National Zoo & Aquarium, Combined zoo and aquarium in Yarralumla, Australia

The National Zoo & Aquarium occupies 19 hectares at the western end of Lake Burley Griffin beside Scrivener Dam in Yarralumla. A major expansion opened in May 2017, adding 12 hectares of open range exhibits. The aquarium is divided into freshwater and saltwater sections, and the zoo holds Australian native species alongside introduced ones, including the largest collection of big cats in Australia.

The National Aquarium opened on 31 May 1990, developed by Geoff Da Deppo, with a 1.5 million litre walk-through tank built by a local Canberra firm. After receivership in 1991, grazier Rod Hanstein bought it in March 1992. The site later became the National Zoo & Aquarium, and a 12-hectare open-range expansion opened in May 2017.

The place serves as a learning space where visitors encounter animals they might never see otherwise. Daily feeding demonstrations and talks help people understand wildlife behavior and why species protection matters.

The 19-hectare site sits in Yarralumla beside Scrivener Dam at the western end of Lake Burley Griffin, with the 12 hectares of open range exhibits added in 2017 lying beyond the original core. The zoo receives no government funding and depends on entry fees and volunteers, so allow several hours to cover both the aquarium and the open-range sections on foot.

The walk-through tunnel of the original National Aquarium, opened on 31 May 1990, was reportedly the first of its type in the world and was built by a local Canberra company. Its 1.5 million litre tank was then the largest closed synthetic saltwater oceanarium in the Southern Hemisphere. The aquarium also took in 11 large tanks made for World Expo 88 in Brisbane.