Solitary Islands Aquarium

Fantastic experience: Small aquarium, mostly just fish, and an octopus. Very friendly staff and worth the ticket price. Loved that the gift store was reasonably priced. Great place for small kids.

Fantastic experience: a must see moray eel and Jasper the Gloomy Octopus and the various fish in the aquariums very educational and get a good undertaking from the talks from our guide

Fantastic experience: What a great place to visit with kids! Brilliant set up with wonderful, knowledgeable guides ☺️

Positive experience: Online booking is required and costs $18 for adults, but it is well worth it, to spend a few hours delving deep below the ocean to see spectacular marine creatures and understanding how mankind needs to protect ocean life in order to sustain ourselves

Fantastic experience: We took the family with kids aged 2-9 here a few weekends ago and loved our visit. Very informative and staff doing presentations did such a good job. It was a big homeschooling win too with so many different activities

Fantastic experience: Most worthwhile talk and the toilets are really really clean

Fantastic experience: We spent so much time here with the kids they really enjoyed it. The octopus feeding was great too

Positive experience: It was nice but I was concerned about the wellbeing of the sea life. The tanks were dirty and had algae growing in them (including ON one of the crabs). The tanks were also far too small for the fish they had. They had two small sharks in a very small tank and other big fish in small tanks with many other fish. Also the crab previously mentioned was huge, in a tank with little floor space and absolutely nowhere for it to hide, which crabs need. Please take care of your creatures better. They are beautiful and these conditions made me concerned for their wellbeing. It made me sad honestly.

Positive experience: The tour is $18 and not free, the website is a little misleading in that respect. There are a few tanks with some interesting fish in. One of the students gave a little talk and fed the fish for us to see. Can learn a bit about the local marine life and overall was worth the visit.

Positive experience: Had to crash here till found other places , was left alone

Fantastic experience: An enjoyable afternoon viewing the various displays. Parking was available directly out the front of the aquarium. Not much of a wait to get into the place and we got straight into viewing the various displays. The only issue was that some of the displays did not have the names of the fish species attached to them. The theatre showed a captivating and informative series of programs that gives an insight into the importance of our oceans and the creatures living in it. Well worth a visit.

Negative experience: $15 per ticket but too small a place and not worth the money. There are better aquariums at Sydney. Don’t waste your time here. The path that leads to the aquarium is full of trees and provides immense shade during a hot day. Take a walk on that small cute road and head to Charleston beach towards the end. We didn’t go to this beach but we heard it’s a small beach. I wish we went to this beach to spend some peaceful time rather than waste money in this aquarium.

Fantastic experience: Fantastic place, kids very entertained and the fish feeding talk was incredible very patient with all the questions the kids had

Fantastic experience: Very nice place, quiet and relaxing, lots of different fish species, knowledgeable staff. Fish feeding was extra fun to watch; the talk and the movie were interesting and well presented. Thanks heaps!

Fantastic experience: Priced for the size. Small little aquarium but staff knowledge is outstanding and their love for the creatures and passion for conservation is worth the visit. Loved the octopus, it's easy to spend a long time mesmerised with them (they definitely have personalities). Only need an hour there really but recommend going when it's not crowded as it's beautiful to take in but it may spoil it a bit if it was packed. Great for kids too!

Positive experience: Absolutely loved it. Visited with family, children under 3 are free. It was just quite small.

Fantastic experience: Great and informative place to visit. Kids loved it. Beach accesss and picnic place nearby is also excellent makes a great day out.

Positive experience: Adult $15 to get in, concession $12. Went in sat around 2pm. Quite, quaint and quick but an easy pace. Watched the shark feeding and listened to a fact talk about the sharks they keep on site, the university where it is at and any other fish facts that your curious about. Good especially for little ones who get bored easily n quick. U can make your way through b4 they start gettin loud with boredom. Go kill some time here

Fantastic experience: Nice and knowledgeable tour…

Fantastic experience: Great little aquarium with lots of interesting info. Cheap entry too

Fantastic experience: Lovely aquarium. Not crowded. Able to see a lot. The kids area was great for my 3 year old. Definitely worth visiting. Staff are also very friendly.

