australian shark & ray centre

I visited with my adult daughter & two grandchildren aged 6 & 7. We weren't aware that the kids can actually enter the pool with the Sharks & Rays, assuming they would do it from the edge. The boys were extremely apprehensive but donned in wetsuit and with lots of patience & encouragement, they were soon in the water & having a great time. My daughter freaked out when informed that she must get in too ( a stipulation with young kids, plus the necessary $15 extra for a wetsuit, on top off the entry fee.)The experience for them was immeasurable. It was interesting & educational. My daughter was glad that she went in & overcame her fears for the sake of the kids. On the downside, I felt $24 was overpriced for myself as I didn't enter the pools or feed the creatures. Perhaps a lesser amount for those only taking photos & not participating, could be introduced. We got there at opening time & were the only ones there. This gave the kids about an hour of 'one on one' attention. It then became very busy, and obviously the special time was then gone. Probably wouldn't return BUT would definitely recommend the experience. Another suggestion would be to have showers to rinse off in after getting out of the 'fishy' pool. I also wondered if the wetsuits were sanitised between usage, to prevent cross contamination, or at least rinsed, hosed & dried in the sun, if sanitisation is not possible for the health of the Sharks & Rays......

Great experience. Kids 6&7, although hesitant at first, totally enjoyed the in pool experience. Note, adult required to be in the water as well. Was a little on the expensive side ($133). We spent about 1.5 hours there.Get there early as it started to get very busy, our experience was very personal but groups started to get very big. Wetsuits are given to wear so make sure you pack a towel. Overall, worth the trip but probably only a one off.

Yes it is a small operation but the time spent here was very interesting and helpful in understanding about this animals and why they may attack if threatened. I feel to get the most out of this you need to be willing to go in the water.

This place sounds great and it is "exciting" to be getting so close to these incredible animals. BUT in reality, these animals are suffering big time! They are in tiny little "tanks" that barley cover the poor creatures, not ok! These sharks and rays should be in the ocean where they belong not being abused as money spinners. Quite disgusting

We were a group of 11 family members, adults (37-70yo) and 5 kids (6-13 yo) . This place is awesome, everyone had heaps of fun. Some of us hired wet suits ($15 extra) and jumped into the pools , others just watched. We were able to be in direct contact with these gorgeous creatures, feed them, feel them, just a fantastic experience. The tours are run whenever you arrive. Their busiest times are 11am-2pm. The commentary by the guides were very informative, detailed and very entertaining. What a perfect way to spend a few hours, educational and great fun? We will be back ! Just a suggestion, a few showers would have been amazing, just to rinse off after the pools.

Small and personal centre where you can feed and pet the Sharks and stingrays. They are very helpful and kind and helped me conquer my fears! It was a great experience and worth every penny!

Loved this place so much that I am writing my first ever post on TripAdvisor! Came here with hubby and 3 young children and almost got lost as it is out of the way down a narrow path and signage is a bit poor. Arriving there, we were not sure what to expect but were excited having read all the great reviews. Boy, we were not disappointed! We were able to feed the Port Jackson sharks and stingrays and paid extra for the experience to go into the water with them. It was surreal having them swim about your legs and feeding them. Absolutely amazing! Our guide Tina was very informative and helpful. It was an unreal experience and I would highly recommend it!

I went with a group of 6 friends, and we didn't know what to expect. But what a brilliant experience it was. It's under new management now and Len was an excellent guide - showing us the Rays and sharks in an interesting and engaging way.Highly recommend for a fun few hours.

After seeing the sign from the road, we drove in with no real expectations but from the moment we went inside the centre we were blown away! My 2 daughters (one is 10 and one is 20) had an awesome few hours in the pools with baby sharks nibbling at them, baby rays climbing into their laps like puppies and the big ray gliding across them (all 300kgs of her!). But best of all for me was the staff - they are all so passionate and well informed, great with scared kids but you can just see their love for the creatures. I would definitely recommend this place to anyone, all ages.

I am deathly afraid of sharks, and wasn't sure about this at first, but it turned out to be one of the coolest things I have ever done. Having Rays hug your legs and little sharks nuzzling you with their snouts, is so cool. Very informative and interactive. Great for kids too.

4 very satisfied kids & 2 adults. Well worth it and way better than I expected. A must to do on bucket list. Great friendly staff thanks guys and Shawn was great .

My four year old daughter thought all her christmas' came at once when the cashier advised that you can actually get in the tanks with the sharks and rays. The staff were friendly, helpful and informative. Our tour guide dispersed all fears our daughter had with touching the big shark and massive sting ray. A really nice personal touch.I strongly recommend Australian Shark and Ray to all young families.

We had a lovely tour of this centre. We went in the water with Sean (who was our tour leader and very friendly, talkative and knowledgeable). We fed rays and stroked sharks and rays in the water (in wetsuits or waders) and met some of the small to LARGE rays and sharks.It was recommended (and for good reason) that we get the first tour of the day, as it gets very busy.After finishing our tour, we were not rushed out and invited to revisit all the pools to continue our interaction with the rays and sharks. The tour is only for 1-2 hrs, but we stayed for over 3 hrs. We loved it and recommend it to others.They do not have a shower after the salt water ponds we wandered in, but we mentioned we were going back to Sydney, they offered us the use of a fire hose with tank water to rinse off.

I was skeptical but my 17 year old and I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. At $30pp I thought it was fairly expensive. Add another $15pp to hire a wetsuit or waders and it soon adds up. The guides were excellent- very informative and great with the younger children. We spent a good two hours there and really enjoyed it. The sea creatures were quite endearing. I wouldn't bother going back, but it's well worth a visit.

While visiting my family this week we went to the shark and ray centre, and what an excellent morning out! The staff were very friendly, and we were lucky enough to have Colin to ourselves for most of the morning as he showed us around the tanks. You simply must pay the little bit extra to enter the pools, as I cannot imagine the experience would be quite the same from the sidelines. I have always been interested in sharks and rays, and to experience them up close was fascinating and unique. You feed them and can touch them along their backs. They all feel different and have their own personalities. The highlight is probably the large 320kg ray - she is just beautiful. The centre is excellent at educating kids and adults alike about these creatures, which are friendly and beautiful, and not something to be feared! Finally, thanks Colin for your friendly expertise!