Great Barrier Reef Aquarium redevelopment project
Position statement The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (Reef Authority) continues to work with the Government to deliver the Great Barrier Reef Aquarium, the National Education Centre for the Great Barrier Reef. The central aim of the Great Barrier Reef on land is to provide access for all ages and abilities to experience one of the world’s most iconic ecosystems. Substantial work on the project is occurring behind the scenes. This includes the development of detailed designs featuring engineering and architectural innovation, durability, and creativity worthy of the World Heritage Area. Concurrently, comprehensive planning and collaboration with the Australian Institute of Marine Science has been undertaken to temporarily house rock, sand, fish, invertebrates, and coral from the coral reef exhibit and other tanks to systems within the National Sea Simulator. The relocation of fish and coral is being conducted meticulously to ensure the highest standards of animal husbandry and animal welfare. The 37-year-old Aquarium has not been demolished. Adjacent buildings located on the former Wonderland site, including the IMAX Theatre, office space, and the Cultural Centre, were removed in preparation for capital works to occur. We wish to thank the Queensland community for its support for this beloved facility and look forward to providing project updates in due course.
Reef HQ Great Barrier Reef Aquarium to return to its original name
Reef HQ Great Barrier Reef Aquarium to return to its original name. As part of the holistic approach to the Aquarium’s redevelopment, the popular tourism destination will remove ‘Reef HQ’ from its title and return to its first name – Great Barrier Reef Aquarium. Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (Reef Authority) General Manager – Major Projects Ian Walker said reclaiming the name was evidence of the Reef Authority’s dedication to deliver a state-of-the-art educational and cultural facility to represent one of the world’s most spectacular eco-systems, the Great Barrier Reef. “Reclaiming the Townsville landmark facility to its original name reaffirms our commitment to build the Australian Government’s National Education Centre for the Great Barrier Reef. We continue to work with our Townsville-based principal contractor, Paynters, to design a modern facility which will feature sustainable engineering and architectural innovation, durability, and creativity to deliver a world-class Aquarium for all to enjoy,” Mr Walker said. “On current planning, we are hopeful of submitting a Development Application to Townsville City Council in the next three months. More detail in relation to the development will be publicly available through that process.” The new Aquarium will incorporate modern technology, interactive digital exhibits and displays, plus co-designing some key exhibits with the Wulgurukaba Traditional Owners will highlight their connection to sea country throughout the facility. Stay up to date with the project on our social media channels or subscribe to our newsletter.
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Reef HQ Aquarium is now on Monopoly’s latest edition
Reef HQ Aquarium is now on Monopoly’s latest edition Reef HQ Aquarium is proud to be featured on the latest Monopoly board special edition, featuring iconic Townsville locations. A juvenile hawksbill turtle, affectionately known as ‘Koopa’, represents Reef HQ Aquarium on the Monopoly board. Koopa is one of the hundreds of turtles that were rehabilitated at our Turtle Hospital. Koopa received life-saving treatment while in care at the Aquarium and was released back into the ocean in the outer Great Barrier Reef. As a local icon and attraction, we’re thrilled to have a property that represents our National Education Centre for the Great Barrier Reef. The Monopoly Townsville edition is available from shop.townsvillenorthqueensland.com.au, along with leading retailers including Big W, JB Hi-Fi, QBD, Mr Toys/Toyworld, and Gameology. The Aquarium is currently closed for transformation, but you can read about our latest project updates here.
