Aquascene

Do you feed the birds at home, ever thought of feeding fish in the ocean, at Doctors Gully, right in the heart of Darwin, is Aquascene, where hundreds of fish come to shore at high tide to be fed by hand. The daily fish feeding ritual began over 50 years ago, when a nearby resident started throwing bread scraps to a few small mullet at high tide. Today visitors come from near and far to participate in this unique spectacle. Trays of bread are provided at regular intervals during the feeding period for hand feeding the mullet and milkfish. Many other species including catfish, rays, cod, diamond fish and parrot fish may also be seen in the shallows if you watch carefully.

Darwin Harbour is subject to tide movements of up to eight metres and the fish that visit Aquascene can only come to the shore for a few hours each day, and then return to sea with the tide. The numbers of fish which arrive and opportunities to hand feed them will vary each day according to the size of the tide and clarity of the water, breeding and general seasonal and weather conditions. Morning feeding sessions are usually best, especially between the months of December and August when fish numbers are highest. Souvenirs and refreshments are available at the kiosk. As feeding times change daily with the tides and Aquascene is only open at those times, it is important to check this information before visiting the fish feeding. Remember, that if you are going to enter the water to feed the fish, you might like to wear shorts or even a swimsuit.