The Aquarium of Western Australia is located just a 20-minute walk from Perth city centre in Hillary's Boathouse Bay.
The story behind its creation is quite interesting: in the 1970s, entrepreneur Morris Kahn was diving in the Red Sea with his son. At one point, the boy began to surface very quickly, and the father, to help him avoid caisson disease, swam sharply after him and damaged his eardrums as a result. Maurice Kahn spent the rest of his holiday on shore, where he began to think about how he could bring the underwater life of the oceans to the shore, so that everyone who for one reason or another could not dive could admire it. This is how the idea of the Coral World amusement park came about, branches of which have opened in many countries around the world.
In 1991, Maurice Kahn purchased the Underwater World park in Perth to build a huge aquarium with near-natural habitats in its place. His idea was to make people feel like they were at the bottom of the ocean! It must be said that Kahn's company succeeded - today Coral World International is considered a recognised authority in the field of recreating complex marine ecosystems and growing corals in artificially created conditions.
In 2001, Underwater World was renamed the Aquarium of Western Australia - AQWA. Today, it showcases the diversity and splendour of the marine life of Western Australia's coastline. The exhibits are divided into five sections recreating different ecosystems: the Great South Coast, Perth Coast, Marmayon Marine Park, Shipwreck Coast and Far North. In the Far North area, visitors are invited to discover one of the world's most remote regions, home to dangerous marine animals such as the blue spiny-tailed stingray, clownfish, crocodiles and the deadly poisonous rockfish. The Shipwreck Coast is home to the warm waters of the Indian Ocean - sharks, stingrays, turtles and limestone reefs teeming with a variety of marine life. Perth's coastline is home to amazing ancient reefs and sandy bays where jellyfish and cuttlefish scurry amongst brightly coloured live coral. Octopus, lobsters, seahorses and other inhabitants of Perth's coastal waters can also be seen here. The Great South Coast invites you to dive deep into the cold Southern Ocean to discover mystical sea dragons, delicate corals, rainbow-coloured sponges, unique devil fish and balloon fish. Finally, at the Marmayon Marine Park you can swim in the pool with some of the marine life, visit the Cove of Stingrays and relax in the coral lagoon. Over 5 million people have visited the aquarium in its 20 years of existence!
