Reef HQ is the world’s largest living coral reef aquarium and is a must see attraction in the Townsville region. Reef HQ was built as a Bicentennial Commemorative project and opened in Townsville on 24th June 1987.

Reef HQ is the Reef Education Centre for the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority. The mission of Reef HQ is “to inspire all to care for the future of the Great Barrier Reef.”

The coral reef exhibit (CRE) at reefHQ is the world’s largest coral reef aquarium and with 2.5 Million L it is approximately the size of 50 family swimming pools. The CRE is unique not only because of its sheer size, but because it is open to the elements. This means the many thousand reef organisms that are housed there receive natural day and moonlight and experience rain and storm events like natural reefs do.

Currently, the CRE is home to 130 coral species and 120 fish species, and many hundred species of sea stars, sea-urchins, sea-cucumbers, brittle stars, feather stars snails, worms, sponges and many more.