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apollonaut. Built by People Who've Been

An Apollonaut travel guide

The story behind the aquarium.

A long shark tunnel, a new name and a rehabilitation centre offer several ways into the story of SEA LIFE Sunshine Coast.

Yachts and motor boats moored in the marina at The Wharf in Mooloolaba under a blue sky
On this page

An aquarium on the wharf

The aquarium was officially opened in 1989 as UnderWater World, at The Wharf in Mooloolaba on the Sunshine Coast.

Its oceanarium holds about 2.5 million litres of water, with an 80-metre tunnel running beneath it.

A new name

In 2013 Merlin Entertainments refurbished the aquarium and relaunched it as a SEA LIFE centre. It is a member of the Zoo and Aquarium Association.

Over the years it has also shown a giant squid preserved in a block of ice, on display from late 2006 to May 2008.

Rescue and rehabilitation

The aquarium works as a rehabilitation centre for turtles, seals and other marine animals.

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

Read at the source

Sources & further reading

Links lead to the original publishers.

The Apollonaut collection

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