Southern Rivers

The Southern Rivers area of Sydney Aquarium features the freshwater fish found in the Murray Darling River System and in the coastal rivers of southeastern Australia.

Animals found here include Australia's largest freshwater fish, the Murray cod, and the enigmatic platypus - one of a very small number of egg laying mammals found in the world.

Australia's coastal rivers are also stocked with many species of fish found nowhere else in the world, most of which are still closely related to their recent marine ancestors. Here we see freshwater versions of mullet and herring, as well as eels and bass which still need to return to the sea to breed.

Aside from the numerous unique fishes, you will also see some native freshwater crustaceans called yabbies, the unusual side-necked turtles and the semi-aquatic water dragons.

The Murray Darling River System is Australia's largest river system, covering more than 1 million square kilometres and draining one seventh of the continent's land mass. It is the most significant agricultural area in Australia, but is also home to a wide variety of unique wildlife. Many of the 34 species of fish found here are found nowhere else on earth.

The Murray Darling River System is to Australia what the Nile is to Africa, the Amazon to South America and the Mississippi to North America.

Sydney Aquarium's Murray Darling exhibit showcases a wide variety of fishes, crustaceans and aquatic reptiles found in this habitat, from huge native cods down to small rainbowfish and galaxiids.

Quick Facts

• The Murray-Darling River is home to 34 species of native fish
• It covers an area of over 1,000,000 m2
• Period floods are essential to Australia's inland flora & fauna
• The Murray Cod has been known to grow to 113.5kg & 1.8m long