the australian shark & ray centre

We picked a cold, raining, miserable day to come in the hopes that it wouldn't be too busy, and aside from the 2 birthday parties that were on while we were there, there were very few other visitors. The price is quite steep if you are not confident that you will enjoy it... And for the first 45 minutes our 3yo begged to go home... Then he met the nurse shark... After that we were jumping in and out of pools at our son's demand, and ended up spending nearly 3 hours in total there, so by the time we left we were quite ok with the cost. Another review pointed out that the waders don't appear to be sterilised between use, and I must admit I had the same thought. But, at least they had waders available for very large people so no one needs to be left out due to size! The building itself is not overly attractive, but that's not why we were there so we didn't care about that. You are given a very small cup of food each on entry to feed the animals, and informed that you could buy more if you ran out... I think (especially given the cost of entry) if they want you to spend more time there, they could afford to chuck a few more prawn heads in the cup. A word of warning for adults with small children - the Rays can get very over enthusiastic when you enter the pool and may swarm you - I was being bowled over by them and had to grab a hold of my son so he wouldn't be knocked over by them and scared off the experience. We had a terrific experience, but yes, there are improvements that could be made. But as my son will never be able to convince me to go scuba diving with sharks - ever - this was a good, tame way to get a taste of what real Sharks are like (no pun intended!) We would go back at my son's request.

Took my family to the place. Very bad attitude by the staff. The place smelt like a surage factory. Personally these beautiful animals better off being dead rather than to see the animal suffer like this. It's better for people to visit the Melbourne aquarium than this place. Hope tha animal welfare people will come and close this place.

I really was not to interested in going if I'm honestI was however incredibly pleased to see our group of 4 were the only ones there.No screaming obnoxious kids misbehaving and creating or there over critical bored mothers filling time.until the next visit to the nail bar.The young lady who talked us through the procedure and gave information on the fish was incredibly helpful friendly and knowledgable, Sadly i cannot remember her name.The entrance fee was at first glance a little pricey and only three of our group wanted to enter the tanks anyway, the extra $15.00 for this is clearly listed on the website and at the Aquarium.Personally i could not see any advantage to entering the tanks as you have just a a good options feeding them from the sides, that is until you get into the big Nurse Shark tank at the end !!This was the point were i kicked myself for not getting in ! Awesome shark.I read some of the less positive reviews on this place and i can only say some people expect far to much and have no concept of the time effort and complexity or running and maintaining a facility like this.yes the tanks look bland from a human emotional point of view, but these fish are well cared for and if you don't like to see any wild animal caged in captivity i would say, stay away from Zoo's, Safari Parks, Aquariums, get rid of your caged Birds dogs and cats and then you can criticise.don't visit expecting to find sand sculpted rocks coral and plants in perfectly staged tanks.I would recommend it and will visit again at some point, just to get in with the big shark !

I took my 10 year old sister here for a fun day out, and although we both timid to get into the pools at first, by the end of our visit we were patting the sharks and rays with confidence, feeding them with the gooey bait supplied and giggling as they followed us around the pools! The centre is reasonably priced and we enjoyed the educational talk regarding the largest shark there (which you cannot 'swim' with). More education regarding the other animals would have been great. Recommend to families for a great morning/afternoon out.

We had our sons 10th birthday party here last weekend , there were 10 kids and 2 adults myself and my wife , we had a bit of a mixed bag as far as the kids go some were as keen as anything to get straight in and others were a bit nervous , the staff were fantastic and explained everything we wanted to know about the many different species on display. In the end we had to drag the kids away to the party area for their food drinks and cake after spending over 2 hours in the water feeding the sharks and rays , the feedback we have received from parents about their kids experience has been excellent every single child had a wonderful day even us adults really enjoyed the experience. Would highly recommend this place for either a kids party or family outing.

My family and I had a fabulous time walking and feeding the sharks and rays. The staff were friendly and were able to answer all of our questions. The experience certainly has taken away the media hype of sharks and the true nature in the ocean. Thank you we all had a great experience.

we took the children here for the second time as they loved it last year. Overall the experience is great and the kids loved it.I had some concerns: no shower or even rinse off facility. Also if you opt for wafers, they don't appear to be sterilised and could be a breeding ground for fungus and other bacteriaOverall staff are helpful and nice and the experiment is great. But be mindful of healthy hazardsI think it's a bit expensive for what's on offer.

The sharks are good to swim with and ray feeding is quite cool as the ray swims up and bites the shrimp from the stick. It is a bit scary but u will get used to it. The big shark is quite long but very friendly

A visit to the center left both a positive and unforgettable impression and was also useful in terms of educational knowledge of sharks and rays. The staff is very friendly. If your children are tired of the usual Aquarium, but want to learn and become better acquainted with a marine life, give them the opportunity to go to this centre.

Awesome sharks, rays, staff and experience. We spent most of the day there and it was such great value! The staff had a wealth of knowledge. The sharks and rays were super friendly. Truly one of the best experiences I've ever had. We had a great time and I highly recommend it to anyone.

My friends and I were out for some fun activity in Melbourne. I found "The Australian Shark and Ray Centre" the best place to have fun with family as well as friends. Having lunch with sharks and rays was a different experience. Liked it. Thumps up to this Melbourne Aquarium.

My wife and I took our daughters (4 &7) to the centre on Sunday. The pricing is a personal opinion but our kids loved it once they got used to being in the water with the rays. It wasn't too busy and you spend as long as you like in the tanks.The website could be a little clearer regarding what bring/expect (I learnt more from TripAdvisor than the website).The staff were all great with the kids and very friendly. My daughters are begging to go back already.

We visited the Shark and Ray centre in Dandenong, Victoria. It was a truly enjoyable experience, getting up close and personal with the sharks and feeding them. Stingrays were great as well, they tend to run around you in search for food. We took wetsuits to for the in water experience. It's absolutely worth the visit.

What a truly memorable and unique experience. A great way to capture and educate primary school children given the hands on experience. It's undergone some staff changes and I can only speak very highly of the staff over the phone and on the premises. Most impressive was the way they interacted with the younger children (2-12) and worked at their level; making them feel secure whilst being in the water with these sea creatures. Faultless delivery from the staff all round.

Visited the Shark and Ray centre with my partner today and had a great time. The staff were very friendly, informative and passionate. The animals seem to be well looked after. I was a bit apprehensive at first, deciding to get in with the biggest rays first but I soon warmed up to them and they to me. I couldn't get over how friendly they are. However, I was saddened and disappointed to hear that their big 300kg ray who used to give cuddles sadly passed away. All in all, a great experience. Highly recommended for children and adults.