Fantastic experience: Great place to go with children and many interactive activities available for children of all ages

Positive experience: It was a great experience for the kids. The staff were very knowledgeable and were great with the kids during the talk. It is a very small aquarium but still a great way to spend a few hours listening to the talks and watching the fish and a very cool octopus.

Positive experience: This was reasonably priced and the staff were friendly. I couldn’t help but feel sad for the octopus. The octopus was repeating the same circular routes in it’s small tank (over and over). I imagine it is very bored, and this is a shame for such an intelligent creature. From previous pictures in the reviews, the tank has remained unchanged for at least a year. I hate to be a downer but I hope he/she gets plenty of enrichment time, not just the same routine endlessly.

Fantastic experience: Great to see with kids of any age ,very informative indeed

Fantastic experience: The staff are friendly, helpful and knowledgeable. The talk was fascinating and we learnt so much about the marine environment. Even our children were awe struck by the movie and hands on exhibits. We saw an octopus, sharks and colourful array of tropical fish. Thumbs up to this fantastic place.

Fantastic experience: An aquarium belongs to The Southern Cross university. Only opens on weekends and school holidays. The show with the octopus was impressive.

Fantastic experience: A great place to take kids. The talk before the octopus feeding was great and very informative. Well worth going.

Positive experience: My family and I had a great time at the aquarium on Sunday. Although this was smaller than metropolitan aquariums, there was still plenty to see and learn. My only complaint is I wish the tanks were bigger. Many of the fish seemed bored swimming in circles constantly.

Fantastic experience: Lovely place to visit with the family. Easy parking.

Fantastic experience: Awesome little aquarium, the guides where knowledgeable and engaged with the children. Had a really good morning

Fantastic experience: Enthusiastic guides,very knowledgeable. Worth a visit

Fantastic experience: Highly recommend visiting for all ages, such a great set up and the staff are so lovely and share great knowledge of the sea and it's creatures that call it home.

Fantastic experience: Great aquarium. During the holidays they had 90 minute sessions which is plenty of time. The talk by Kate was really good and she was knowledgeable about the species there as well as her PhD area as you would expect - they fed the fish as part of the talk. The touch tank was good. Well worth a visit.

Positive experience: Very informative guide was from university on same site. Not huge but well priced and interesting. Well worth a look. Have to book online before going for them to ensure there aren't too many people there at once.

Fantastic experience: Great little attraction in Coffs Harbour, very informative, feeding time & seeing an octopus were the highlights for my kids. Make sure you book in advance.

Positive experience: The place is clean and relaxed and informative. Great few hours with the family

Positive experience: It's a fantastic place to take the kids! The octopus is our favourite

Fantastic experience: You’ll love meeting the fishes and when you’re finished head to the beach! Get there around feeding time - those boys kick off

Fantastic experience: Great little experience with the kids. Very reasonably priced and informative talk.

Fantastic experience: Pleasantly surprised by this place...great place for the whole family Worth visiting!! I love photography and I took these amazing pictures ♥️

Fantastic experience: Our family enjoyed the whole experience. The staff are amazing and informative, great at explaining and answering questions. I have been to many aquariums in NSW and Qld this is my favourite now. Good entry price, clean facilities.

Positive experience: A small aquarium but stocked only with species that are found in the marine park offshore. Good documentary video.

Fantastic experience: Really great experience, we watched them feed the fish and octopus. You do need to book before you go. Great idea for school holidays

Fantastic experience: Friendly staff, interesting exhibits and the talk by staff was very informative. Beautiful shady parking area.

Fantastic experience: Small but a great place to learn marine organisms and their ecosystems. There is also the National Marine Science Centre SCU, which focus on study of marine science and management for both students and researchers.

Fantastic experience: Great place, learned about Australias history to do with whales and how we are and have affected them, lovely staff and lots of fish!

Fantastic experience: Smallish aquarium but really nice fish displays and highly knowledgeable and interesting guides. We spent about an hour walking through and chatting with the staff, listening to presentations and hearing about their work. The staff made the experience amazing and although the space wasn't huge they engage really well with the people there especially the kids. Strongly recommended if you are interested in marine areas or have kids interested in fish.

