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Aquariums

The Central Coast Marine Discovery Centre

📍 Terrigal, NSW

4.5(163 Google reviews)

The Central Coast Marine Discovery Centre at 11 Terrigal Drive packs touch tanks, live shark feeding, seahorse encounters, a craft room, and a souvenir shop into a small and richly staffed venue. Volunteers guide visitors through every exhibit.

Touch tanksShark feedingVolunteer guidesScavenger huntCraft roomRainy day activity
★★★★★Featured review by Nerine Cummins

Located at 11 Terrigal Drive, Terrigal, New South Wales, Australia 🇦🇺 This was a really pleasant surprise for our group today. It started out awkwardly because there was a mixup with our booking, and the staff were wonderful and stayed past their closing time to accommodate our group. We were a largish group including people with walkers and the staff were so accommodating. It’s a really interesting place, full of fantastic displays. The feeding of the seahorses display was great along with the video presentation . It’s a really well laid out display and the staff were always on hand to answer any questions or offer any other information. There’s also a craft room situated at the back of the building and a cafe which was closed due to our late arrival. The shop has a great range of souvenirs etc also. Admission is $12.00 which is very reasonable. It’s an accessible building with a ramp out front for people with walkers etc. you could easily spend 2-3 hours here really going through the information. Would definitely recommend a visit. Thumbs up!! 👍👍

🏆 Family Action Verdict

Best for children aged 4 to 12 who respond to hands-on animal encounters and enthusiastic human guides. The volunteer team's knowledge and warmth are the venue's biggest asset — kids aged 5, 7, and 10 have all been noted as highly engaged. Families can comfortably fill two hours.

ℹ️ What to Know Before You Go

💡Ask about scheduled shark and fish feeding sessions on arrival
Volunteers are stationed at every exhibit — engage them directly for the best experience
🎟️The scavenger hunt keeps older kids focused throughout the visit
🚗Allow two hours for a complete visit including the craft room

💬 What Families Are Saying

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4.5

163 Google reviews

Exceptional volunteer guides45%
Interactive feeding sessions30%
Touch tanks and hands-on exhibits15%
Great for rainy days10%
N

Nerine Cummins

5 months ago

Located at 11 Terrigal Drive, Terrigal, New South Wales, Australia 🇦🇺 This was a really pleasant surprise for our group today. It started out awkwardly because there was a mixup with our booking, and the staff were wonderful and stayed past their closing time to accommodate our group. We were a largish group including people with walkers and the staff were so accommodating. It’s a really interesting place, full of fantastic displays. The feeding of the seahorses display was great along with the video presentation . It’s a really well laid out display and the staff were always on hand to answer any questions or offer any other information. There’s also a craft room situated at the back of the building and a cafe which was closed due to our late arrival. The shop has a great range of souvenirs etc also. Admission is $12.00 which is very reasonable. It’s an accessible building with a ramp out front for people with walkers etc. you could easily spend 2-3 hours here really going through the information. Would definitely recommend a visit. Thumbs up!! 👍👍

J

Justaddwata

3 months ago

Such a wonderful place. Unassuming but packed with cool exhibits and knowledgeable friendly staff. We had Sam showing us many of the creatures and new arrivals. Some feeding of fish and Dave the shark. Really a great place and worthy a visit for a few hours. Unfortunately we did not see the café until leaving but will check it out next time. Thanks again Sam!

D

Dina

2 months ago

Good place for kids to learn About marine World. Jack and Marlene were great and helpful in explaining the things. Kids liked it.

A

Annabelle Davidson

2 months ago

Such a wonderful experience on a rainy day. Volunteers Nigel and Marlene were super friendly, knowledgeable and sweet to our kids. Kids (5, 7 and 10) were really engaged with the exhibit, scavenger hunt and there were lots more activities we could have stayed even longer to do. Highly recommend when visiting Terrigal or looking for an activity on a rainy day.

Reviews from Google

Overview

The Central Coast Marine Discovery Centre in Terrigal delivers an interactive marine experience well beyond what its modest footprint suggests. Touch tanks let children handle marine creatures directly. Dave the resident shark is a crowd favourite at feeding sessions. Volunteer staff — including guides Sam, Nigel, Jack, and Marlene — are stationed throughout and actively explain each animal and exhibit. A scavenger hunt, craft room, and souvenir shop extend the visit.

🕐 Opening Hours

Monday09:30 – 15:30
Wednesday10:00 – 14:00
Thursday10:00 – 14:00
Friday10:00 – 14:00
Saturday10:00 – 14:00
Sunday09:30 – 15:30

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