July date for Aquarium
Attraction to kick off in July as Townsville’s mayor makes bizarre threat
The opening date of the Cairns Aquarium has been pushed back until July as the $50 million project experiences further delays with its construction. The attraction is awaiting the delivery of the last of its huge acrylic panels, a 10m high by 7m wide tank piece for its deep reef exhibit. Aquarium general manager Julie Cullen said, once the final panel was in place, the roof could be closed off and the internal fitout could be completed.
THE opening date of the Cairns Aquarium has been pushed back until July as the $50 million project experiences further delays with its construction.
It follows a bizarre threat by Townsville Mayor Jenny Hill that the premier tourist attraction better not compete with her city’s Reef HQ by displaying live coral, otherwise she would be “talking to someone about that.”
The Cairns Aquarium is awaiting the delivery of the last of its huge acrylic panels, a 10m high by 7m wide tank piece for its deep reef exhibit, which will require a police escort through the city.
Aquarium general manager Julie Cullen said, once the final panel was in place, the roof could be closed off and the internal fitout of the three-floor facility could be completed.
“At this point in time, we’re targeting a July opening date,” she said.
In the meantime, Cr Hill has told the Townsville Bulletin she would be concerned if the Cairns Aquarium had been given a permit by authorities to display living coral.
“I heard they couldn’t get the permits to get living coral,” she said.
“If they have permission to have living coral I will be talking to someone about that.”
The aquarium will be showcasing live coral in several of its exhibits. Aquarium general manager Julie Cullen confirmed all of the live coral that would be on display had been collected by contractors under permits from the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority.
“We do have coral, but it’s not the entire aquarium,” she said.
“We’ve got a mixture of live coral and artificial coral throughout the visitor journey.”
Reef HQ, which opened in Townsville in 1987, drew 140,000 visitors last year. The Queensland Government expects the Cairns Aquarium to attract more than 660,000 tourists each year.
Ms Cullen assured Cairns’ aquarium would complement Townsville’s attraction, not compete with it.
“At the end of the day, there can’t be enough organisations out there, educating people about the need to conserve the Great Barrier Reef,” she said.