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Aquarium of Western Australia

Coordinates: 31°49′36″S 115°44′17″E / 31.82668°S 115.738118°E / -31.82668; 115.738118 (Aquarium of Western Australia)
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"AQWA" redirects here. For the capital of Abkhazia, see Sukhumi.

Aquarium of Western Australia
AQWA logo
Front Entrance to AQWA
Map
31°49′36″S 115°44′17″E / 31.82668°S 115.738118°E / -31.82668; 115.738118 (Aquarium of Western Australia)
Date opened1988 (as Underwater World, Perth)
2001 (as AQWA)[1]
LocationHillarys, Western Australia
No. of species400
Volume of largest tank3,000,000 litres (793,000 US gal)
Websitewww.aqwa.com.au Edit this at Wikidata

The Aquarium of Western Australia (AQWA) is a privately owned aquarium in Hillarys, Western Australia. Located approximately 20 km (12 mi) north-west of Perth City, it is a popular attraction for tourists and locals alike.

AQWA was Australia's largest aquarium when it opened and still possesses Australia's largest single aquarium and walk-through underwater tunnel[2], the 3 million litre Shipwreck Coast exhibit.

History

The aquarium opened on 13 April 1988 as Underwater World, Perth. It was acquired by the current owners, Coral World International and Morris Kahn, in 1991, and changed its name to AQWA The Aquarium of Western Australia on 1 January 2001.[1]

AQWA (then Underwater World, Perth) opened with only a handful of aquariums, including the feature walk-through aquarium which has been listed as one of the largest aquariums in the world.[3]

From 1992 to 1999 a dedicated sea pen was added to host a family of dolphins that had failed to be successfully rehabilitated from the defunct Atlantis Marine Park. They later died due to unknown causes - possibly stress.[4][5]

Today in 2023, it beholds more than 45 separate aquariums which exclusively exhibit native Western Australian life and living corals[6].

Stingray in the main tank

Exhibits

The aquarium specializes in marine animals that inhabit the 12,000-kilometre (7,500 mi) long coastline of Western Australia.[2] In total AQWA holds over 4,000,000 litres (1,057,000 US gal) of water and is home to approximately 400 species of marine life.[7]

AQWA is themed as an underwater journey along W.A.'s coastline and is broken up into distinct zones.[8] These include: the Great Southern, the Shipwreck Coast, the Perth Coast and the Far North. Each zone represents the unique marine life and habitats found in the different regions along W.A.'s expansive and varied coast.

The unequivocal highlight of AQWA is the main Shipwreck Coast aquarium. It is 40 metres (130 ft) long and 20 metres (66 ft) wide and holds 3,000,000 litres (793,000 US gal) of flowing seawater. It incorporates a 98-metre (322 ft) underwater acrylic tunnel, the largest in Australia,[9] with a motorised conveyor belt walkway.

This temperate exhibit features a limestone (non-coral) reef at its core and is home to 3–4-metre (10–13 ft) grey nurse shark, 4-metre (13 ft) smooth stingrays, large loggerhead turtle and over 70 other species of rays, octopuses, sharks and fish natively found in Western Australia.

Beyond the main "coastline journey", visitors will explore a feature exhibit zone and an outdoor zone. These areas showcase some of AQWA's specialities - including coral cultivation & conservation; integrated reef systems, turtle rescue & rehabilitation, dangerous marine life education and local creatures frequently encountered in the adjacent rock pools, marine park and marina facilities.

Highlights include:

  • The DangerZone: the start of the feature walk-through exhibits a line-up of W.A.'s most dangerous marine life including stonefish, blue ringed octopus, lion fish, mantis shrimps and puffer and porcupine fishes
  • The Coral Conservatory; home to the Glowing Ocean, showcasing coral fluorescence and the Coral Bank of Western Australia, an initiative to create a living catalogue of Western Australia's hard coral species.
  • Interactive Touch Pool; encounter the local reef sharks, starfish and other echinoderms.
  • Turtle Rehabilitation Pool; caring for sick and injured rescue turtles with the aim of rehabilitation and release.
  • Coral Reef Underwater Gallery; AQWA's Coral Reef underwater gallery is one of the largest living coral reef exhibits in the world, featuring stunning living corals and reef fish from Rottnest Island.

Other featured animals include the rare leafy seadragons, weedy seadragon, moon jellyfish, clownfish, juvenile saltwater crocodiles, octopus, cuttlefish, rock lobsters, scorpionfish, eagle ray, sandbar shark, Port Jackson shark, rescued sea turtles and many more.

Grey nurse shark at the aquarium

Experiences

For additional fees, visitors can book guided experiences that bring them closer to the animals and allow them to gain behind the scenes knowledge.

Snorkelers and qualified scuba divers can enter the water to encounter hundreds of fish, large sharks, stingrays and turtles by joining the aquarium's dive-master in the Dive or Snorkel with Sharks program. It is held in the main Shipwreck Coast aquarium.[10] Bookings are essential.

For those wanting to keep dry but experience more, visitors can upgrade their entry to include a Behind the Scenes Pass or Glass-Bottom Boat Ride; bookings are recommended.

AQWA also hosts one of Perth's most unique dining experiences; the opportunity to enjoy a three course meal in the underwater tunnel surrounded by marine life. The Dine Beneath the Sea experience is held after-hours regularly throughout the year. Bookings are essential.

The AQWA Foundation

The AQWA Foundation is a registered non-profit environmental organisation, established by AQWA in 2002 [11]. It's purpose is to increase awareness, understanding and appreciation of Western Australia’s unique marine .

It is dedicated to supporting projects that promote better understanding of the marine environment, drive change and foster positive relationships between people and the sea.

Past and current initiatives include:

  • Rescue, Rehabilitation & Release Program, including the Turtle Rehabilitation Pool
  • The Coral Bank of Western Australia
  • Bring 3 For the Sea; container deposit scheme
  • Cafe to Compost; ensuring all single-use items in the Cafe are compostable
  • 'Clean Marine' Volunteer Beach Clean-ups
  • Great white shark tagging and migration research, joint project with CSIRO

The AQWA Foundation is funded by AQWA, portion-of-sales fundraising, direct donations, sponsorships and grants.

References

  1. ^ a b "About AQWA". aqwa.com.au. AQWA. Retrieved 9 July 2012.
  2. ^ a b "AQWA - The Aquarium of Western Australia". westernaustralia.com. Tourism Western Australia. Archived from the original on 16 July 2011. Retrieved 28 August 2010.
  3. ^ "10 Largest Aquariums in the World". touropia.com. Touropis. Retrieved 10 December 2012.
  4. ^ "Dolphin may have died from broken heart". abc.net.au. ABC News. Retrieved 28 August 2010.
  5. ^ "Dolphins in Western Australia". madphin.com. MadPhin. Retrieved 28 August 2010.
  6. ^ "About AQWA - The Aquarium of Western Australia, Perth". https://www.aqwa.com.au/. Retrieved 19 July 2023. {{cite web}}: External link in |website= (help)
  7. ^ "About AQWA". aqwa.com.au. AQWA. Retrieved 10 December 2012.
  8. ^ "AQWA Journey". aqwa.com.au. AQWA. Retrieved 10 December 2012.
  9. ^ "Frommer's Review". frommers.com. Frommer's. Retrieved 10 December 2012.
  10. ^ "AQWA Adventures". aqwa.com.au. AQWA. Archived from the original on 10 July 2012. Retrieved 9 July 2012.
  11. ^ "AQWA Foundation - AQWA". Retrieved 19 July 2023.
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