhibits were fun and educational, making it a great stop for both families and animal lovers. However, I did feel a bit concerned about the living conditions for the penguins. While the penguin exhibit is fun to watch, the space seemed a bit small for such active animals, and I couldn’t help but feel that they could benefit from a more natural environment. It’s something I hope the aquarium will address in the future. That being said, if you’re roaming around the city and have some time to spare, I’d definitely recommend stopping by SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium. It’s an enjoyable experience with plenty to see, especially if you’re fascinated by marine life.

In need of an upgrade and/or price decrease. Charge for kids over 2 but most viewing areas/ tanks are barely accessible for a 5 year old. Would also question tank cleanliness and lettuce diet.... If you have been in the last 5 years would definitely give it a miss unless you have a new family member to attend.

The experience at SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium is truly enjoyable. The shark and stingray tour is incredible, offering plenty of opportunities for amazing photos. The Penguin Expedition is a fun but brief raft ride, while the Great Barrier Reef exhibit impresses with its vibrant colors and stunning marine life. With attractions like Shark Valley and the Great Barrier Reef, the aquarium provides up-close views of fascinating creatures, including sharks, rays, and dugongs. Perfect for all ages, it’s an educational and entertaining destination that’s ideal for families—a must-see in Sydney!

A perfect place to visit with kids to view wide variety of sea life especially Penguins and Sharks, to clear several questions they have. Visit penguins through boat ride or go near to them through Penguin Encounter (a paid ticket) which is time worth spending. Enjoy your visit to sea life aquarium Sydney

Awesome place! I had a fabulous time there. You get to see tons of fish and marine life but to me, the highlights are "Pig" the Dugong and the stingrays. There are some glass tunnels and you can walk "among" the sharks, huge eagle rays and Pig. You can also see a lot of penguins and that's quite fun. It's well kept and the displays are quite nice. Some things look a bit old but honestly it's a great experience overall.

This is pretty good. You get to explore a submarine. A destroyer and one of the original old wooden ships. Everything is well laid out and reasonably easy. The sub is quiet tight and confined to get into, but once inside, it's a breez. The museum is also very good, well played out and interesting.

I absolutely love visiting Sea Life! I have been many times, and each time, I have been amazed. This occasion was no exception. We came on a Sunday afternoon. Tickets can be a little pricey ($51 per adult). If you visit on a weekday, the cost is a bit cheaper. There are also packages and group tickets which can be purchased and these help bring the cost down. The ticket lets you stay at the aquarium for as long as you like. All the enclosures and displays are well organised and arranged, and this really helps make easy and fun viewing throughout the aquarium. It can get quite busy and crowded at times, but foot traffic generally flows well. There is a rock pool area where you can get hands-on with various small marine life. Throughout the aquarium, there are also numerous plaques and displays informing visitors of environmental issues and conservation efforts. I appreciated this. The highlight for me was definitely being in the underwater enclosure and watching the stingrays gliding around. I found it really peaceful! I would highly recommend visiting Sea Life and look forward to going again.

At first we were a little disappointed. The aquariums were nicely done, but sometimes it was hard to figure out what we were seeing because the signs didn't always match, as far as we could tell. We were heading down a multi-level ramp which we thought was taking us out when we were suddenly surrounded by sea-life in an enormous walk thru aquarium. WOW! It changed our whole experience. It was amazing! Then we walked up and down another set of ramps and there were the sharks and rays, WOW again! And then we got to ride in a boat and see penguins in an icy setting with nests and an ice slope. You should go there. We loved the Sea Life experience and highly recommend it!

Better than the one in Melbourne for sure. The penguin ride lasts all of a few minutes but is a highlight (but is also freezing cold/m). The dugong and the walk through tanks are very cool but it's so crowded with so many kids around (I guess what did we expect). Tried to go on a Thursday right when it opened to avoid crowd but it still felt pretty cramped. Good for a one time visit but probably not missing much if you skip this one.