Positive experience: Good little aquarium. Nice and cheap to get in. If you have a bit of time to spare I would recommend it

Fantastic experience: Always wanted my Granddaughter to go and be able to be close up too our Ocean Life, learn how species live and breed, wonderful experience for everyone great day staff were very helpful and good presenters

Positive experience: Smaller aquarium and great idea to limit numbers for timed sessions. Get to hear the presenters, see the tanks and sea life without squashing and can spend some quality time looking at all the exhibits or listening to the film presentation. Kids area also allows for some activities when they are over the tank life. Good place to spend for 90mins.

Positive experience: Was pre good surprisingly.. Kids love seeing all the variety of alive fish & crustations aswell octopus, eel & all the enchants living in the tanks

Positive experience: Small but still great as they have in show many great species of fishes and more. Perfect for kids to take a closer look at the wonders of the ocean!

Fantastic experience: Wonderful little aquarium with really knowledgeable and enthusiastic hosts. The exhibits are well presented, well stocked and offer great lighting for photos. Nice examples of the local marine life. Highly recommended!

Positive experience: A bit run down, a bit on the expensive side but a really informative and great place to learn about aquatic life on the Coffs Coast.... highly recommend going either side of a weekend or on a rainy day as it's not as busy.

Fantastic experience: A lovely quaint aquarium. The fish look lively and gorgeous. A soothing experience with a dash of fun when we got the chance to feed the bamboo shark.

Fantastic experience: Great little aquarium with loads of interactive things for the kids to explore. Not overcrowded due to the designated time slots that you need to book in advance.

Fantastic experience: Small aquarium but well presented and the staff are so informative and are more than happy to talk and answer your questions. The tanks are colourful and the fish are happily swimming around waiting for their food. They know when it’s coming and put on a bit of show as they gobble it up! Definitely recommend a visit

Positive experience: A cute aquarium! Smaller than I thought it was going to be but the price was appropriate for the size. I enjoyed the range of fish and the shark feeding display. Would recommend if you need something to do for an hour in Coffs

Fantastic experience: Fish are cute. My favorite was the hermit crab.

Fantastic experience: Staff members there were so helpful and passionate about what marine life. This place has a number of tanks showcasing local marine life and a theatre where a short film is being played talking about the East Australia Current. Seeing all the cute fishes actually got me feel like going scuba diving here on the coffs coast.

Positive experience: It's OK. Not really a lot to do or see there.

Fantastic experience: Very happy with presentation, knowledge staff, great experience all round.

Negative experience: Would have been nice if it was mentioned that you were closed until the weekend.

Fantastic experience: Small but impeccably well run, staff are obviously marine biologists and really know what they are talking about. Very interesting talks and interactive for adults and children alike. The sea cucumbers made the kids day!!

Fantastic experience: Worth the visit, especially with kids. Stay for the talks.

Fantastic experience: The staffs are very friendly and knowledgeable. Exhibits are well maintained. Activities are good for kids too.

Negative experience: To have to pay for a 10 min walk through this place to see fish in tanks not worth it.

Fantastic experience: Very friendly and knowledgeable guides! And much to see for a fair price

Fantastic experience: While I love the Aquarium - we were in and out in under 30mins! Not a huge amount of things to look at that was abit disappointing, spent more time in the kids play room then anything but my son really enjoyed it and the staff were really nice.

Fantastic experience: Very informative, really enjoyed the presentations. Great place to bring the kids.

Negative experience: Its just like a small aquarium shop in size, you can see everything in less than 10 minutes. You would be very disappointed is you have any higher expectations

Fantastic experience: Small aquarium, but the staff were excellent. Would recommend the visit.

Fantastic experience: My family loved it. Staff were friendly and helpful. Absolutely loved the displays and the information. Enjoyed watching feed the octopus and holding a sea cucumber.

Fantastic experience: Informative, interesting great fig and interaction....loved it

Fantastic experience: Absolutely wonderful. The whole family enjoyed the experience, being able to look through the well presented aquarium full of a variety of fish, listen to presenters who were obviously passionate about their job, and some interactive elements for the kids. Small, but very clean, modern, and appealing. Make sure you book online to secure your spot. Highly recommended.

Fantastic experience: Whilst Covid restritions are in place, numbers are limited each 1.5 hour session. You need to book online.

Fantastic experience: A lovely outing for young kids. The fish were beautiful and the staff were so friendly and informative. We had a great time.

