Albany Entertainment Centre, opened December 2010.Port of AlbanyAlbany, 1874 by Sir Whately EliotYork Street in the centre of AlbanySaint Joseph Catholic Church in Albany
The Albany settlement was founded on 26 December 1826,[3] as a military outpost of New South Wales as part of a plan to forestall French ambitions in the region. To that end, on 21 January 1827, the commander of the outpost, Major Edmund Lockyer, formally took possession of the western third of the continent for the British Crown.[4] During the last decade of the 19th century the town served as a gateway to the Eastern Goldfields. For many years, it was the colony's only deep-water port, having a place of eminence on shipping services between Britain and its Australian colonies. The opening of the Fremantle Inner Harbour in 1897,[5] however, saw its importance as a port decline, after which the town's industries turned primarily to agriculture, timber and later, whaling.
Contemporary Albany is the southern terminus for tourism in the region, and the state's South West,[6] which is known for its natural environment and preservation of its heritage. The town has a role in the ANZAC legend, being the last port of call for troopships departing Australia in the First World War. On 1 November 2014 the Australian and New Zealand Prime Ministers opened the National Anzac Centre in Mount Clarence, Albany, to commemorate 100 years since the first ANZAC troops departed from King George Sound. Approximately 40,000 people attended the commemoration events held between 30 October and 2 November 2014.[7] Also an auxiliary submarine base for the US Navy's 7th Fleet was developed during the Second World War in the event the submarine base at Fremantle was lost. Also in the harbour was an RAN Naval Installation which provided for alongside refuelling from four 5000 ton fuel tanks.[8]
The name of the area in the Nyungar language of the local indigenous Menang people is Kinjarling, which has been said to mean "place of plenty" and "place of rain".[13][14] In 2020, the City of Albany began, as part of an official dual-naming project, to give prominence to Kinjarling as the city's indigenous name.[13]
Kinjarling was home to Menang Noongar indigenous tribes during the summer season. The Menang people would sometimes camp near "Boondie Yokine" – roughly translated as Dog Rock.[15]
Early European explorers discovered evidence of fish traps located on Emu Point and on the French, now the Kalgan, River. Vancouver made attempts to find the inhabitants of the area but only found bark dwellings that were unoccupied. Later explorers made contact and were told to leave, but were accepted when they did not. Most of the exploration was made to survey the land and sea and assess the resources for further exploitation. The explorers only occasionally noted the Noongars they encountered. Native treatment laws and programs have affected the tribes since settlement.
The Old Farm, Strawberry Hill was established in 1827 as a government farm to feed the colonial soldiers stationed around King George's Sound. It is the oldest farm in Western Australia. The homestead, which became the home of the Government Resident in 1836, is an example of a colonial gentleman's residence. After a chequered history the property was vested in the National Trust WA in 1964 and is now a house museum.
Patrick Taylor Cottage (1832), Western Australia's oldest surviving dwelling, built in 1832 by the Morley Brothers. It is now maintained by the Albany Historical Society.
St John's Church (1841–1848) is a stone building with shingled roofs in the Old Colonial Gothick Picturesque style. Set among trees, it was designed to be part of an overall contrived picturesque scene in the manner of an English garden landscape.[16]
Scots Uniting Church (1892) was designed in the Victorian Academic Gothic style by Melbourne architect Evander McIver and built with local granite stonework.
The complex now known as The Residency Museum was established in 1850 as a depot for the Convict Establishment in Albany. It is an L shaped, single storied, masonry building with a timber framed, timber shingled roof. In 1873 it was converted into the Resident Magistrate's home. It now serves as a museum.
The Victorian Free Classical Revival style Town Hall (1888) is a two-storey stone building with a prominent clock tower, which dominates York Street, the main street of Albany. It has been put to many uses apart from council meetings, including public entertainment and public meetings of all kinds and even as the venue for the first regional meeting of the State Parliament.
The Old Post Office was built in two stages, the first was designed in 1869 by J Manning, the second, including a prominent tower, was designed in 1896 by George Temple-Poole. It now houses the Albany campus of the University of Western Australia.
The Court House, constructed of Albany brick and granite with a tiled roof, was designed in the Federation Romanesque style by the Public Works Department under the supervision of George Temple-Poole and Hillson Beasley in 1897.
Another example of the work of George Temple Poole is the limestone and shingle Federation Arts and Crafts style Cottage Hospital, designed in 1886 and completed in 1897. It is one of the oldest hospitals in the state and served as such until 1962. It is now occupied by the Vancouver Arts Centre (named after the explorer George Vancouver).