In my opinion - this aquarium prioritizes profits from the visitors over safety, security, and quality of your visit. They really pack 'em in. Just like sardines... Maybe that is part of their plan??? Cannot recommend visiting.

SEA WORLD IS AMAZING!!!! Loved every bit of it. Sea world is run nicely bathrooms well kept, and food lines go quickly. Definitely recommend it unlike Busch garden

It's pretty impressive how much the aquarium is in a limited area. But you have everything from sharks and sting rays to penguins. You also are able to walk inside the aquarium using tunnels and watching the fish swimming above you is great. While good for the company there were many visitors which seemed crowded at times.

This was an interesting place to visit and see some unique sea life that I've never seen in person. The highlight for me coming here was to see the dugongs but we just missed the show due to the weird ramps you have to take up and down and up again to get to the area. We heard the person talking the whole time but by the time we got up there, only the male was out. And he was being real sassy so we didn't get to see him much. I know this place can get real crowded and I'm sure at peak hours, it isn't a pleasurable experience because some of the hallways are tight. However, if you're luck enough to come at a time before or after the crowds (we went around 1pm on a weekday) you'll be able to relax and stroll leisurely through the exhibits. It's absolutely worth the ticket price if you buy the on of the bundles.

I had a free day to explore Sydney before flying back home. One of the places I visited was Sea Life aquarium. I spent a few hours walking around and could have stayed longer but I had other places to go to. For me, the highlight was the large tank area where you go through underwater tunnels to watch the fish, rays, and sharks swim over you. Its kid friendly so definitely a place to visit with your kids.

When you travel with an animal lover you will experience more animals than one can ever imagine. Having just finished the WILD LIFE Sydney next door, we moved onto the aquarium. It might not have been the largest I've been to, but still unique. Up and down lots of stairs and ramps so you can explore the waters from above and two areas below. Tunnels to let sharks swim over your. And drivers cleaning the poo off the glass so everyone can see. Small aquariums that show off the neon and their glow between 10 pm and 2 am. Newborn baby seahorses. Penguins. Platypus. It's like a giant maze, but stay on the main trail and you will see everything. And find your way out. There are three museums in the area. You can by package deals to save money.

The aquarium is "just okay". There are some beautiful exhibits, but it was hot and crowded, especially in the large shark and eel areas. There was 1/2 hour wait for the small boat ride to see the Emperor Penguins up close, but it seemed to be taking a little longer than that, so we chose to just walk through and see them through the glass. I'm sure it was much cooler to take the little boat ride and probably a much closer viewing. But some of the exhibits had me mesmerized, like the octopus swimming gracefully in its tank. (But then I worried about whether that tank is big enough for that poor creature to have an enjoyable life.) The entry process into the venue is pretty disorganized. Pretty much every other person got sent over the the ticket queue, even if you had pre-purchased tickets and (thought that you) had digital tickets on your phone. There was some issue with pulling them up properly and there was a lot of wasted time going back and forth trying to figure that mess out. I will say the online customer support was pretty efficient. I had accidentally double purchased my tickets and they got that cleared up pretty quickly, refunding me for the unneeded tickets. So is it worth a visit? I'm not sure. I've been to better aquariums. But for the convenience and such, it's not a terrible way to spend a couple hours.

I don't think this is an attraction people should pay for, it's not too impressive, and they pack you in like sardines. If there were a fire or emergency there is no way people would be able to escape. They allow luggage and strollers so it's super frustrating trying to navigate through the facility. If you're in Sydney there are much better attractions to see!

I had such an amazing time at this aquarium with my husband and mom. It was so easy going, however the time we went was during a scheduled field trip so it was hard to thoroughly enjoy it as there was a lot of screaming and running children lol. Nevertheless, it was soooo much fun. I loved the different tunnels that made the experience feel more immersive. It was a good size museum but not too big that you're dying at the end. We bought our tickets as a part of package deal which was well worth the money.

