Today, that aquarium is closed to the public and sits unnoticed beside a flat, bleak pad of concrete waiting for it’s demolition.

So, how did this happen?

December, 2016

The Townsville City Deal is signed. The federal and state governments, with Townsville City Council, agree to work together for 15 years to supercharge the city - this includes building a new Cowboys stadium (delivered), duplicating the Haughton Pipeline (underway), and revitalising the CBD and waterfront areas along Flinders St.

The Townsville City Deal also included $24m for the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA) to support Reef HQ Aquarium.

GBRMPA is a federal government agency, and is responsible for running Reef HQ.

May, 2018

Transport Minister Mark Bailey puts the call out for any ambitious developers interested in redeveloping the site where the GBRMPA offices sit, right between the aquarium and museum on Flinders St. The development is part of the Townsville City Deal’s goal of ‘revitalising’ the CBD.

GBRMPA general manager Bruce Elliot tells the media there is federal government money available for the office build thanks to the Townsville City Deal.

“We are looking for 3000 sqm of state-of-the-art accommodation in close proximity to our education-centre Reef HQ,” Mr Elliot said at the time (as of 2025, construction is yet to start on any office space).

October, 2018

Townsville Enterprise go to Canberra, requesting a $80m upgrade to Reef HQ.

September, 2018

GBRMPA clears out of their offices next to Reef HQ and relocate to Northtown (Stanley St), hoping to be back in their new ‘state-of-the-art’ office space soon.

April, 2019

The 2019 federal election is called - incumbent Labor candidate Cathy O’Toole promises a $30m redevelopment of Reef HQ if she’s elected.

Ms O’Toole said the aquarium was in “desperate need” of a facelift.

“Reef HQ hasn’t received any substantial building investment since it was built apart from Labor’s investment in solar energy,” she said.

“Townsville cannot afford to lose this vital research, education and tourism asset.”

May, 2019

Phil Thompson wins the election for the seat of Herbert. The Coalition forms government under Scott Morrison.

July, 2019

The Port of Townsville (which owns the land under Reef HQ and the old GBRMPA office) picks local property development company Reef House Investment Group as their preferred developer for the ‘state-of-the-art’ GBRMPA office and mixed use site.

December, 2019

The Australian Government commits$26.9m for critical safety works and $2.6m to replace animal life support systems at Reef HQ, to be spent over three years (this money does not get used).

January, 2020

Reef House Investment Group, headed by Townsville developer Paul Spina, reveal their plans for a $30m eye-catching new precinct next to Reef HQ.

Paul Spina said the plans had gone through more than four yearsof government process, probability checks and agency consultation to reach this point.

March, 2020

Covid-19 forces the aquarium to close. Staff use the closure to prepare for upcoming major works which are being funded by a four-year federal government $26.9m upgrade.

Reef HQ director Kirstin Dobbs said a lot of the work was for back of house areas, as well as new acrylic viewing windows into coral reef exhibits and the predator tank, and upgrades to the turtle hospital.

A contractor is yet to be picked.

May, 2020

$7.4m in critical safety and life support system work is completed at Reef HQ. This includes a new plant room, new mains switchboard, fire system upgrades, installation of a thermal energy storage system funded by ARENA, and more.

July, 2020

Reef HQ reopens with a Covid-19 safe plan.

October, 2020

Townsville Enterprise publicly ask the federal government to boost the current funds of $26.9m to $80m to support the “immediate requirements” of Reef HQ.

The Morrison Government release their 2020 budget.

In the budget, $5m in funding as been allocated to Reef HQ from the Covid-19 Relief and Recovery Fund to help modernise the facade and admissions area.

An extra $5.6m is also allocated to upgrade the exhibits.

Both funding deals increase the initial 2019 funding of $26.9m and $2.6m up to $40m.

February, 2021

ReefHQ is closed for 12 months so major works can begin. News articles at the time say Reef HQ is closing for two years as it undergoes a major $40m redevelopment.

April, 2021

After years spent working with the Port of Townsville, GBRMPA and the federal government, Reef House Investment Group is informed their plans for a ‘state-of-the-art’ office have been unsuccessful.

“We have been notified that we are not the preferred developer and that GBRMPA are currently working with external consultants from Canberra to complete final arrangements with The Hive on the other side of the road,” Mr Spina said.

(As of 2025, construction is yet to start on The Hive. In fact, the site was listed for sale in February 2025 in the hopes a new developer would take over).

