Cairns Aquarium after hours tours – with or without dinner?

The Cairns Aquarium after hours tour offers an exclusive guided tour around the aquarium’s 10 eco-systems. You can even tag a three course dinner onto the end of it.

The Cairns Aquarium by Twilight tour allows guests special access to one of Cairns’ top tourist attractions after this Queensland aquarium has closed to the general public.

There are two versions of the tour, however. The basic package offers a two hour guided tour of Cairns Aquarium, starting at in the afternoon at 15.00 or 15.15. The Aquarium officially closes at 15.00 – booking the Twilight Tour is a good way of seeing the marine wildlife in a less crowded environment.

The guided tour heads through 10 tropical ecosystems represented in the aquarium, including the mountains, the Great Barrier Reef and the Coral Sea.

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.

Cairns Aquarium after hours tour highlights

There is a point to doing this in the late afternoon however, as there is a special focus put on how animal behaviours adapt from day to night in the Wet Tropics area.

There’s also an opportunity to see some of the bigger predators of the Coral Sea, which traditionally hunt at night.

The simple Cairns Aquarium by Twilight Package costs $79 per person.

However, if you’d like dinner in one of Cairns’ most popular restaurants afterwards, there is a second package on offer.

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.

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Dundee’s restaurant menu

The Twilight Tour and dinner package sees the tour take place as normal, before decamping to Dundee’s restaurant in the Aquarium complex for a three course meal.

There’s a choice of five main courses on the Dundee’s restaurant menu – black angus sirloin, barramundi, seafood spaghetti, char siu duck breast and pumpkin penne.