Very cool experience with us, our kids and grandkids. Very pleased with the amount of marine life they had. They even had an interactive stream with some of the sea life that you could touch!

Definitely bigger than it looks on the outside! Lots to see, especially the sharks, rays, and dugongs, where you can walk in glass tunnels underneath the tanks. The penguin boat ride was super short, but I liked that it was free/included and was something a little different and fun, so that was still a bit of a highlight, I suppose. However, the experience was all affected by the fact that it was CROWDED. I mean, even crowded in pre-covid definition! It was just packed full of people and often hard to walk in the direction you wanted to go! Also, the way the aquarium is laid out is one-way, so you're basically following a path the whole time you're in there, instead of being able to pick and choose which sections you want to go to. So definitely not my favorite aquarium, but still enjoyable.

SEA Life Aquarium is cute and perfect for the family. I've taken both my 11 month old nieces here and they enjoyed it. As mush as a 11 month year old can. Haha The staff are really nice, it take about 45 minutes to 1 hour to walk around the entire centre. It's nice and cool inside so if it's a hot or rainy day it's a perfect indoor activity. There are some really cool interactive parts if you have children. The exhibits are nice and they have a great range of animals there. They have a really cool water tunnel to walk under. They have sharks, jellyfish exhibit, penguins, and other really cool see creatures. You can even swim with sharks! They have a cute gift shop, they validate parking and they will take your photo in the beginning if you want to purchase it in the end. They don't have direct parking but you can park in a nearby parking garage.You can also buy a bundle package if you want to do the Wild Life or Wax museum exhibits.

Was a waste of time and money real lack of effort from everyone there . Their worried about pumping maximum amount in and out if place possible . Aquariums were also very dirty with lots of algae and debris . Was halfway a dump

I'd say that this aquarium is okay at best. First of all the set-up of the aquarium is poor because everything is super narrow and it's difficult to move forward until the people in front of you decide to move. I went on a weekday so it wasn't too busy, but even then it got crowded and you feel rushed since people behind you are waiting. The exhibits need to be cleaned or something because the glass is often dirty and the water is very murky. Most of the aquarium is just constantly moving through these zig-zag walkways to get to the next area. The penguin "ride" thing is cute, you get on a boat for like 2 minutes. I wouldn't do it if there's a line though. The price is expensive so definitely don't pay full price because it's not worth $40 a person.

I always enjoyed learning about the ocean life. Sea Life offers viewers a chance to see different marine species in their natural habitat. We wanted to come here to learn, understand and enjoy the ocean life. So glad we did! We went with our friend who had an annual membership. We can go for free provided that the member accompanies us. She took her children and they loved watching the sharks, turtles, penguins swim around. A major draw comes from the walking around the internal aquarium enclosure. People walk under the aquarium while sharks lay on top of the see through enclosure. We saw some shark being fed by two divers. We learned about the different species of shark such as the grey nurse shark, bull shark, and the megaton shark. We read about the different types of penguins such as emperor, king, and royal. Walking around the smaller enclosures, we can read a blurb about the marine species. The abstract contains information of where they originally come from and who their enemies are. Come to the Sea Life. Bring family, friends and dates.

This place was much longer than I was expecting but it did not have any main attractions. Just exhibit after exhibit of unknown fish. It can be safe to say that I am not an aquarium person but I did enjoy the bang for my buck. It took about 2 hours for us to get through the entire establishment. The fact that you can gain admission here through a packaged deal with Tower Eye, Taronga Zoo, and Wild Life Zoo makes it all worth it.

It's an okay aquarium. I don't like that you have to keep moving forward in a line and can't go backwards. I went alone on a solo trip and I had been dying to see this aquarium and sadly atmosphere didn't meet my expectations. Regardless I loved looking at the animals here and I would go again

This is my fifth visit and probably the last one for a long time, you get a pre paid ticket but you wait in line for over 90 minutes, silly me thought if you pre buy you walk in like in most venues. The place is in dire need of a facelift same old displays same old narrow passes and pathways. They need to do more but because the Asian tourist keep on coming nothing will be done. Sydney deserves better than this

Great spot if you are looking to send 2-3 hours. This is a medium sized aquarium with lots of different sealife in addition to penguins! The underwater tunnels are very clean;so great viewing. There are excursions you could do such as a shark dive and penguin encounter. The penguin encounter you are actually in their space which seemed much cooler.