Some of the above information is derived from the State Heritage Register[17] where these places are registered. The assessment criteria contain more details.
Population
In June 2018, the urban population of Albany was 34,205[1] making it the state's sixth-largest population centre.[18]
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made up 3.5% of the population.
74.3% of people were born in Australia. The next most common countries of birth were United Kingdom 7.5%, New Zealand 1.7%, Philippines 1.6%, and South Africa 1.1%.
86.8% of people only spoke English at home. Other languages spoken at home included Filipino 0.7%, Italian 0.6%, Tagalog 0.6%, Afrikaans 0.6% and German 0.4%.
The most common responses for religion were No Religion 37.4%, Anglican 16.5% and Catholic 13.1%, with 10.4% not stated.[19]
Geography
Ellen Cove, Middleton Beach, Albany
The city centre of Albany is located between the hills of Mount Melville and Mount Clarence, which look down into Princess Royal Harbour. Many beaches surround Albany, with Middleton Beach being the closest to the town centre. Other popular beaches include Frenchman Bay and Muttonbird Island.
Albany is 418km (260mi) SSE of the state capital, Perth, to which it is linked by Albany Highway.
Wine region
Albany is a sub-region of the Great Southern region of Western Australia.[20]
The Albany coastline is notorious for deaths due to king waves washing people off rocks. The Torndirrup National Park features some of the more rugged coastline in the area. However, there are many beaches that are safe and usable:
Albany has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate (KöppenCsb) with dry, warm summers, mild, wet winters, and pleasant springs and autumns.[21] Summers have short spells of very hot weather, but cool ocean breeze brings relief, especially during evenings and nights. The city is situated on what is promoted as the "Rainbow Coast", an appropriate title given the frequency of days with both sun and drizzle or showers. Albany has 44.8 clear days annually.
July is the wettest month, with a long-term average of 144.0mm (5.67in). Rain in excess of 0.2mm (0.01in) occurs on two days out of every three during an average winter. The driest month is February with a mean of 22.9mm (0.90in).
Albany received a record amount of rain on 20 November 2008 when violent storms swept across the Great Southern region. The town was flooded after 113.8mm (4.48in) of rain fell in a 24-hour period, the highest amount recorded since rainfall records began in 1877.[22] The wettest month on record was June 1920 when 292.8mm (11.5in) fell, while February 1877 and February 1879 remain the only rainless months.
Sperm whale remains at the Albany Whaling Station in July 1977, the year before its closureWind farm at AlbanyDog Rock Albany 2006Princess Royal Harbour panorama
Albany's main industries are tourism, fishing, timber (wood chips) and agriculture. From 1952 to 1978 whaling was a major source of income and employment for the local population.
The Whaling Station, which closed operations in 1978, has been converted to a museum of whaling, and features one of the 'Cheynes' whale chasers that were used for whaling in Albany. The station was the last operating whaling station in the southern hemisphere and the English-speaking world at the time of closure.[24]
The Western Power Wind Farm is located at Sand Patch, to the west of Albany. The wind farm, originally commissioned in 2001 with 12 turbines, now has 18 turbines, driven by strong southerly winds, and can generate up to 80%[25] of the city's electricity usage.[26]
Albany has a number of historical sites including the Museum, Albany Convict Gaol, The Princess Royal Fortress (commonly known as The Forts) and Patrick Taylor Cottage, one of the oldest dwellings in Western Australia, c1832.[27] Albany has a great deal of historical significance to Western Australia.
Natural sights along the rugged coastline include the 'Natural Bridge' and the 'Gap'. The beaches have pristine white sand. The destroyer HMASPerth was sunk in King George Sound in 2001 as a dive wreck.[28] Albany is also close to two low mountain ranges, the Porongurups and Stirling Ranges.
Albany is the southern terminus of the Munda Biddi Trail off-road cycling trail.[30]
Albany is home to HMAS Albany (based in Darwin) and the adopted home port of the Royal Australian Navy frigate HMASAnzac. Albany is frequently visited by other warships.
Below is a table showing the full suite of digital television services available in Albany. These services are broadcast from Mount Clarence and cover the majority of the geographic area with some areas requiring signal to be received from the Southern Agricultural site at Mount Barker. Both these transmission sites employ vertical polarity. Furthermore, a number of residents rely on receiving these services via satellite using the Viewer Access Satellite Television (VAST) system.
LCN
Channel name
Broadcast ch. no.
