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.