Odd, I thought I reviewed this aquarium already! No matter. I always enjoy a good Yelp Aquarium review! The last few times I've been to Sydney, I've taken different people to visit this aquarium. Sea Life, I believe, is the largest (if not the only) aquarium in the city. Located next to Darling Harbor, it's centered at the hub of a very touristy location. Unfortunately in some ways the other attractions around it are a little gimmicky including the wax museum. Why would you waste space to build that? More importantly, why are there people who pay money to visit that? From the outside, the Sea Life Aquarium is not much to look at. It looks and feels very touristy and the entrance is overshadowed by the wax museum. In many ways, this aquarium gives into the fact that it is looking for a high volume of tourists to come through so they put up some gaudy signage outside. Once inside, however, the aquarium offers a glimpse into the wide array of aquatic/marine life you can find in Australia. After you purchase your tickets and have them scanned at the front entrance, you gradually weave your way through the exhibits. There's no need for a map because it's a straight shot from beginning to end. If you wanted to spend more time in some areas, that's not a problem just move aside from others. Loved their ancient fish exhibit including an albino lungfish. Super cool! Of course they also showcase some of the beautiful reef fish as well. Have you ever seen a barramundi up close? Well here's your chance! Also there are few places in the world where you can see a dugong and they have one here! Unfortunately most of the aquarium is not air conditioned so on a hot summer day with lots of visitors, it's not pleasant inside. This attraction probably takes you about 45 min if you don't spend too much time in any one location and they aren't too busy. It's a fun place and if you're an aquarium lover like me, then you'll want to check it out. I don't know if Sydney has any other aquarium so this may be it!

I've been here a couple of times, one of the reasons being because my brother loves looking at fish. This place isn't bad, and in fact it is coupled with a couple of other places that are owned by the same company. It is actually well worth the price because it is very educational, and there is a great range of fish as well, and a couple of sharks, and sharks are always cool to look at, at least on the other side of a persplex window.

Great opptunity to "sea" gray nurse sharks, larger than life sting rays, and a Dugong Manatee! Hailing from Florida I've seen my fair share of marine animals and aquariums even kayaking with dolphins and manatees. While some might criticize the aquarium as average I must say it was a great experience for my wife and I. There were folks from all walks of life and age groups attending and the tunnels were packed with activity both inside and out! Take some time to wait in line for the penguin ride- it's free! Albeit short, it's certainly worth it and enjoyable to watch the penguins joyfully waddle around and hop up the steps. Once off the ride you'll be able to find stationary viewing areas that allow you to see them both in and out of the water! Forewarning, the ride is brief but very cold. I hope everyone will get as much enjoyment as we did from visiting Sea Life Aquarium!

This aquarium was pretty good! It wasn't as good as the one in Osaka, but definitely in the top 5. The only downfall of this place is the ticketing area and they don't tell you where to line up for the different attractions. They told us the aquarium line was around the corner, which everyone going to the aquarium was waiting in, them someone said we're standing in the wrong line, so we had to go to another place. They have to get there stuff together there. They're pretty clueless.

Skip this aquarium. Nothing worthwhile here. I was surprised for a big city like Sydney to have something like this and making people pay almost $50 is such just a big mistake. I'm actually glad I didn't go to their wax museum and their "zoo."

