Embark on a journey beneath the waves—where innovative technology and advanced research come to life in immersive environments designed for families and curious minds, deepening understanding and inspiring ocean conservation.
Location
Perth Cultural Centre, Perth / Boorloo
Dates
Accessibility
Coming soon
Ticket options
Exhibition entry
| Standard | $25 |
| Concession | $20 |
| Junior (5 – 15) | $15 |
| Junior (0 – 4) | Free |
| Companion Card | Free |
| Family (2 Standards & 2 Junior or 1 Standard & 3 Juniors) | $65 |
Special events
Gift vouchers
School excursions
Facilitated and self-guided education experiences available
About this exhibition
Welcome to OceanXperience!
Step into the world of National Geographic’s OceanXplorers and get ready for a hands-on ocean adventure the whole family can enjoy.
Climb aboard the OceanXplorer research ship, brought to life. Start your journey as an Xplorer, choose your mission, and step inside Mission Control, the Wet and Dry Labs, and other real working spaces where scientists study the ocean every day.
Designed with families in mind, the experience invites children and adults to explore side by side. Through interactive play, storytelling, and immersive environments, visitors learn how researchers discover new species and explore some of the most remote parts of our oceans.
Bring your family, friends, or come along yourself and discover how tools like robotics, submersibles, and mapping systems help scientists explore beneath the surface. Real expedition footage and engaging technology make complex science easy to understand and enjoyable for all ages.
Exhibition overview
OceanXperience is created for families and curious minds of all ages.
As an interactive recreation of OceanXplorer, the exhibition invites you to think, play, and act like a real ocean scientist. Move through hands-on environments, try out tools, and follow the work of research teams discovering new species and protecting marine ecosystems.
Large-scale media and interactive experiences bring the ocean to life, helping children and adults see how discoveries are made and why they matter. The experience builds curiosity, encourages questions, and shows how everyone can play a role in caring for our oceans.
OceanXperience makes one idea clear: when we can see and explore the ocean, we can understand it. And when we understand it, we are better equipped to protect it.
Exhibition highlights
Step Into the Action: Experience the excitement of life aboard OceanXplorer with immersive recreations of its most vital research spaces.
Collected data is visualised in real time for in-depth analysis. Deep-sea discoveries and stunning maps of the ocean floor unite to paint a never-before-seen picture of an unknown world. With this data, scientists, submersible and ROV pilots work together to explore the ocean depths and build a better understanding of underwater ecosystems.
Captains and officers in the Bridge use over 100 switches and levers while navigating the ocean and monitoring deployed vehicles. A variety of environmental and safety data screens keep the vessel on course, while advanced positioning equipment allows OceanXplorer to stay within 50 centimetres of a desired location, regardless of weather or sea conditions.
Aquarium technology in the wet lab allows scientists to study live organisms from the deep in real time while on missions. Marine samples taken from submersibles and ROVs can be processed for further research in the dry labs and beyond. On board research labs make simultaneous exploration and research possible while at sea.
Inside you’ll find microscopes, genetic sequencers, and visualisation of samples from the ship’s various sensors. Scientists use these state-of-the-art tools to study samples processed in the Wet Lab up close, and to apply meaning to collected data. Clues hidden in eDNA samples help Xplorers decide what to search for next.
Thousands of feet below the surface, deep-sea vehicles Nadir and Neptune work together to illuminate secrets hiding in the deep. When at rest, the submersibles live here alongside the ROV and AUV. These tools enable Xplorers and scientists to survey vast areas and make important discoveries.
HoloLab Experience
For an additional $5, visitors can step into a mixed‑reality learning experience by wearing a HoloLens headset. Guided by a facilitator, the group will explore how technology drives scientific research and collaboration, using holograms to dive deeper into the world of marine biology.
This optional add‑on can be purchased at the tap‑and‑go station at the end of the exhibition, but is not essential to enjoy OceanXperience.
Places are limited and will be allocated on a first come, first-served basis.
Ready to go on an ocean adventure?
Planning your visit
Check the WA Museum Boola Bardip visit planning webpage for information about public transport, nearby parking, Epoch café, and other amenities.
More information
Find out more about Perth Cultural Centre construction works.
For educators
Year 4 - 6 | Living things are remarkable in their ability to adapt to changing environments. Come and explore some adaptations of our avian friends, or perhaps marine life is more your focus. The choice is yours.
Weekdays during school term | 10am and 12.30pm
Students can join the team of scientists of a high-tech ocean research vessel as part of the OceanXperience exhibition.
Monday 30 Apr 2026 - Friday 25 Sep 2026
Optional Introductory Talk
Starting 6 May 2026 (excluding school holidays)
Wednesdays and Fridays | 10am and 11am
Talk duration: 30 minutes
Year 4-12 | WA Museum maritime archaeologists are asking this very question through exploring the chemical make-up of glass bottle fragments found on shipwrecks to see if they can help determine where the glass came from.
Watch on demand
PP-2 | Dive into the world of water; its importance for life around us and its use as a resource.
Weekdays during school term | 10am and 12.30pm
Join us for a deeper dive into our latest exhibition, OceanXperience
In-person
Tuesday 28 April | 4.30pm - 6pm
Thursday 11 June | 4.30pm - 6pm
Online
Wednesday 29 April | 4.30pm - 5.30pm
Wednesday 10 June | 4.30pm - 5.30pm
Special exhibition events
Once a month on Friday night, explore the OceanXperience exhibition after dark, enjoy insightful talks, or simply relax with ocean‑inspired tunes and a drink in hand.
Celebrate the Western Australia's Oceans with this visually rich, multisensory and large-scale piece by Aeroture.
Daily | Sunset till late
6.00pm – 10.30pm
Wednesday 18 March – Sunday 11 October
Night projections at Boola Bardip
Join us for some ocean themed hands-on fun and discovery in the Ocean Explorers drop-in space.
Saturday 4 April - Sunday 19 April | 10am - 3pm
An immersive experience created by the renowned, award-winning London-based art collective Marshmallow Laser Feast, that lets you explore the ocean through the senses of its giants.
Monday 23 February - Friday 12 June
Sessions daily from 9:30am, Museum closes at 5pm
Embark on an epic Minecraft adventure! Unleash your creativity and collaborate to conquer challenges and build extraordinary underwater worlds.
Tuesday 14 April | 10am - 4pm | Drop and Leave
A creative marine biology workshop using squid ink to explore the ocean's depths.
Wednesday 15 April | 10am - 4pm | Drop and Leave
Bring your imagination to life, one frame at a time, in this hands-on stop motion movie-making adventure!
Friday 17 April | 10am - 4pm | Drop and Leave
Every Sunday | 3pm - 4pm
19 April – 11 October
Join a panel of experts speaking about the work, legacy and relationship they have with Sir David Attenborough.
Learn about the wonder of coral from the 'Godfather of Coral' and why we should be doing everything to protect it.
Meet the Flatback Turtle, Natator depressus—its Latin name literally means “flat swimmer.”
Thursday 18 June 2026 | 5pm - 6pm
Please arrive at 4.45pm
OceanXperience is a travelling exhibition produced and toured internationally by Flying Fish, based on the National Geographic series OceanXplorers, produced by BBC Studios Natural History Unit and OceanX in association with Lightship Earth Productions.
Learn more about OceanXperience on the Flying Fish website
