Anny Chih

Underwater World

One of the things I definitely wanted to do while in Mooloolaba, was visit Underwater World. According to my Lonely Planet Queensland guidebook, it’s supposed to be “the largest tropical oceanarium in the southern hemisphere” and I remembered that their website looked really good (though looking back on it now, I can’t find that cool interactive map I thought they had).

Both Sarah and I also wanted to visit the underwater shark tunnel at Underwater World that Hailey featured in her Best Job in the World application video. The tunnel was definitely the coolest part of the place. The rest… hmm.

The Seals Behaving Badly show and Otter Show were really entertaining. I was WOW-ed at how well the seals were trained and couldn’t figure out how they did it, short of actually teaching them English! But… it’s actually because they were so well trained that I’m not sure I feel comfortable recommending a visit to Underwater World. It doesn’t seem right to have trained an animal to repeat the same actions over and over again with at least two shows per day. I tried to justify my visit by finding out about what sort of conservation work they do. The only proof of their conservation work was in the form of a small empty theatre with posters about turtle conservation, and two sad looking turtles in a tank with a sign that said they had been saved from the sea.

I guess if you wanted to visit Sea World and couldn’t afford it (it’s $69.95 for an adult ticket), Underwater World would be a good alternative ($30 adult, $24 student, $20 child).* There were a lot of families there with small children. But, if you’re looking for a more educational aquarium experience, it’s no Vancouver Aquarium (which by the way, is awesome – both highly educational AND entertaining).

Also, if you’re visiting Underwater World as a cheaper alternative on the coast, be aware that apart from the shows listed on the Feature Times flyer they give you at the entrance, everything costs extra. I don’t know why I was such an amateur tourist on this trip, but I was totally suckered into paying for a seal kiss!

After the Seals Behaving Badly show, the host said that they were going to sell a limited ten tickets to get your picture taken with a seal kissing you on the cheek. I literally RAN down the steps to buy a ticket thinking “it’s only $10! A seal kiss photo is definitely worth that!” I was the first in line to hand in my $10. After everyone cleared the room and it was just us ten suckers left, we went one by one to take our pictures. We weren’t allowed to take pictures with our own cameras because it turns out the $10 doesn’t actually include a photo print – that costs another ~$14. The girl who took the picture though said that it was a really good photo. Lies! We also didn’t get to see the pictures until we got to the gift shop (which is where they tell you about that extra ~$14 cost). But, the real kicker for me was the fact that there weren’t just ten limited tickets. There was a guy who came in while we were taking photos and asked if he could join. He got a ticket too. Boo-urns.

All in all, I think the shows and shark tank at Underwater World are worth the student entry fee ($24). But, I say this with hesitation because I’m not an expert about sea animals and what effects extensive human training can have on them. In other words, though it was a good deal I feel a little guilty for having gone.

Tips for Travellers to Mooloolaba and Underwater World

1. It’s cheaper to travel to Mooloolaba by public transport (Translink) than to go by Greyhound or other private bus services. The maximum you can get charged on Translink (one-way adult fare) is $18.80 or $12.22 if you have a Go Card. When I checked the Greyhound schedule, they were having a sale and a one-way ticket was $18 (normally nearly $30). Also, while there are several public trains and buses each day going that way, Greyhound only had one bus each day. To get to Mooloolaba from Brisbane, take the Nambour Line or North Coast Line train to Landsborough Railway Station and then hop on Maroochydore Bus 615. Mooloolaba Beach Backpackers is one of the stops on the bus route (about four or five blocks from the beach).
2. Don’t pay for internet! When I was staying at the hostel, I noticed serveral people paying for wireless internet in the reception area. Suckers! Right across the street, there was a McDonald’s (Australians call it “Mackers”) with free wi-fi and four available power outlets (Australians call them “power points”).
3. Please don’t be a sucker like me and pay for a seal kiss (unless of course you’re ok with paying $24 for a picture).
4. A visit to Underwater World will only take an afternoon at most (it closes at 4:30pm most days) so feel free to make plans for the evening.
5. There’s not actually enough time between shows to get from one Feature show to the other due to the weird layout of the place, so if there’s something you really want to watch you’ll either want to skip the show before it, or leave it a little earlier. The seals and otter shows are definitely the best. You won’t miss much if you skip out on the shark or stingray shows. The Shark Guided Tour is just a guy going through the shark tunnel with you and pointing out what you’re looking at (you can just read the labels for that). The Stingray Reef Talk and Feed show I caught lasted less than 15 minutes and for some reason the stingrays weren’t hungry. Maybe you’ll have better luck with that one.
6. You’re not restricted to the food at the aquarium cafe. Because you get stamped on the arm when you enter, you can leave at anytime for lunch and come back without a problem. I would suggest going a little further than the Wharf though if you’re looking for cheap eats. Unless you’re eating at a proper restaurant like Hogs Breath, you’re likely to be disappointed at what you get at the Wharf.

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*Side note: Has anyone else noticed that Australians really like calling their theme parks and attractions “[something] World”? Underwater World, Dreamworld, Movie World, Sea World, Water World, Aussie World…