Visiting Sydney, I knew that I had to visit an aquarium during my trip to get a peek at the sea creatures found in Oceania that I wouldn't be able to see back in Seattle. On my trip to Sydney, I visited two aquariums there which were the Manly Sea Life Sanctuary and Sea Life. Sea Life Sydney Aquarium is located in the same complex as Wild Life Sydney Zoo and Madame Tussauds in Darling Harbour. Though it seems like Sea Life takes up the most space here. I am glad that I visited the one in Manly first because it gave it me a better appreciation of the one in Sydney. I would been pretty disappointed if I did it the reverse way. The reason I would have been disappointed is because the Sydney one has far more exhibits than the one in Manly. Really the only exhibit in Manly that stands out is Shark Harbour. But I quite liked how small and intimate it was compared to Sea Life. There are a lot of exhibits, but I feel like there was so much to see here that it was tiresome to go through. At Sea Life, you will see animals that you would expect to see here like penguins, sharks and stingrays. Though for me, I think the dugong exhibit seems to stands out the most. Dugongs are also known as sea cows, though they seem to have more of a resemblance to the hippo than a cow. The aquarium also has particularly large tanks so you can sit on a bench to watch as tropical fish swim through the tank. If you are looking for the best aquarium in Sydney, I would go to this one for the wide array of exhibits on display here along with the vast number of animals that you can see. Make sure to give yourself a couple hours here to visit so you can take in the whole experience. This isn't a place that you can or will want to breeze through quickly.

Went on a Sunday afternoon since the weather's been nice. Apparently thats what everyone else was thinking because it was full of families! I think we came at a bad time because they were renovating and there were all these signs to see the new and improved Aquarium in like two weeks. Oh well. Admission was $35 per person, which is okay I guess. When you enter they make you take a picture in front of a blue screen and at the end, try to get you to buy the picture for $30. There's a few different sections where you can see cool little fish, some big weird fish, some turtles, penguins and a shark tank. There's also a "Great Barrier Reef" section that was cool. Overall you see some pretty cool stuff. Its not huge but I guess you can't really cram in too much. I honestly thought the Melbourne acquarium was a little better.

This was a HORRIFIC experience! From a leak in the shark cage to the extremely short boat 'ride'. This was NOT what I was expecting. When I first got there the line was huge. I waited for an HOUR before being finally let in. When I got in there I made my way towards the shark enclosure, past the same fish in every other section, there seemed to be no different fish at all! When I FINALLY got to the shark exhibition I saw a LEAK, that could cause the whole place to collapse and flood, with man eating sharks coming after their customers!! Next in my review is the penguin 'ride'. It lasted for a whole of 2 minutes and was as slow as a sloth. After waiting for 30 minutes to get in I expected some behind the scenes penguin exhibits, however, it was EXACTLY the same as what I saw when I just walked through as per normal. DO NOT GO HERE A COMPLETE WASTE OF SPACE, TIME AND MONEY. NOT TO MENTION THE SEVRE SAFTEY HAZARDS INSIDE.

Five stars just cause it was much better then I was expecting :) Would recommend to early morning or late afternoon to avoid the crowd. To get better deal - combine with other attraction tickets or get city pass.

Was excited to visit but was a terrible experience. Don't waste your time or money coming in . The exhibition they had were very scarce and so were the animals . There were more pictures than animals! Save your money!!

I have been to several aquariums all over the U.S. and I think this aquarium in Australia is better than all that I have been to. They have done a great job with showing off the sea life. The glass tunnels are amazing and show the sea life in an amazing way.

Another tourist attraction that was okay. It took about an hour to see. It was not one of the best Aquariums that I visited , however it did have a very good penguin exhibit. They did it in the form of a boat ride and the penguins did get very close to you

This aquarium makes me sad. After seeing fish swim freely in the wide, beautiful ocean, to see them in small, cramped waters swimming round and round - it's sad. The beginning and middle exhibits were so skimpy, not much fish, not much variety, and the fishes quarters were small and rather dirty. If fish can be depressed, I thought these fish were depressed.

