Indo Pacific Marine Discovery Centre

AUSMEPA friend, Tony Isaacson of DiveCareDare,
recently visited the Indo Pacific

Marine Discovery Centres are dotted around the Australian Coastline. 

Some are situated in schools or associated with research institutes or state fisheries science facilities and even private Eco tourism. 

If you are lucky enough to head to the Northern Territory the Marine Discovery Centre provides a map to help kids point their parents in the right direction. At the Centre you can learn about the beautiful and bizzare inhabitants of local Darwin marine environments.

 

Below find information about this northern Australian Marine Discovery Centre taken from their website:  http://www.indopacificmarine.com.au/about-us.htm
You won't know, if you don't go!

Indo Pacific Marine Discovery Centre began in 1971 as a privately funded project to collect and establish onshore marine ecosystems highlighting the unique features of the coral reefs which abound in Darwin waters. Very little was known of this underwater "wildlife" at that time, or that it even existed. A property was bought and renovated to house the first exhibition of its kind in the world but all was wiped out by Cyclone Tracy in 1974, only ten days after its official opening. The long process of rebuilding and re-establishment of the displays started immediately, but it was not until 1977 that Indo pacific Marine reopened.  Since then it has relocated twice to progressively larger and improved premises as public demand increased for this facility.
	Indo Pacific Marine is the longest established man made tourism facility in the Northern Territory, and has received industry recognition for excellence over many years. The exhibition is unique in the fact that because this is a land based living marine centre where each system is totally self supporting – no feeding, filtration or water changing – visitors, regardless of their age, health or financial constraints, are able to experience, learn and marvel under expert guidance and in full safety, the beauty of the marine environment, which is considered to be the most beautiful, fragile, yet potentially dangerous environment on earth.
Most importantly, this experience taken place without any impact on the natural environment, no damage to a fragile world by reef walking at low tide or other group activities often associated with marine tours. As the marine displays are contained eco systems, rare and unusual species can be observed far more easily than would ever be the case on a dive in the open sea, even for skilled SCUBA divers.
Indo Pacific Marine also features unique night tours of the reef. Yet again, this all happens indoors where each visitor is supplied with a torch to observe the nocturnal world of the reef environment, and this can include corals spawning or fluorescing in a spectacular display of light. For an even more close-up experience, magnifying sheets are placed against the glass walls of the displays to observe minute organisms as they go about their business, as they would in an ocean environment.
	Because the evening tours also include a seafood dinner, it is a complete event, involving education, entertainment, relaxation and the experience of our superb NT cuisine served either in house or on our Ocean Courtyard overlooking Darwin Harbour.

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