SEA LIFE Melbourne Aquarium: No Car Park Onsite, $22 Weekday and $9 Weekend Parking 240m Away, Tram Stop Out the Front, Tickets From $39 (Melbourne, VIC)

SEA LIFE Melbourne Aquarium has no public car parking of its own. Its recommended option is Secure Parking at 522 Flinders Lane, 240m away, where the aquarium’s validation brings the price to $22 on weekdays and $9 on weekends and public holidays. A tram stops directly out the front, and Flinders Street and Southern Cross stations are each a 10-minute walk. All of this is as SEA LIFE Melbourne itself describes it on Sunday 8 November 2026.

The aquarium is on the corner of Flinders Street and King Street, on the Yarra River, opposite Crown Entertainment Complex. This guide covers the car park and how its discount works, the tram and train options, ticket prices, opening hours and the accessibility information the aquarium publishes.

Is there parking at SEA LIFE Melbourne?

Not at the building. SEA LIFE Melbourne’s Directions and Parking page says there is no public car parking at SEA LIFE Melbourne, but there are several public car parking facilities only a short walk away. Guests who park at 522 Flinders Lane (Secure Parking) can take advantage of the discounted rate offered by the aquarium.

Detail	What SEA LIFE says
Car park	Secure Parking, 522 Flinders Lane
Distance	Only 240m from SEA LIFE Melbourne
Maximum clearance	2.00m
Cost with the discount	$22 on weekdays; $9 on weekends and public holidays
How to get it	Pre-purchase your parking when booking General Admission tickets online, or buy it on arrival at SEA LIFE Melbourne

How does the parking discount work?

The page sets out three steps:

1. Park at Secure Parking, 522 Flinders Lane, and collect a parking ticket on entry.
2. Present that ticket to the SEA LIFE Melbourne admissions team, and you receive your parking validation ticket. The page says that failing to present the ticket will incur Secure Parking’s non-discounted pricing at the gate, and that under the terms of your ticket purchase no refunds or compensation are provided for this.
3. When you exit Secure Parking, insert your Secure Parking ticket at the boom gate, followed by the validation ticket, and the boom gate will open.

The page adds that all parking is subject to availability, and that if parking is purchased through Secure Parking directly, SEA LIFE Melbourne’s discount cannot be applied.

Which tram goes to the aquarium?

The aquarium says you can get off at Stop 2, the Melbourne Aquarium Flinders Street Tram Stop, directly out the front of SEA LIFE Melbourne Aquarium. That stop is served by routes 70 and 75 and the free City Circle Tram. For tram and train fares, see our guide to Melbourne myki fares and the daily cap.

Can I walk from the train?

Yes. SEA LIFE Melbourne says the aquarium is a 10-minute walk from either Flinders Street or Southern Cross train stations. The page gives no route for the walk.

How much are tickets?

The Directions and Parking page lists general admission prices, all of which include a Digi Photo Pass that SEA LIFE values at $26. It says to save when booking online at least one day in advance, and that pricing is subject to available capacity and may fluctuate during periods of high demand.

Ticket	Online advance, weekdays outside school and public holidays	Online advance, weekends outside school and public holidays	School holidays, public holidays and on the day
Adult	From $39.00	From $49.00	$54.00
Child (2 to 15 years)	From $25.00	From $35.00	$40.00
Concession	From $34.00	From $44.00	$49.00
Child under 2	Free	Free	Free

A concession ticket needs a valid concession, student or health care card. The page also lists a Melbourne Big Ticket, which combines SEA LIFE Melbourne with LEGOLAND Discovery Centre Melbourne, from $64 per adult online against $90 when bought separately; the LEGOLAND visit must be within 90 days of the SEA LIFE visit and must include a child ticket. Prices on the page are as of 8 November 2026.

Do I need to book in advance?

SEA LIFE’s own FAQ says it is highly recommended. The aquarium often reaches capacity during busy periods such as mornings, weekends, school holidays and public holidays, and pre-booking lets you enter at your chosen date and time. The opening hours page says to make sure you have booked online, with a date and timeslot, including for open-dated and third-party tickets, and warns of queues during weekends and holiday peak periods. It also says the aquarium is cashless.

What are the opening hours?

The opening hours page shows these two days as of Sunday 8 November 2026:

Day	Hours
Sunday 8 November	9:30am to 5pm, last entry 4pm
Monday 9 November	10am to 4pm, last entry 3pm

The aquarium’s FAQ gives the same pattern: Monday to Friday 10am to 4pm with last entry at 3pm, and Saturday and Sunday 9:30am to 5pm with last entry at 4pm. It adds that hours may vary on public holidays, school holidays and during special events, and recommends checking the opening hours page before you go. The opening hours page itself says “Open 7 days a week (last entry 4:00pm)” as its regular line, which does not match the weekday last entry of 3pm. The daily times are the ones shown on that page.

SEA LIFE’s FAQ says visitors typically spend 1.5 to 2 hours in the aquarium, and up to 3 hours with children or if you want to attend daily talks and feeding sessions.

What does the aquarium say about accessibility?

SEA LIFE’s Accessibility Guide says people in wheelchairs or mobility scooters have full access to the exhibits covered by general admission, and that each floor is reached by a lift or ramp. Some secondary experiences may be unsuitable. The page also says:

• Wheelchairs can be borrowed from the admissions area on a first-come, first-served basis; you leave ID behind, and they cannot be booked ahead. There are no mobility scooters available to borrow.
• Seating is available on all floors.
• Anyone accompanying a person with a disability and holding a valid WeCare or Companion card gets free general admission, and the carer’s ticket must be pre-booked online.
• For guests with sensory sensitivity, the quietest periods are during the week outside school holidays, after 2pm. Noise cancelling headphones are available on entry, subject to availability.
• Accessible toilets are just after the entrance, at the exit near the gift shop and on each level; changing facilities are in the accessible bathrooms and the Parents Room opposite the rockpools.
• Guide dogs and assistance animals are welcome, and the aquarium recommends contacting it at least 2 days before your visit.

The guide lists some experiences that are not accessible for wheelchair users, including Jelly Lab, Penguin Passport and Virtual Reality. It also still carries a line about two other experiences “not running until 2024”, which is out of date, so we have not relied on it.

What is still unknown?

The pages we read give no opening hours for the days around Christmas and New Year, and no price for parking at 522 Flinders Lane other than the discounted $22 and $9. They also do not say how long the walk from either train station takes beyond the 10 minutes quoted.

Sources

• SEA LIFE Melbourne — Directions & Parking (checked 8 November 2026)
• SEA LIFE Melbourne — Opening hours (checked 8 November 2026)
• SEA LIFE Melbourne — Accessibility Guide (checked 8 November 2026)
• SEA LIFE Melbourne — Home and FAQs (checked 8 November 2026)

Featured image: an anemone tank at SEA LIFE Melbourne Aquarium, July 2026 (photo: Ethmostigmus / CC BY-SA 4.0, text added). Other photos are from Wikimedia Commons.

OZ Local Updates is an independent local guide and is not affiliated with SEA LIFE Melbourne Aquarium or Merlin Entertainments.