Marine Discovery Centre
Situated in the d’Entrecasteaux Channel at Woodbridge, the Marine Discovery Centre gives students of all ages the opportunity to learn about, discover and care for the marine environment through diverse shore and sea based programs. The Marine Discovery Centre is a Department of Education facility. Built over the water, the Centre is ideally located to help Tasmanian students discover and learn about their marine environment.
The Centre houses fully equipped teaching areas, an aquarium room, marine pond and touch tanks, as well as displays of marine life, human impacts and fishing technology. The centre also operates a research vessel, the RV Penghana. The Marine Discovery Centre’s educational programs are hands on and aligned to the Australian Curriculum.
We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Tasmania and we acknowledge Tasmanian Aboriginal People’s continuing connection to land, water and culture. We pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging, and to all Tasmanian Aboriginal People.
Opening times and public entry
Visiting classes generally begin at 10am and finish around 2pm. The Marine Discovery Centre is not open for general public entry. Public open days may occur during the year and these will be announced on our Facebook page.
Teaching Programs
The Marine Discovery Centre was purposely built to provide an excursion destination for school groups. Home educators are also welcome to book a visit as part of the primary or secondary programs. Please contact us to discuss.
Primary Programs
The Marine Discovery Centre provides unparalleled opportunities for students to achieve learning outcomes linked to the Australian curriculum. Through hands-on experiences with live animals students develop an understanding of important biological and ecosystem concepts and processes, and the practices used to develop scientific knowledge. For a primary-aged student a visit to the Centre adds tremendous depth, relevance and, above all, enjoyment to their learning.
Secondary Programs
Students spend the day investigating a range of marine science topics and viewing our live animals. Case studies from relevant scientific organisations (such as IMAS, CSIRO, AAD) are used to inform teaching programs. Students are given opportunities to collect and analyse data and contribute to citizen science projects.
Secondary programs are usually between 4 and 4½ hours in duration and involve time on-board the RV Penghana. Bus travel from Hobart is usually around 40mins.
RV Penghana
The d’Entrecasteaux Channel is a varied and sheltered waterway perfect for studying marine ecology. Secondary students spend part of their day on the research vessel Penghana. The RV Penghana is equipped with navigation and oceanographic sampling equipment as well as a remotely operated underwater vehicle. Students conduct depth, temperature, salinity and dissolved oxygen profiles, and do a benthic dredge to classify marine organisms.
