Disabled Access - YES
Food and Drink Options - YES
Tourist Attractions - YES
Transport Links - YES
Shopping Centre - NO
Nightlife - NO
Opening Hours - 9:30am-6pm
Access to the well-maintained and ideally located Aquarium Wharf is via a ramp that goes directly to the dock itself, which means disabled access is safe and convenient.
Passengers who depart from a docked boat can also exit directly via the ramp, bypassing the platform entirely, so it's a wonderfully quick and secure location to stop.
The former ticket machine used by ferry service has also been converted into an emergency help point, so there are plenty of facilities in place on the wharf to make sure you have a safe and pleasant visit.
The Aquarium Wharf in Darling Harbour was initially built in the 1980s to be part of the Sydney Ferries network, but the ferries services have now been moved to the King Street Wharf 3 platform. It is still, however, used as a hop-on/hop-off destination for tourists due to its excellent facilities and proximity to some of the area's top tourist attractions.
As the name suggests, Aquarium Wharf is the perfect stop-off dock for the world-famous Sea Life Centre, which is one of the largest and most popular in the world. Formerly known only as of the Sydney Aquarium, the attraction was rebranded by Sea Life in 2012, and with the rebranding came a significant refurbishment.
The appeal now homes around 700 different species of marine and sea life, including sharks, crocodiles and thousands of exotic fish.
The exhibits are primarily focused on Australian themes and species, and take visitors through various waterways and ecosystems, each with a distinct theme. The Dugong and Shark displays are amongst the largest in the world, and the Great Barrier Reef Oceanarium needs to be seen to be believed.
One of the most popular tourist attractions in the city, the aquarium is accessed easily from the wharf, and if you are stopping off to visit the aquarium from a charter boat, you have the bonus of avoiding the exorbitant parking fees often associated with tourist traps.
Besides the aquarium, the area also hosts Wild Life Sydney Zoo, which is also owned and operated by Merlin Entertainments and features 10 zones, which house an eclectic array of Australian wildlife. A unique zoo attraction in which the public areas are almost entirely enclosed, Wild Life features a 1-kilometre walkway which snakes through 7,000 square metres of enclosures.
You'll get up close and personal with Red Kangaroos, Koalas, Wallabies, Tasmanian Devils, and even (since 2016) the elusive Platypus. The wharf is also located directly outside Madame Tussauds, another of the city's most popular attractions and the only one of its kind in Australia.
Here you'll find exquisite waxwork representations of not only Australian icons (from Hugh Jackman to Kylie Minogue and Steve Irwin), but also Hollywood royalty such as Johnny Depp and historical figures like Ned Kelly.
This wharf is located just north of the Pyrmont Bridge and boasts spectacular views of Pyrmont Bay. It is also just south of the trendy King Street Wharf area, which features a range of international restaurants, as well as a bowling alley, dozens of world-class bars and some of the most spectacular night-time views of the bay.
It is also a stone's throw from the historic Pier 26 and is ideally placed as a stop-off point for tourists and locals alike to enjoy everything the broader area of Darling Harbour has to offer. Across the Pyrmont Bridge, on the western side, meanwhile, is the Australian National Maritime Museum where you can board a submarine, destroyer and a sailing ship. You'll also find restaurants in the area serving fresh seafood and other delectable dishes.
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