Forget the tropics, so far January in Melbourne has been stinking hot.  While the Melbourne beaches are pretty as a picture I’m not one for sitting/frying on a beach when it is 40 degrees Celsius.  In a heat wave air-conditioning and air-conditioning only is what I am after.  There is a tried and tested Melbourne destination that we head to on steamy Melbourne days – the Sealife Melbourne Aquarium.  On Melbourne’s most recent oven like day we headed to the Melbourne Aquarium’s temperate interior to keep cool, check out their new Art Aquarium and introduce Little Lady Bub to her first freaky looking fish friends.

I love clown fish as much as the next person but what I love about good aquariums are the alien like inhabitants that we get to meet.  Thankfully the Melbourne Aquarium delivers on this front.  Exploring its slightly labyrinthine hallways introduces visitors to many different underwater environs, with a few land loving reptiles thrown in for good measure.  Hands on time in the Rockpools is always a favorite with the kids handing shark eggs and touching starfish (if not as gently as they should have).  Seahorse Pier received bonus points from me for the number of crazy looking creatures.  The immersive impressiveness of the Mermaid Garden where we viewed sharks and stingrays was also stunning.

A humble mud skipper – still awesome to look at up close.

The Sealife Melbourne Aquarium has a new feature an “Art Aquarium”.  This is a neat interactive room where kids have the opportunity to draw a marine critter.  The picture is then scanned into a computer and the image then comes to life on a huge virtual aquarium.  While this is a lovely new feature it is really the stunning marine life that are the true heros of the Melbourne Aquarium. Don’t fork out the hefty price tag to visit the Melbourne Aquarium for the Art Aquarium.  The National Gallery of Victoria always has great interactive exhibits for kids and is free.  A family of four ticket to the Melbourne Aquarium is $96 and should only be paid if your family gets real pleasure from viewing marine life.

The Art Aquarium at the Melbourne Aquarium. It took a while for Bub 2 to understand the deal. He thought he had to move his fish picture in front of the screen.

And looking at the real thing.

Tips to make the most of a visit to the Sealife Melbourne Aquarium

• Book your tickets online before you go – you save 10%.
• Parking in the Melbourne CBD is appallingly expensive on weekdays.  You can park at 474 Flinders Street for $11 if you have your ticket validated at the front desk.
• I suggest dining outside of the Aquarium.
• Do expect crowds, particularly on a heat wave day.  Just roll with it, you are getting out of the heat and seeing some awesome stuff after all.
• While you could spend the whole day at the Melbourne Aquarium two hours was enough for our little ones.
• While there are presentations at different times of the day these just didn’t work with our little kids.

And a few more details

• Kids under four are free.
• The Melbourne Aquarium is open from 930-6 every day.

Bubs on the Move provides tips and advice for parents traveling with small children including attraction and accommodation reviews. You can join us on Facebook or Twitter to receive updates to your news feed.

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