June, 2021

Due to the old GBRMPA offices and adjacent commercial area being subject to water damage, no sunlight exposure, and minimal airflow, extensive mould growth is discovered throughout the buildings.

They are marked as unsuitable for use and in need of demolition - an approximately $2.4m job awarded to Shamrock Civil.

July, 2021

Reef HQ receives a $40m commitment as part of a new $195m Townsville City Deal, with the money being diverted away from federal cash set aside to fund the Haughton Pipeline Stage 2 before the Queensland Government decided to fund the pipeline themselves.

This gives GBRMPA’s Reef HQ a total of $80m in funding.

September, 2021

Paynters Pty Ltd is publicly announced as the principal contractor of a $80.1m refurbishment of Reef HQ Aquarium.

All going to schedule, the new aquarium is expected to be open in late 2023.

Cities Minister Paul Fletcher says the $80.1m in federal funding includes $40m from the Townsville City Deal.

December, 2021

Abyss Demolition, working for Shamrock Civil, take down the GBRMPA office, ‘Reef Wonderland Building’ and IMAX Theatre. All three buildings had sat vacant since 2018 on the site between Reef HQ and the Queensland Museum.

May, 2022

The 2022 Federal election is held. Phil Thompson wins the seat of Herbert again. Labor forms government under Anthony Albanese.

July, 2022

GBRMPA identify noncompliance issues with the Reef HQ building and leaks in the roof.

November, 2022

GBRMPA publicly announce a refurbishment of Reef HQ is not possible, and a complete knockdown is their preferred way forward.

Reef HQ fish and reptiles are relocated to Sea World, Billabong Sanctuary and the Australian Institute of Marine Science.

GBRMPA say the new aquarium is expected to reopen in 2026.

(As of 2025, GBRMPA are yet to demolish the old Reef HQ aquarium).

June, 2023

GBRMPA general manager Ian Walker reveals Reef HQ will be renamed the Great Barrier Reef Aquarium.

GBRMPA says it is still working with Paynters to design a world-class aquarium.

“On current planning, the Reef Authority is hopeful of submitting a Development Application (to Townsville City Council) in the next three months,” Mr Walker said.

January, 2024

The Cairns Aquarium is voted the world’s number one onshore attraction by Viking Cruises, rubbing salt in the wound for Townsville leaders who’ve been trying to encourage cruise ships to stop in Townsville.

May, 2024

Townsville Enterprise launch the #SaveOurAquarium campaign.

Federal Herbert MP Phil Thompson said senate estimate hearings hreveal plans to knock down and rebuild Reef HQ were only made after the Albanese Labor Government election in 2022.

“The $80m allocated by the former Coalition Government was sufficient for the refurbishment that was scoped at the time,” Mr Thompson said.

“When the new information was received under the Albanese Labor Government, which led to a re-scope of the project, they did not and still have not allocated an extra cent to it.”

August, 2024

Townsville City Council strips $100m in Federal funding away from the proposed concert hall, placing it back in the pot so Prime Minister Anthony Albanese can announce $100m for the Great Barrier Reef Aquarium while he’s in town for the 2024 Bush Summit.

All nine councillors voted in favour of moving the money, but they weren’t happy about it.

“It’s disappointing that the federal government are making us decide between Reef HQ and the concert hall,” Cr Liam Mooney said at the time.

The Albanese $100m brings the aquarium funding up to $180m.

At the time, Albanese said the aquarium would be open in a few years.

“We’re looking at 2025-26 for it to be opened again,” the PM said.

November, 2024

Senate estimates reveal demolition plans have not even begun, and a new aquarium is realistically five years away from opening at the earliest.

March, 2025

GBRMPA general manager of major projects Fred Nucifora gave a progress update on ABC North Radio.

Mr Nucifora said GBRMPA are entering into some “final engineering inspections”.

“We have funding certainty now with the annoucement at the end of last year, which puts us on a very positive runway towards developing the aquarium.”

Mr Nucifora said he expects the aquarium will be completed in “three to five years”.

“The next phase of the operation is we need to empty what was the coral reef exhibition, so two Olympic sized swimming pools worth of water,” he said.

“Remaining in there is about 700 tonnes of sand and rock, so we have to remove a lot of that to do engineering inspections of the super-structure that lies beneath it, because that will tell us how structurally sound that main tank is.”

If the main tank is structurally sound, progress will speed up.

In July/August, the GBRMPA team will be taking their construciton budget to a public works committee for approval.

“They will give us the final approval on the way we intend to spend the money, and then we’re going to crack on,” Mr Nucifora said.