Cairns Aquarium, Queensland: Ticket costs, opening hours & size
Cairns Aquarium is devoted to the ecosystems of far north Queensland. This means creatures from the rainforests and rivers as well as the Great Barrier Reef.
Cairns Aquarium is one of the main tourist attractions in Cairns, Far North Queensland’s tourism hub. It specialises in showcasing marine life from the Far North Queensland region, most of which can be seen on the Great Barrier Reef.
To skip the detail and just book your Cairns Aquarium tickets, step this way…
Animals at Cairns Aquarium
But the Cairns Aquarium is not just about reef fish.
It aims to showcase the biodiversity of the Wet Tropics Rainforest World Heritage Area, too.
Save time queuing – Book these Cairns attractions in advance
- From the air: Outer Reef helicopter flight | Sunrise hot air balloon ride | Skyrail Rainforest Cableway.
- At night: Sunset dinner cruise | Pub and club tour | Aquarium by Twilight experience.
- For wildlife: Birdworld Kuranda | Kuranda Koala Gardens | Cairns Zoom and Wildlife Dome | Cairns Aquarium | Rainforestation Nature Park
- For culture: Cairns Museum tickets | Street art walking tour | City and surrounds highlights bus tour.
- For thrills: AJ Hackett giant jungle swing | High speed jet boat tour | Barron Gorge white water rafting | Mulgrave River tubing.
How big is the Cairns Aquarium?
The Cairns Aquarium covers 7,800 square metres over three levels. This Australian aquarium hosts 16,000 animals from 10 different ecosystems and 71 habitats.
The Cairns Aquarium takes guests through far north Queensland’s rivers systems, creeks and streams, waterways and billabongs and forest floors. It also looks at the rainforests, the mangroves, the Coral Sea and ribbon reefs.
The major focus, of course, is on the Great Barrier Reef. If you’ve ever wanted to find Nemo, then there are clownfish here. There are also bright blue starfish, seemingly a gazillion types of waving coral, and all manner of other reef fish.
Where is Cairns Aquarium?
The Cairns Aquarium is located on Florence Street in central Cairns, one block back from the Esplanade. Within a short walking distance are the Cairns Night Markets and Cairns Esplanade Lagoon. Neighbouring hotels include the Crystalbrook Riley, Novotel Cairns Oasis Resort, Mantra Trilogy Cairns and Ramada.
Cairns Aquarium ticket prices and opening hours
Cairns Aquarium tickets cost $52 for adults and $30 for children at time of writing. They can be booked online.
The Cairns Aquarium opening hours are 10.00 to 15.00 daily. Although you can visit after hours on a special Twilight Tour.
While in Cairns, you can also take snorkelling cruises to Moore Reef and Hastings Reef from the Reef Fleet Terminal.
Trip-booster! 8 great day trips from Cairns to power-up your holiday
- Kuranda combo package – take the Kuranda Scenic Railway up and the Skyrail cable car down.
- Green Island tours with beach time, glass bottom boat and snorkelling. (Or pick a Fitzroy Island trip instead).
- Moore Reef day tour – with underwater observatory, snorkelling gear, glass bottom boat & semi-submersible cruises.
- Great Barrier Reef snorkelling cruise – with snorkelling stops at two excellent spots on the Reef.
- Cape Tribulation rainforest day tour – with Mossman Gorge Aboriginal cultural experience and Daintree River crocodile-watching cruise.
- Atherton Tableland waterfalls and rainforest tour – including wildlife-spotting and a swim in a volcanic lake.
- Outback 4WD tour – visiting Chillagoe Caves, Aboriginal rock art and Granite Gorge.
Day trips from Cairns
Take a dip in the Innot Hot Springs near Ravenshoe in the Atherton Tableland.
Explore the castle in the rainforest at Paronella Park near Innisfail.
Enjoy the show at Hartley’s Crocodile Farm on the drive from Cairns to Port Douglas.
Take the Daintree River ferry on the drive from Cairns to Cape Tribulation.
Drink mango wine at the Golden Drop Winery in Biboohra.