Skip it. Rip off. So expensive, $80 for two. Not worth it, old, dirty, not maintained at all. Selling a ton of shit in the store, including animals plushes that are not even in the aquarium. It's hard to believe that a place like that represents the most important city of Australia. It DOES NOT make sense. If you've experienced other aquariums in the world, you'll be disappointed and also sad to see the wild life stuck in boxes. The worst is the penguins habitat. Poor things..

I enjoyed the free 2 min ride to see the penguins inside the cold tempurature that the penguins live in. Lots of fish, manatee, jelly fish. Fun exhibits

It has been 16 yrs since I was last here and it was every bit as amazing as the first time I was here, maybe more so with my daughter now enjoying the experience. The flow of the exhibits ensures that despite the crowds of people, the traffic keeps flowing. We were fortunate to be there during lectures about the manitee's which was very fascinating. Definitely an experience worth the visit!

Very convenient and well located aquarium. Lots of different marine life. The penguin exhibit ride is very cool. The underwater tunnels are also very interesting Located right in the heart of Darling harbour, near King St wharf. Good fun, great for the family, well laid out so that you just walk in a circuit.

I did a two ticket combination and went to the aquarium and wild life exhibit. I've always loved aquariums. And although it's smaller than back home they did a wonderful job , so much to see. It's almost like walking into a magic hat - it's much bigger inside than expected ! There's a mini boat ride through the penguin enclosure and there's a butterfly room. And a touch tank for children to hold marine life ! Loved it and the prices were worth it.

This was a bit of a let down for the trip. No air conditioning so it was a hot and humid visit. The facility was poorly cleaned, sea life unimpressive and easily out shined by any average aquarium in the US. The penguin exhibit was much ado about nothing, hop on a boat for 1min after waiting 20min to see penguins behind glass...a lot like no boat at all! Save your money and skip this one!

Dugongs. Yes, *dugongs*. I didn't even know these things were real! I always thought they were some kind of urban legend, like drop bears, and Gwyneth Paltrow. But Sydney Aquarium has them, and what's more, today one smiled at me. They're like big, squashy, hairless albino cows. I'll tell you what else this place has: Japanese spider crabs, giant basketball-sized beasties with legs 4 metres long. They scared away quite a few people, which is unfortunate because if you look into their beady, spiny little eyes it's clear that they just want to be loved. Like the Elephant Man, only in crustacean form. And - bewilderingly, but brilliantly - there are all these insane Lego sculptures dotted throughout the aquarium. Pirates, King Neptune, even a spaceship-sized Moby Dick. Sure, you have to knock over a few kiddies to get a good view of the really cool stuff, but that's okay because they're generally too small to fight back.

I had purchased an iventure card and one of the attractions listed was the SEA LIFE aquarium. Most recommended I visit the aquarium because it was popular and the cost for an adult was $40, making my iventure card extremely worth it. HOWEVER, I was fairly disappointed with the quality of the exhibits and how run down the aquarium was. I had gone at 6pm and the aquarium had pretty much shut down with only about 4-5 workers left and no eateries open, even though the aquarium was supposed to close at 8 pm. One advantage of going late was there were only a handful of tourists and very few kids, so you could take pictures and explore in peace. But, it must have been bad timing, because there were no penguins, seals, platypus, nor dugongs to be seen. Apparently the dugongs are currently resting for a few months without disturbance as they are extremely sensitive to noise. To be fair, I enjoyed the shark and manta ray exhibit wholeheartedly. I stood under the shark tunnel for a good fifteen minutes mesmerized by how calm the sharks were. Add on the ethereal music they play and you'll be standing there for a while. This was my favorite part of the aquarium. Maybe because I've been to the L'Oceanographic in Valencia and have been spoiled to how beautiful the displays and architect of the buildings were, but the Sydney Aquarium is overpriced and could use a renovation.

I was so pumped to go to the aquarium and I gotta be honest, I've seen better. This place needs major updates, the attractions seem old. I recently visited the aquarium in Scottsdale and it was better than this aquarium. I was surprised that this aquarium didn't blow me away given how famous it is.

