Manly Sea Life Sanctuary closes its doors after 55 years

After 55 years and hundreds of thousands of visitors,the Manly Sea Life Sanctuary officially closed for the final time on Sunday.

Hundreds of people visited for the final time,farewelling the 2000 animals before they are relocated in the coming days and weeks.

The aquarium first opened its doors in 1963 - then only the seventh of its kind in the world.

It was then named Marineland,and it boasted a 55ft circular tank holding four million litres of water surrounded by newly air-conditioned viewing galleries.

In the late 80s,$12 million was injected into the aquarium,refurbishing the interior and revealing the longest underwater tunnel in the world at the time.

Over the years,it has been known as Marineland,Oceanworld,Underwater World or Manly Oceanarium,before its current name was adopted in mid-2012 under the new owners Merlin Entertainments Group.

Then,in March 2017,the company announced that the building was no longer feasible to maintain as an aquarium due to the projected maintenance required to keep the site up and running.

Manly Sea Life Sanctuary's Senior Operations Manager,Ashley Hayes,who has been with the attraction for more than 16 years,said it was heartwarming to see such a positive community response to the closure news.

"When the decision was made that we were closing,it was a hard time for everyone. From our staff members to the community members who have been visiting us for years,it certainly wasn't an easy decision to make,"said Ms Hayes.

"We have however been overwhelmed by the amazing response from the community with many people from around Australia and the world coming to visit us one last time and sharing their memories with us.

"Manly Sea Life Sanctuary holds a special place in the hearts of our over five decades and multiple generations of history,which is a testament to the positive impact the aquarium has had on the broader community."

Life sciences manager at the facility,Rob Townsend,said although the doors are closed to the public,the animals still needed to be safely removed and taken to their new homes.

"It was a sad moment for our staff when the doors closed as many have worked here for a number of years and have helped raise these animals or nursed them back to health. To us,these animals are like our children,"he said.

"Thankfully,we still have a lot of time to spend with them as we carefully move each animal to our sister aquariums. Some grey nurse sharks will be heading to Sea Life Sunshine Coast and green sea turtles are going to Sea Life Sydney Aquarium."

Late last year,Manly Sea Life Sanctuary captured global headlines after it successfullyrescued and released a great white shark,appropriately named'Fluffy'which was found stranded in Manly's Fairy Bower Pools.

The juvenile great white was found flailing in the surf at South Steyne,nursing minor mouth,belly and tail injuries.

After getting some much-needed attention from the team at Manly Sea Life Sanctuary and some time in the isolation tank,Fluffy was freed.

Speculation mounts over future of the site

The site,owned by the Roads and Maritime Service,is a prime piece of real estate sitting right off the shore of Manly cove.

An RMS spokesperson previously told the Heraldthe service has"been approached by several parties with an interest in taking on the site once the aquarium departs the site this year,"and that it would be looking for expressions of interest for the lease of the site"in accordance with the current zoning."

"RMS will go to market to determine the possible future use of the site,which is zoned W2,in the first half of this year."

Under this current zoning the site is solely limited to boats sheds,kiosks,function centres,water recreation structures and marinas.

This would rule out the possibility of residential property replacing the aquarium at the current time.

Northern Beaches Council Acting CEO David Kerr told the Herald there are"no plans to change the zoning of this property."

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Speculation mounts over future of prime waterfront site as aquarium closes its doors

"If an application was lodged to change the zoning,Council is required by legislation to consider the application. Any application to change the zoning would be a matter for the elected Council to consider and determine."

Fairfax Media