National Aquarium: The Black-Tip Shark Reef & Whale Skeleton Cathedral

I began my visit to the National Aquarium at the entrance.  This must seem ludicrously obvious; however, in my defense, there is very little about the National Aquarium that is obvious.  Its design is impeccably logical, and utterly confusing all at the same time.  I assume owing to the incredible weight of water there is a tremendous dependence on reinforced concrete.  The interior alternates between cathedral-like expansiveness and cavernous mazes looping and turning in upon themselves.  There are glass enclosed habitats flooded with natural sunlight, and there are areas multiple-stories tall that would be plunged into pitch blackness by a loss of power.  With walls of concrete and the enormous glass surfaces of the aqua-habitats, sound is amplified and at times cacophonous.  It is the major design flaw in a building that is daily filled with screaming children.

Once you are in the little lobby, you have a couple of choices.  There is a gift shop to the left, and just off of it is an escalator that leads to an atrium dedicated to aquatic, avian and flora indigenous to Australia.  (We'll end our visit there.)  To the right are bathrooms, a coatroom, and a little area with high windows offering a view of the inner harbor.  You might ask yourself the same question I asked myself--where do I go?  The answer is straight ahead.  Directly in front of you is an entrance lined with glass columns filled with water and rising bubbles.  It's a normal size entrance that leads you to the expansive cathedral like "sanctuary" that will thrill your senses.

Before you rests a huge bay of water full of fish and rays and black-tipped sharks.  Looking up you see a web of diagonal walkways and escalators connecting one floor after another for four levels.  Swimming downward and covering three of these floors is the skeleton of a whale.  The lighting is subdued and magical.  This is the last time you're going to wonder where to go next.  The pathway is laid out for you and easy to follow.

There are a couple of Nurse Sharks in this habitat as well.

The darker area is a coral formation that drops below the rest of the habitat and is visible at the very end of the journey--a lovely connection between the start and end.

I almost committed to get this shot--I have an honest, visceral fear of heights.

From the fourth floor looking down as a Nurse Shark slowly makes her rounds.