WE LOVE UNDERWATER WORLD

Some of the bonuses of visiting Underwater World.

• It’s always cool!!! 
• The kids have room to move around
• The moving walkway to check out the sting rays and sharks swimming overhead is a treat
• The Touch and Tell Tank breaks up the sightseeing
• The show, no matter how many times you see it never gets boring

Our latest visit -

When you first enter Underwater World, there is the amazing Stingray Reef where you can watch all the different sting rays swimming through their pool.  It's amazing to watch them swing up the side of the glass tank and then splash you with one of their fins. 
Next is the wonderful Touch and Tell Tank where you can get hands on with starfish (now known as sea stars), sea cucumbers and little bamboo sharks. The little kids love the tactile experience. 

 From there you walk past a few interesting displays and can see some turtles recuperating – my kids love it as one of the turtles is missing a “foot” and was rescued at our local Peregian Beach. 
My son who is fascinated by cars and anything else with wheels, especially loves the 4WD that has been gutted and is inhabited with fish!

On the ground level there are many tanks inhabited by all sorts of fish life and there are always the facts printed out beside each tank, so they can learn things - and so can you! 
It’s a wonderful way to introduce kids to ocean life that they can’t normally see and also explains how our actions as humans can impact on sea life. 
One of the tanks shows the litter that is found on the sea bed and explains how it affects various animals.

There is a lot of seating around the side and some armchairs in front of a large tank that seems to house the cast of "Finding Nemo".  I spent many a summers day nursing a baby as my four and two year olds stood fascinated in front of the tank telling me the “Nemo” names of the fishes.

One of the best parts of this area (for us anyway) is the cold section where there is a metal pipe which has the tank water flowing through it – this way you can feel the temperature of the water – very cold!  There is a massive crab and another tank housing the beautifully ethereal sea dragons. 

The Underwater World Gift Shop will have you leaving with  armfuls of gorgeous stuffed toys – pretty hard to resist a soft and fluffy harp seal!  There is also a café where you can rest and grab a drink and a gingerbread man for the kids. 
You can even grab some snacks and head into the Seal Show. My kids have seen this show SO many times and are still amazed that the audience member who ‘accidentally’ falls into the tank is called "Sam" and comes from "New Zealand". 

You can then head on to the Otters who may be either running around madly or dozing in a corner.The best visit I’ve had to Underwater world was after my daughter had a grade 2 school excursion there and she was able to guide us through the whole place.  Fascinating tidbits such as:

• all the otters pee in the one place

• there are turtles that breathe through their bottom (FYI these turtles are native to the Mary River and may lose their homes to the Traveston Dam!!!!

There are a couple of vantage points to see the seals outside of the seal show, one of the most interesting being downstairs underneath the seal tank where the seals seem to love cruising by the window to check out us humans. 

On the way down to the underwater tank you can stop off and try to find the frogs in all their enclosures - for us it’s the longest part of our trip as it can take some time to find the well camouflaged frogs in their leafy environments. 
Otherwise you can check out the huge lungfish, barramundi, sawfish, turtles and crocodiles in the billabongs.

When you get down to the oceanarium tunnel you can hop onto the moving walkway and see the colourful fish, massive cod, the occasional eel and once you turn the corner you get to see the graceful sharks and sting rays as they ‘sail’ over your heads. My favourite is the leopard ray with their spots – when they’re simply laying on the floor they look like a beautiful rug!  If you’re lucky you’ll get to see the divers as they feed the sharks (why is it that you take the kids to see these amazing sea creatures yet if there is a diver cleaning the tank, they’ll act like that is the most amazing sight ever!) 

Once you’ve checked out all that’s on offer you can head up the escalator to see the current exhibition e.g. crawly creatures. The gift shop has some great stocking fillers for Christmas and a number of inexpensive trinkets that the kids will enjoy possibly even till the end of your holiday – my favourite being the glitter wand for less than $4

From there you can find your way out of the Mooloolaba Wharf and head further down Parkyn Parade to one of the many seafood wholesalers. 
There you will find outlets offering fish and chips, sushi or even a restaurant where you can eat onsite or get take away and sit on the beach or one of the many parks. 

Underwater World and the eateries on Parkyn Parade are really hard to beat during the school holidays!