The place behind the tanks.

Cairns is often called the gateway to the Great Barrier Reef and the Wet Tropics of Queensland, both UNESCO World Heritage sites. The Wet Tropics were listed in 1988 and include the Daintree Rainforest.

The Gimuy Walubara Yidinji people know the area as Gimuy.

Cairns Aquarium opened in 2017 in a three-level building on Florence Street. Its 71 tanks across 10 ecosystems follow the water from rainforest rivers and mangroves to the reef and the Coral Sea.

The building won two Master Builders Queensland awards in 2018.

• Read about the aquarium→

The Cairns Turtle Rehabilitation Centre, in the same building, is a volunteer-run, not-for-profit turtle hospital. The aquarium says proceeds from its turtle hospital tours go towards caring for the turtles; those tours are booked separately from aquarium admission.

This history belongs to the aquarium, the region and the people who shaped them. The History page offers a longer introduction, and the timeline gives a short route through selected milestones.

• Read the history→
• Explore the timeline→