Melbourne Aquarium
Encyclopedia
Melbourne Aquarium is a Southern Ocean and Antarctic aquarium in central Melbourne
, Australia
. It is located on the banks of the Yarra River
beside and under the Flinders Street Viaduct
and the King Street Bridge
.
architects to resemble a ship moored to the river, and opened in January 2000. The depth of the building however was designed not to be imposing at street level, and extends 7 metres (23 ft) below the surface. At its centre is a world first, 2.2 million litre 'oceanarium in the round' where the spectators become the spectacle to the marine life swimming around them.
Soon after opening, the building had a legionnaires disease
outbreak that resulted in 2 deaths and another 60 people being affected. Those affected had visited the aquarium between 11 and 27 April 2000. A damages action was brought in May 2000, ending in February 2004.
The Melbourne Aquarium recently underwent a significant expansion, also designed by Peddle Thorp, and now extends from the Yarra River
to Flinders Street
. A new entrance was built on the corner of Flinders and King Streets. The expansion features exhibits with king penguin
s and gentoo Penguin
s, as well as many other Antarctic
fish, a first for Australia. The exhibits also feature real ice and snow to simulate Antarctic conditions, and take visitors on an expedition to Antarctica. The penguins are sourced from Kelly Tarlton's Underwater World in New Zealand
.
While visiting these features visitors come across horseshoe crab
s, scorpion
s and tarantula
s in the 'two creepy caves' and a diverse collection of Australian sea jellies.
While the theme is that of "Southern Ocean
s" there are a few exceptions including, a floor to ceiling coral atoll, the mangrove
exhibit, the billabong
exhibit and the rockpool exhibit.
The aquarium is known for its main exhibit, which features huge grey nurse and sandbar whaler sharks, in a large oceanarium containing many diverse species of marine life.
Temporary exhibitions also frequently come to the aquarium.
The current exhibition at the aquarium is of various kinds of creepy creatures, including angler fish, the Japanese spider crab
, jellyfish
, blood sucking leech
es, horseshoe crab
s, poisonous scorpion
s and tarantula
s.
Melbourne Aquarium formerly had a giant squid
exhibit (frozen, not alive). This has been moved to the UnderWater World
, Queensland.
A quote from their website: "The 7 metre squid is frozen in time in the world’s largest man-made block of ice and is on display as part of the Monsters of the Deep exhibit. The exhibit also features live cuttlefish, bioluminescent fish and octopus hidden in dark, eerie caves and rare footage of a live Humboldt Squid
, filmed off the coast of Mexico."
listed on both the Australian Securities Exchange
and New Zealand Stock Exchange).
MFS Living & Leisure Group's main shareholders are ANZ Nominees Limited, National Nominees Limited, HSBC Custody Nominees (Australia) Limited, Grollo International Pty Ltd and MFS Financial Services Limited.
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. It is located on the banks of the Yarra River
Yarra River
The Yarra River, originally Birrarung, is a river in east-central Victoria, Australia. The lower stretches of the river is where the city of Melbourne was established in 1835 and today Greater Melbourne dominates and influences the landscape of its lower reaches...
beside and under the Flinders Street Viaduct
Flinders Street Viaduct
The Flinders Street Viaduct is a railway bridge in Melbourne, Australia. Made up of six tracks of varying ages, it links Flinders Street Station to Southern Cross Station and forms the main link between the eastern and western parts of the Victorian rail network.The viaduct takes a twisted path,...
and the King Street Bridge
King Street Bridge (Melbourne)
The King Street Bridge takes King Street over the Yarra River in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The bridge continues south as an elevated viaduct, with the Crown Casino and Entertainment Complex built around it in later years.-History:...
.
History
Built between February 1998 and December 1999, the building was designed by Peddle ThorpPeddle Thorp
Peddle Thorp is an architecture firm based in Melbourne that has designed many of Australia's landmark buildings. Among the buildings it has designed include: the Melbourne Aquarium, Vodafone Arena; Rod Laver Arena; Skilled Stadium; and ANZ Headquarters...
architects to resemble a ship moored to the river, and opened in January 2000. The depth of the building however was designed not to be imposing at street level, and extends 7 metres (23 ft) below the surface. At its centre is a world first, 2.2 million litre 'oceanarium in the round' where the spectators become the spectacle to the marine life swimming around them.
Soon after opening, the building had a legionnaires disease
Legionellosis
Legionellosis is a potentially fatal infectious disease caused by gram negative, aerobic bacteria belonging to the genus Legionella. Over 90% of legionellosis cases are caused by Legionella pneumophila, a ubiquitous aquatic organism that thrives in temperatures between , with an optimum temperature...
outbreak that resulted in 2 deaths and another 60 people being affected. Those affected had visited the aquarium between 11 and 27 April 2000. A damages action was brought in May 2000, ending in February 2004.
