TAKING THE PLUNGE
Thousands to check out city’s new aquarium attraction
MORE than 2000 people a day are expected to pour in to the Cairns Aquarium, which fully opens tomorrow.
The Florence St attraction is touted as the biggest boost to Far North tourism in years.
It is the only aquarium in Australia dedicated to tropical habitats and species, giving tourists a glimpse of what they could see on a trip to the Reef.
An exclusive opening event will be held today, with presale tickets still available, before the full launch tomorrow.
“Hopefully Cairns is proud, it’s definitely up there with all world-class aquariums,” cofounder Daniel Leipnik said.
THE final fish are being released into their new tanks at Cairns Aquarium ahead of tomorrow’s grand opening.
The 71 tanks on-site feature more than 15,000 specimens, 10 ecosystems and about 300 different species.
Founder and chief executive officer Daniel Leipnik said the $54 million Cairns Aquarium was the first one in Australia in 18 years.
Showcasing the Great Barrier Reef, wet tropics and all of the habitats and ecosystems of Watch the video online at www.cairnspost.com.au the region, he predicted thousands of visitors would visit the attraction in the first week of business. Cairns Aquarium will open its doors for an exclusive preview from noon today for presale ticket holders. The attraction will then open to the public from 9am tomorrow.
“It’s the only aquarium in the world that focuses solely on the habitats, ecosystems and species of Tropical North Queensland,” Mr Leipnik said.
“There’s about 1000 ticket presales for today and we’re estimating about 2000 people on average every day.”
Cairns Aquarium is home to the largest freshwater tank in Australia (containing 400,000L of water), a deep sea tank (10mx8.5m) that is the first of its kind in Australia and only one of three in the world, and the world’s first true tidal motion tank.
Mr Leipnik said the aquarium would be a major boost to local tourism, showcasing attractions such as the Reef, mangroves, the Daintree, Mossman Gorge and the rainforest.
“When we were first developing this project we were asking ourselves what would be the point of difference, so that led us to showcase what this region has to offer,” he said.
“Let this be the billboard for the Great Barrier Reef and Tropical North Queensland.”
The aquarium has a turtle rehabilitation centre on-site and will offer behind-thescene tours and shark dive, snorkel and sleepovers later this year as well as a breeding program in the future.
Co-founder and director Andrew Preston said the aquarium had been a six-year project, almost to the day.
“Hopefully Cairns is proud; it’s definitely up there with all world-class aquariums. It’s also so great having JCU right there ... when they’re teaching marine biology.”
A ribbon-cutting ceremony will be held at 1pm today by Cairns Aquarium and Reef Research Centre by the Federal Tourism Minister Steven Ciobo.