The exhibit doubled the footprint of the aquarium and includes a temperature-controlled environment, a 100,000-litre pool and a light cycle that changes to replicate the short winter days and very long summer days of the Antarctic seasons. The exhibit includes five 95-centimetre-tall King Penguins and 17 of the 85-centimetre Gentoos.
NDYLIGHT worked extensively with Melbourne Underwater World staff to design and programme the time-variable lighting system which replicates the extreme daylight conditions encountered in the Antarctic, which was completed long before the advent of dimmable and colour variable LED technology.