What a waste of money. I've been to some great aquariums around the world but Sea Life is not one of them. The boast 35,000 marine animals. Most of them must be on vacation. Save your money.

My wife and I were looking at going to World of Wildlife next door, which is owned by the same people who own this 'aquarium'. We decided not to go because of the poor reviews about it being just a long line that they keep you moving through, and any time anyone stops, there is a giant traffic jam of strollers and tourists. Well my friends, this place is no better. Where do I begin? We get tickets for around AUD $50, which is far more than the amazing Taronga Zoo. As soon as we get in, they ask you to pose in front of a green screen and have your picture taken. What they don't tell you then is that they charge $40 for the pictures at the end. Nearly the same price as admission itself. We make it to the first few exhibits, but we couldn't move through or stop anywhere because they don't meter the number of people inside at a given time. It was a traffic jam every 20 seconds, with people getting nipped in the back of the ankles by strollers, and random Chinese people blocking the pathway to take selfies on sticks with their groups. It wouldn't be as bad if it wasn't for the unbearable heat and humidity in there. It was 24C/76F in the city, and it must have been 26C/79F in this place. We were drenched in sweat by the time we left. The only respite was the penguin exhibit, which was 6C/42F. It felt amazing to sit in there for 3 minutes in that stupid boat, just to stop burning our eyes out with our own sweat. They call this place an aquarium, but it's more like IKEA, if IKEA didn't have shortcuts to the other sections. There is a very set and winding path you have to follow. To backtrack causes chaos because the pathways are only wide enough for 2 people, and usually 1 is looking at an exhibit and the other is talking towards you. About half way through we were just trying to get out as quickly as possible. We darted through the things we were actually there to see -- sharks and rays, because it was like a swap meet inside the tunnels they were swimming around, and we were feeling faint from the heat. Don't waste your money here. Go to the Taronga zoo. If you've been to the Taronga zoo, go there again. They deserve your money more than the jokers who operate this zoo+aquarium+madamme tussauds+tower eye compound and try to up sell you on package tickets for all of them.

My partner and I were looking forward to visiting this aquarium, as we both love to do this anywhere we go. We were disappointed by the price and the value, and the overall experience. (PRO TIP: If you must go, I recommend purchasing the IVenture care which can be purchased at any of those tourist venues) The glass was dirty on almost every exhibit. There was a large dead fish in one of the tanks that was disturbing the children. The penguin exhibit had pee all over, and it was so busy. Simply not worth the time in my opinion.

Sydney Aquarium, much like Taronga Zoo, is the perfect place for a family outing. Children always seem to love this kind of thing, and if you're an adult who's never been before, I'm pretty sure you'll love it too. Assuming you have any kind of interest in the natural world. You get to walk through glass tunnels underwater, and feel like you're immersed in the ocean. The sharks and giant sting-rays always garner the most attention, because, quite frankly, they're enormous. Apart from the sharks and sting-rays, they have an enormous variety of other aquatic life, obviously. From clownfish (Nemo, anyone?) to dugongs. Tickets for adults cost about $35 if you walk up, but you get 50% off if you book online, so ... do that.

The aquarium was very crowded and there was a lot of walking around and around just to get to the next exhibit. Even the tunnel you go through and the fish swim over, you walk back and forth up ramps to get to the tunnel and just go up one side and back down the next. It's crowded and not much space to go ahead of people stopping to take pics. The one part that was cool was the penguins. However, the little boat ride is like a minute long. There aren't enough exhibits and a lot of just reading things on the walls about the marine life. If you buy your ticket from the Big Red Bus tour, you can get the Aquarium and Zoo for $50. If you buy the tickets at the Aquarium it's $46 just for the Aquarium. So I paid $50 for both which makes it ok, had I paid $46 for this place I would have given 1 star.

A beautiful display of healthy corals, and of course the adorable dugongs, the staff was friendly and we are looking forward to the penguin exhibit