Fantastic experience: Very educational and interesting tour the presentations are done by people who work at the university and I rate this aquarium better then the Sydney aquarium based on the fact its not all about making a quick buck. Just a quick FYI did anyone know a octopus has 9 brains and 3 hearts... Crazy

Fantastic experience: Amazing place to take kids and families, fish are amazing and the octopus is great!

Fantastic experience: What a beautiful Aquarium. Small but great display and the staff are super friendly.

Positive experience: Good place for the kids to learn something new. Staff were lovely and interactive

Fantastic experience: Loved it wonderful experience for the family. Will definitely be back

Fantastic experience: Great little aquarium. With very informative staff

Fantastic experience: Only small but friendly knowledgeable staff and amazing that 99% of sealife is locally sourced

Fantastic experience: Loved this place! Perfect for the little kids to keep them entertained. Enough tanks with different fish in it to see and also a cool bubble which is like being in the tank. Definatly worth it with a budget friendly price

Positive experience: Worth a visit. Small but informative. The octopus was the best thing there.

Positive experience: Very small aquarium with a few tanks. Though it is maintained very well expected a little more. The staff were very friendly and gave good information about the marine life in this area. Overall it was okay but have seen better aquariums for a lot less cost elsewhere.

Positive experience: This animal attraction is at the National Marine Science Centre, part of Southern Cross University. You can visit on weekends and school holidays to discover just what makes the Solitary Islands Marine Park so important for ocean wildlife, without getting wet! In large, perfectly presented saltwater tanks you can peer into these ecosystems, viewing more than 60 fish species and 20 different kinds of invertebrates. Some of the stars are the anemonefish, blue tangs and super-smart octopuses, while at the touch pool you find out what sea cucumbers, sea urchins and sea stars feel like. All these species are accompanied by interpretive info and interactive displays.

Fantastic experience: Stylish, clean building with knowledgeable, enthusiastic staff and a decent collection of animals. Not a very big place. Good for adults and children alike.

Fantastic experience: The staff were so friendly and knowledgeable, the aquariums were full of the most amazing beautiful sea creatures. Loved it.

Fantastic experience: Very healthy animals, fantastic clean displays. Feeding demo in different tanks every hour. Nothing too commercial & staff are very enthusiastic. So beautiful looking at the fish and underwater plant life in close up in such pristine tanks that have so much variety inside each one. Everything is well looked after and we enjoyed every minute there including all four demonstrations. Even a touch tank where you can touch live urchins, cucumbers, stars. The variety of life there is huge if you’re into looking at details. Being university n not commercial obviously the place is not massive but we easily spent nearly three hours there and got to ask lots of questions. Only $12 per adult entry.

Positive experience: It's ok. A bit small but. Friendly and helpful staff

Positive experience: It's pretty cool, a small aquarium but good value as it's cheap entry. Has a little room with a touch pool and some fun games for the kids.

Fantastic experience: Decent amount of cool creatures and fish to see, and isn't ridiculously expensive. The little info sessions hosted by the staff are real nice.

Fantastic experience: ❗️Only open weekends and school holidays. A small aquarium operated by the university, with beautiful tanks showing local fish species. The Solitary Islands are a natural gem so close to Coffs. It’s great to know the centre is research-based, and animals aren’t exploited. The staff are passionate and friendly. An interesting place whether you have kids to take or not. Very interactive exhibits for the kids which teach about responsible stewardship of the seas, as well as a touch tank and one of those bubbles you can stand in and watch the little sharks swim around your head. Call first and ask about feeding times. We got to see the moray and octopus get fed around 10:30, and the lion fish was fed around midday.

Positive experience: Very cosy asnd imformative

Fantastic experience: Very educational for young and old. Loved learning about ocean creatures up close.

Fantastic experience: A wonderful experience for kids and adults of all ages. Wheelchair and pram friendly with toilets inside as well. We all enjoyed the documentary running in the theatre. The aquarium is well presented with information on each exhibit that is easy to read and understand. The kids enjoyed taking the cards around to complete their challenge of finding all the fish. The fishing game was a big hit and even hubby was lost in the knots for a while. I enjoyed the touch and feel rockpool and listening to the talk on the different species it contained. We also enjoyed the science around ocean conservation and the interactive microscope examples.

Fantastic experience: A great place to take the kids on a holiday. Lovely staff.