The Melbourne Aquarium recently underwent a significant expansion, also designed by Peddle Thorp, and now extends from the Yarra River
Yarra River
The Yarra River, originally Birrarung, is a river in east-central Victoria, Australia. The lower stretches of the river is where the city of Melbourne was established in 1835 and today Greater Melbourne dominates and influences the landscape of its lower reaches...
to Flinders Street
Flinders Street, Melbourne
Flinders Street is a notable street in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Running roughly parallel to the Yarra River, Flinders Street forms the southern edge of the Hoddle Grid. It is exactly one mile in length and one and half chains in width...
. A new entrance was built on the corner of Flinders and King Streets. The expansion features exhibits with king penguin
King Penguin
The King Penguin is the second largest species of penguin at about , second only to the Emperor Penguin. There are two subspecies—A. p. patagonicus and A. p...
s and gentoo Penguin
Gentoo penguin
The Gentoo Penguin , Pygoscelis papua, is easily recognized by the wide white stripe extending like a bonnet across the top of its head and its bright orange-red bill. The gentoo penguin has pale whitish-pink webbed feet and a fairly long tail - the most prominent tail of all penguins. Chicks have...
s, as well as many other Antarctic
Antarctic
The Antarctic is the region around the Earth's South Pole, opposite the Arctic region around the North Pole. The Antarctic comprises the continent of Antarctica and the ice shelves, waters and island territories in the Southern Ocean situated south of the Antarctic Convergence...
fish, a first for Australia. The exhibits also feature real ice and snow to simulate Antarctic conditions, and take visitors on an expedition to Antarctica. The penguins are sourced from Kelly Tarlton's Underwater World in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
.
Level One
- River to Reef, including the giant Murray codMurray CodThe Murray cod is a large Australian predatory freshwater fish of the Maccullochella genus and the Percichthyidae family. Although the species is a called cod in the vernacular, it is not related to the northern hemisphere marine cod species...
- BillabongBillabongBillabong is an Australian English word meaning a small lake, specifically an oxbow lake, a section of still water adjacent to a river, cut off by a change in the watercourse. Billabongs are usually formed when the path of a creek or river changes, leaving the former branch with a dead end...
- Rock Pools
- MangroveMangroveMangroves are various kinds of trees up to medium height and shrubs that grow in saline coastal sediment habitats in the tropics and subtropics – mainly between latitudes N and S...
- Upper Deck Cafe
Ground Floor
- Antarctica, featuring king and gentoo penguins
- Weird & Wonderful, featuring giant crabs and sea dragonSea Dragon-Fish:* Leafy sea dragon * Weedy sea dragon -Military:* Operation Sea Dragon , a military operation* MH-53E Sea Dragon, a helicopter* USS Seadragon, two ships of the United States Navy...
s - Coral Atoll
- Sea jellies
- Octopus Cove, featuring Giant Pacific Octopus
- Coral Cafe
- Aquarium Shop
Level B2
- Sharks Alive
- BHP Billiton Shark Conservation Project & Animal Nursery
- Oceanarium
- Ocean Theatre
Horseshoe crab
The Atlantic horseshoe crab, Limulus polyphemus, is a marine chelicerate arthropod. Despite its name, it is more closely related to spiders, ticks, and scorpions than to crabs. Horseshoe crabs are most commonly found in the Gulf of Mexico and along the northern Atlantic coast of North America...
s, scorpion
Scorpion
Scorpions are predatory arthropod animals of the order Scorpiones within the class Arachnida. They have eight legs and are easily recognized by the pair of grasping claws and the narrow, segmented tail, often carried in a characteristic forward curve over the back, ending with a venomous stinger...
s and tarantula
Tarantula
Tarantulas comprise a group of often hairy and often very large arachnids belonging to the family Theraphosidae, of which approximately 900 species have been identified. Some members of the same Suborder may also be called "tarantulas" in the common parlance. This article will restrict itself to...
s in the 'two creepy caves' and a diverse collection of Australian sea jellies.
While the theme is that of "Southern Ocean
Southern Ocean
The Southern Ocean comprises the southernmost waters of the World Ocean, generally taken to be south of 60°S latitude and encircling Antarctica. It is usually regarded as the fourth-largest of the five principal oceanic divisions...
s" there are a few exceptions including, a floor to ceiling coral atoll, the mangrove
Mangrove
Mangroves are various kinds of trees up to medium height and shrubs that grow in saline coastal sediment habitats in the tropics and subtropics – mainly between latitudes N and S...
exhibit, the billabong
Billabong
Billabong is an Australian English word meaning a small lake, specifically an oxbow lake, a section of still water adjacent to a river, cut off by a change in the watercourse. Billabongs are usually formed when the path of a creek or river changes, leaving the former branch with a dead end...
exhibit and the rockpool exhibit.
