Dolphin Discovery Centre: Bunbury aquarium entry prices & opening hours

The Dolphin Discovery Centre in Bunbury, Western Australia offers dolphin cruises and swimming with dolphin tours. But this Bunbury aquarium also explores the ecology of Koombana Bay.

Koombana Bay in Western Australia is one of the best places in Australia to see dolphins. And Bunbury, the main city on Koombana Bay, is home to the Dolphin Discovery Centre.

Skip the line – book your Dolphin Discovery Centre tickets online.

The Dolphin Discovery Centre is best known for its Koombana Bay dolphin-watching cruises. This is also where swimming with dolphins tours depart from.

Swimming with dolphins may be the best thing to do in Bunbury. But if you’re short on time, the Dolphin Discovery Centre offers insights into dolphin life.

Bunbury aquarium Interpretive Centre on Koombana Bay

The Dolphin Discovery Centre Interpretive Centre is home to a series of aquariums, showing off themed fish and coral exhibits. There’s also a theatre, called the 360 degree Digital Dolphinarium.

The Dolphin Discovery Centre on Koombana Bay is the top attraction in Bunbury. — The Dolphin Discovery Centre on Koombana Bay is the top attraction in Bunbury, Western Australia. Photo courtesy of Tourism Western Australia.

This Bunbury aquarium aims to go beyond the usual fish in tanks approach, offering insights into Koombana Bay’s marine and geological environment.

Koombana Bay combines freshwater rivers, temperate forests and offshore reefs, giving impressive diversity of wildlife. The aim of the Dolphin Discovery Centre in Bunbury is to get visitors interacting, touching and visually immersing themselves in the local marine environment.

What to book in Bunbury – 5 fabulous experiences.

Koombana Bay dolphin-watching cruise – the dolphins live in the bay, so you’ll definitely see them.
Geographe region wine tours – explore boutique wineries in the up-and-coming region.
Swimming with dolphins. They’re wild – this is not a dodgy aquarium experience.
Forest, wine and brewery day tours.
Dolphin Discovery Centre entrance tickets.

Bottlenose dolphins are the star attractions of the Bunbury Dolphin Discovery Centre, of course. And the Dolphin Discovery Centre tries to teach visitors about the Koombana Bay dolphins that staff have got to know.

Dolphin Discovery Centre animal feeding

There are also marine animal feeding sessions and a beach interaction zone. Dolphins often come to the beach.

But they are wild, so there’s no guarantee on sightings – especially in the winter months.

Bunbury Dolphin Discovery Centre ticket prices & opening hours

At time of writing, tickets to the Bunbury Dolphin Discovery Centre cost $18. You can book online.

The Dolphin Discovery Centre is open from 09.00 to 15.00 every day.

Other things to do in Bunbury include Geographe Region wine tours, and wider-ranging tours that also take in the local breweries and forests. Bunbury accommodation costs from around $103 a night.

The drive from Perth to Bunbury takes around two hours and ten minutes. Or a little longer if you go via Lake Navarino near Waroona or Lane Poole Reserve near Dwellingup.

Bunbury is also 53km from Busselton and 56km from Collie.

A visit to Bunbury is easily incorporated in the drive from Perth to Margaret River, however.

Top Bunbury accommodation choices

The best places to stay in Bunbury are:

For Koombana Bay location, near the Dolphin Discovery Centre: Discovery Parks Bunbury Foreshore.
For good quality apartments on the coast: Bunbury Seaview Apartments.
For affordable rates in a city centre location: Rose Hotel and Motel.

Double up on dolphins: Other great Australia dolphin encounters include swimming with dolphins in Rockingham, cruises with guaranteed sightings in Jervis Bay and hand-feeding sessions at Monkey Mia.