Solitary Islands Aquarium in Coffs Harbour, New South Wales | Science museum

Solitary Islands Aquarium

Locality: Coffs Harbour, New South Wales

Phone: +61 2 6659 8131

Address: 2 Bay Dr 2450 Coffs Harbour, NSW, Australia

Website: http://www.solitaryislandsaquarium.com

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• Arts and entertainment
• Museum
• Aquarium
• Educational research centre
• Science museum

24.01.2022 We are delighted to welcome a new exhibit to the Solitary Islands Aquarium. The "Nawi" exhibit, on loan from the Australian National Maritime Museum, showcases aboriginal watercraft used throughout Australia. This exhibit will be at the Solitary Islands Aquarium for the next few months.

20.01.2022 Good news! The Solitary Islands Aquarium returns to normal operating days and times - every weekend and everyday during the NSW School Holidays from 10am to 4pm. To comply with Government requirements entry requires reserving your tickets. Please visit www.solitaryislandsaquarium.com to reserve your tickets. We look forward to see you!

19.01.2022 Join us these school holidays and dive in without getting wet to experience our local marine biodiversity and marine science research! Make sure to reserve your tickets via our website www.solitaryislandsaquarium.com

18.01.2022 Great news! The Solitary Islands Aquarium will begin a phased reopening on 27 June, following the easing of restrictions by the NSW Government for Zoos and Aquariums. The health and safety of our staff and visitors is our utmost priority and over the next couple of weeks we will be putting in place new procedures to ensure the aquarium is a safe place to work and visit.... The changes include pre-booked sessions to manage visitor numbers, social distancing, increased cleaning measures and changes to some of the experiences. While our fish will love to see you, some of our high touch experiences such as children's play activities will be temporarily unavailable. We look forward to seeing you back at the aquarium very soon and thank you for your ongoing support.

17.01.2022 Sea-foam on the Coffs Coast - what is it? With the recent heavy rains and big seas, the Coffs Coast is experiencing some wild weather bringing with it sea-foam. Sea-foam forms when water, air bubbles and a surfactant a sticky molecule that grabs onto water and air molecules gets churned into a fluffy wet lather. These surfactant can come from a variety of sources including natural products like phytoplankton blooms, seaweed or even terrestrial plants, or made-man products like detergents, pesticides and sewage. The amount of lather produced is dependent on the amount of surfactant in the water - sometimes forming a thick blanket on the beach. So if you are tempted to jump into the fluffy wet lather you never know what you might be standing in.

17.01.2022 Good Morning from our beautiful octopus, Heidi. Octopus tetricus occurs in the intertidal zone along rocky shores and in the ocean and it has been suggested that this species is associated more commonly with rocky reefs during the breeding season, although they frequent areas of the sea bed with soft-sediments for much of their life. It is primarily a nocturnal feeder which uses its sharp beak to feed on crustaceans and molluscs. It is a territorial species which sits out th...e day in a lair among rocks and rubble, the rubble being collected to create a defensible lair. The lair of this species can be identified by the shells of the octopus's prey which it scatters around its home. In this video you can also see some of Heidi's toys which are used to hide food. These are called prey puzzles and gives an octopus hunting stimuli - one of the most effective way to enrich its environment. See more

16.01.2022 Looking to do something on the public holiday tomorrow - the Solitary Islands Aquarium will be open! To reserve your tickets please visit https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/solitary-islands-aquarium-t

15.01.2022 Sixty Fishes in Sixty Days While we wait to reopen due to the current restrictions we bring you Sixty Fishes in Sixty days - profiling our creatures as they wait for your return. Today's "fish" is the Tiger Tail Sea Cucumber, Holothuria hilla. The tiger tail sea cucumber is distributed within the tropical/subtropical Indo-Pacific region. They are found on inner reef flats, usually in sea grass beds or coral rubble, to depths of 3-220 m. During the day H. hilla can be found ...under coral rubble, emerging at night to feed. The tiger tail sea cucumber feeds on detritus - dead organic matter. Sea cucumbers serve a useful role in the marine ecosystem as they help recycle nutrients, breaking down detritus and other organic matter after which bacteria can continue the degradation process. Usually sea cucumbers lay along the bottom but In this photo you can see our tiger tail sea cucumber raising its "head" up to spawn.

12.01.2022 Join us this Thursday at 10am to celebrate National Science Week for a virtual excursion to explore the National Marine Science Centre's Solitary Islands Aquarium rock pool. Follow the instructions via the National Science Week website to join us for this informative and fascinating dive into life on the edge.

08.01.2022 Marine Discovery Series (MDS) Lecture - 23 July - VIRTUAL EVENT - https://mailchi.mp//marine-discovery-series-mds-lecture-23

08.01.2022 Happy NAIDOC week! Celebrating the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Coastal areas of Australia have played an important role in the lives of Aboriginal people for tens of thousands of years for cultural activities such as gatherings, storytelling and resource use. Our current exhibit "Nawi", on loan from the Australia National Maritime Museum, highlights indigenous watercraft and will be on display until 1 December.

07.01.2022 Fish can go fishing too as demonstrated by our striate anglerfish, Antennarius striatus. Anglerfish have a modified dorsal spine, the illicium, which tips forward and is used like a fishing rod. Its tip has a characteristic worm-like esca (lure) which, when waved, attracts unsuspecting prey. They also have a large mouth that can swallow their prey whole. The Striate Anglerfish occurs in most marine tropical and temperate waters. In Australia, it occurs around the north of the country, from the south-western Western Australia, across the north of the country, and south on the east coast to southern New South Wales. The Striate Anglerfish is known from estuarine water less than 1 m in depth to marine waters more than 200 m deep.

05.01.2022 Please be advised that we are experiencing issues with our website. To make a book please go directly to the EVENTBRITE website https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/solitary-islands-aquarium-t

04.01.2022 Another great week of School Holidays at the Solitary Islands Aquarium ahead. Make sure to reserve your tickets via the Solitary Islands Aquarium as our sessions are filling up quickly.

03.01.2022 Great to see the Solitary Islands Aquarium highlighted in Destination 101 Magazine! Thank you.

02.01.2022 Thanks Coffs Coast for promoting the Solitary Islands Aquarium. We are open throughout the school holidays from 10am to 4pm. Make sure to reserve your tickets via Eventbrite or our website. Join us these school holidays as we explore the fascinating marine life of the Coffs Coast..