Accolades for our Reef Education team
Accolades for our Reef Education team The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority’s Outreach Reef Education programs have received yet another Pinnacle Award for “Programs of Distinction” that have engaged learners across the globe. Winning the Pinnacle Award has been described as “An honourable feat” by Center for Interactive Learning and Collaboration (CILC) Executive Director, Glenn Morris who announced the winners of the 2019-2020 awards in early August. The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority’s Outreach Reef Education programs delivered from Reef HQ Aquarium, Australia’s National Education Centre for the Reef have brought the Great Barrier Reef to those who may have never had the chance to see it before, through innovative videoconferencing technology. Since its establishment over 20 years ago, educators have connected with students of all ages in over 805 locations (390 international locations across 19 countries, and to 415 locations within Australia). Many educators have participated in programs year after year and share this experience with a new group of learners. Fred Nucifora the Director of Reef Education and Stewardship at the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority said the Reef Education team was very proud to receive the award as it recognises “programs demonstrating remarkable quality of educational content and exceptional skill at program delivery”. Praise for the program was also expressed by CILC members with one member describing the program as superior. “The vocabulary and content were age appropriate. The activities were fun and engaging. The information that was provided to us before was helpful so that we could have everything set up. The presenter was able to answer a lingering question that our class had not found an answer to.” (Elementary School Teacher). The Reef Education team have also been recipients of the award previously in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 (Honourable mention), 2018, and 2019. The award is voted by teachers from across the USA. This year the Reef Education team were also recognised in the inaugural CILC (Centre for Interactive Learning and Collaboration USA) Hall of Fame for having received a Pinnacle Award or an Honorable Mention for at least 10 years. The Hall of Fame awards in a new initiative of the CILC. There are fifteen organisations that have been recognised with the Hall of Fame Award (including us) and we are the only organisation from Australia.https://www.cilc.org/Content-Providers/CILC-Pinnacle-Awards-Recipients-Announced.aspx This award further exemplifies the increase in engagement that can be achieved through digital platforms. In partnership with researcher Prue Francis from Deakin University, the Reef Education team have had a paper published in the Journal of STEM Outreach The paper explores over ten years of participant trends for the Reef Videoconferencing program to assess whether the program is a mechanism for increasing community educational outreach. Since 2005, the program connected an additional 83,388 participants from 19 countries, increasing the Aquarium’s community and educational outreach by 4.8%. You can read the full paper by clicking the link here: https://bit.ly/3g2lRlC Special mention and congratulations to Reef Education team members, and co-authors, Julie Spencer and Craig McGrogan. Click here for more information on the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority’s Virtual Learning Experiences. *Story first published in August 2020.
New future for Reef HQ Great Barrier Reef Aquarium
New future for Reef HQ Great Barrier Reef Aquarium The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (Reef Authority) is moving forward with planning a brand-new aquarium at Reef HQ. The Reef Authority will now progress to the detailed design stage of the new aquarium, and demolish the old, existing building. The new aquarium will be built on the existing site and is expected to open in 2026. The Reef HQ Aquarium first opened its doors to the public more than 35 years ago. The Australian Government knows how important the aquarium is to the whole Townsville community. That’s why the Authority is focused on ensuring that a new, world-class facility is constructed that will be a jewel in Townsville’s tourism crown. The new aquarium will help attract new international and domestic visitors, reinvigorate the Townsville CBD, and welcome back local visitors. Refurbishing the current facility does not represent the best value-for-money, as it isn’t fit for purpose for the long-term future. A new purpose-built building will deliver better long-term value. The Australian Government remains committed to Reef HQ Aquarium’s vision of making the Reef accessible to everyone. The new Reef HQ Aquarium will deliver global excellence in tropical reef education, maintain live exhibits including the world’s largest living coral reef exhibit, and enhance visitors’ journeys through digital and immersive experiences. The Reef Authority’s Major Projects General Manager Ian Walker said the decision to demolish the existing facility and build a new one presents many opportunities and opens the way to develop the aquarium as a world-class global destination for Reef education and tourism, with a focus on sustainable design and development. “It allows us to deliver a cutting-edge and high-quality Aquarium for years to come, powered by clean energy, focused on advocating tropical reef education and promoting the significance of the Reef as a natural wonder, and the importance of conservation to the world,” Mr Walker said. *Story first published in November 2022