The aquarium is known for its main exhibit, which features huge grey nurse and sandbar whaler sharks, in a large oceanarium containing many diverse species of marine life.
Temporary exhibitions also frequently come to the aquarium.
Research and conservation
- Grey Nurse Sharks. The Melbourne Aquarium is involved in a grey nurse sharkGrey nurse sharkThe sand tiger shark or grey nurse shark is a species of shark that inhabits coastal waters worldwide. It lives very close to the shorelines and beaches of North America, hence the name, sand tiger shark. Despite a fearsome appearance and strong swimming abilities, it is a relatively placid and...
breeding program aimed at conserving this endangered species, which is already extinct in VictoriaVictoria (Australia)Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
. The Aquarium currently has three grey nurse sharks and are looking at intra vitro fertilization (IVF) as a method of breeding. On November 11th, Melbourne Aquarium celebrated Georgie, the grey nurse shark's 10th birthday with a celebratory party.
- Sea Turtles. The aquarium is also involved in the rehabilitation of turtles washed down to the cold Victorian waters where they cannot survive. The sea turtles are housed at the aquarium to gain strength whereby they are taken to QueenslandQueenslandQueensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
to be released.
- Sea Snakes. Melbourne Aquarium is home to the worlds first captive pregnant sea snake, it was on display in the coral atoll with two other snakes but has since been moved to a holding tank in the back-of-house area of the aquarium. It is under constant 24-hour video surveillance in the hope the first captive sea snake birth can be caught on film.
Current and past attractions
Japanese spider crab
The , Macrocheira kaempferi, is a species of marine crab that lives in the waters around Japan. It has the largest leg span of any arthropod, reaching up to and weighing up to . It is the subject of small-scale fishery.-Description:...
, jellyfish
Jellyfish
Jellyfish are free-swimming members of the phylum Cnidaria. Medusa is another word for jellyfish, and refers to any free-swimming jellyfish stages in the phylum Cnidaria...
, blood sucking leech
Leech
Leeches are segmented worms that belong to the phylum Annelida and comprise the subclass Hirudinea. Like other oligochaetes such as earthworms, leeches share a clitellum and are hermaphrodites. Nevertheless, they differ from other oligochaetes in significant ways...
es, horseshoe crab
Horseshoe crab
The Atlantic horseshoe crab, Limulus polyphemus, is a marine chelicerate arthropod. Despite its name, it is more closely related to spiders, ticks, and scorpions than to crabs. Horseshoe crabs are most commonly found in the Gulf of Mexico and along the northern Atlantic coast of North America...
s, poisonous scorpion
Scorpion
Scorpions are predatory arthropod animals of the order Scorpiones within the class Arachnida. They have eight legs and are easily recognized by the pair of grasping claws and the narrow, segmented tail, often carried in a characteristic forward curve over the back, ending with a venomous stinger...
s and tarantula
Tarantula
Tarantulas comprise a group of often hairy and often very large arachnids belonging to the family Theraphosidae, of which approximately 900 species have been identified. Some members of the same Suborder may also be called "tarantulas" in the common parlance. This article will restrict itself to...
s.
Melbourne Aquarium formerly had a giant squid
Giant squid
The giant squid is a deep-ocean dwelling squid in the family Architeuthidae, represented by as many as eight species...
exhibit (frozen, not alive). This has been moved to the UnderWater World
UnderWater World, Queensland
UnderWater World at Mooloolaba, Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia is a marine mammal park, oceanarium and wildlife sanctuary. Underwater World is an institutional member of the Zoo and Aquarium Association .-History:...
, Queensland.
A quote from their website: "The 7 metre squid is frozen in time in the world’s largest man-made block of ice and is on display as part of the Monsters of the Deep exhibit. The exhibit also features live cuttlefish, bioluminescent fish and octopus hidden in dark, eerie caves and rare footage of a live Humboldt Squid
Humboldt Squid
The Humboldt squid , also known as jumbo squid, jumbo flying squid, pota or diablo rojo , is a large, predatory squid found in the waters of the Humboldt Current in the Eastern Pacific Ocean. They are most commonly found at depths of , from Tierra del Fuego to California...
, filmed off the coast of Mexico."
Ownership
The aquarium is owned and operated by MFS Living & Leisure Group (a stapled securityStapled security
A stapled security is a type of financial instrument, a security that is contractually bound to one or more other securities to form a single salable unit....
listed on both the Australian Securities Exchange
Australian Securities Exchange
The Australian Securities Exchange was created by the merger of the Australian Stock Exchange and the Sydney Futures Exchange in July 2006. It is the primary stock exchange group in Australia....
and New Zealand Stock Exchange).
MFS Living & Leisure Group's main shareholders are ANZ Nominees Limited, National Nominees Limited, HSBC Custody Nominees (Australia) Limited, Grollo International Pty Ltd and MFS Financial Services Limited.