Broadcast frequency
2
ABC
UHF 43
634.5MHz
3
SBS
UHF 41
620.625MHz
5
10 HD
UHF 44
641.5MHz
6
GWN7
UHF 45
648.5MHz
8
NINE
UHF 42
627.5MHz
20
ABC HD
UHF 43
634.5MHz
21
ABC
UHF 43
634.5MHz
22
ABC TV Plus/KIDS
UHF 43
634.5MHz
23
ABC ME
UHF 43
634.5MHz
24
ABC NEWS
UHF 43
634.5MHz
30
SBS HD
UHF 41
620.625MHz
31
SBS VICELAND
UHF 41
620.625MHz
32
SBS WORLD MOVIES
UHF 41
620.625MHz
33
SBS Food
UHF 41
620.625MHz
34
NITV
UHF 41
620.625MHz
50
10 Bold
UHF 44
641.5MHz
55
10 Peach
UHF 44
641.5MHz
62
7two
UHF 45
648.5MHz
63
7mate
UHF 45
648.5MHz
65
ishop TV
UHF 45
648.5MHz
68
RACING.COM
UHF 45
648.5MHz
80
9HD
UHF 42
627.5MHz
82
9Gem
UHF 42
627.5MHz
83
9Go!
UHF 42
627.5MHz
84
9Life
UHF 42
627.5MHz
85
TVSN
UHF 42
627.5MHz
Local newspapers are the Albany Advertiser (established 1888) and The Extra (owned by Seven West Media Limited, publishers of The West Australian), and The Great Southern Weekender (independently owned by Beaconwood Holdings Pty Ltd). The Great Southern Weekender also owns local radio stations GOLD MX and Fly FM.
Education
There are currently several primary schools, eight high schools and one university campus in the Albany area.
Albany Senior High SchoolGreat Southern Grammar GymAlbany UWA Centre 2006
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia (WA). It is Australia's fourth-most populous city, with a population of 2.1 million living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is part of the South West Land Division of Western Australia, with most of the metropolitan area on the Swan Coastal Plain between the Indian Ocean and the Darling Scarp. The city has expanded outward from the original British settlements on the Swan River, upon which the city's central business district and port of Fremantle are situated. Perth city is located on land on which the Whadjuk Noongar, the Aboriginal people of the south west of Western Australia, have lived for at least 38,000 years. The Noongar people now refer to Perth as Boorloo.
Western Australia is a state occupying the western 32.9 percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, and the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Australia is Australia's largest state, with a total land area of 2,527,013 square kilometres (975,685 sq mi), and the second-largest country subdivision in the world, surpassed only by Russia's Sakha Republic. As of 2017, the state has about 2.6 million inhabitants – around 11 percent of the national total – of whom the vast majority live in the south-west corner; 79 percent of the population lives in the Perth area, leaving the remainder of the state sparsely populated.
The Bibbulmun Track is a long-distance walk trail in Western Australia. It runs from Kalamunda in the east of Perth to Albany, and is 1,003.1 kilometres (623.3 mi) long.
Fremantle is a port city in Western Australia, located at the mouth of the Swan River in the metropolitan area of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth. In 2016, Fremantle had a population of approximately 29,000. The Western Australian vernacular diminutive for Fremantle is Freo.
Mandurah is a coastal city in the Australian state of Western Australia, situated approximately 72 kilometres (45 mi) south of the state capital, Perth. It is the state's second most populous city, with a population of approximately 97,000, ahead of that of nearby Bunbury.
Albany Highway links Western Australia's capital city Perth with its oldest settlement, Albany, on the state's south coast. The 405-kilometre-long (252 mi) highway travels through the southern Wheatbelt and Great Southern regions, and is designated State Route 30 for most of its length. Outside of Perth the highway is predominately a sealed, single carriageway with regular overtaking lanes in some undulating areas. Albany Highway commences at The Causeway, a river crossing that connects to Perth's central business district. The highway heads south-east through Perth's metropolitan region, bypassed in part by Shepperton Road and Kenwick Link, and continues south-eastwards through to Albany. It intersects several major roads in Perth, including the Leach, Tonkin, Brookton, and South Western highways. The rural section of Albany Highway connects to important regional roads at the few towns and roadhouses along the route, including Coalfields Highway at Arthur River, Great Southern Highway at Cranbrook, and Muirs Highway at Mount Barker.
Mount Barker is a town on the Albany Highway and is the administrative centre of the Shire of Plantagenet in the Great Southern region of Western Australia. At the 2016 census, Mount Barker had a population of 1,905.
King George Sound is the name of a sound on the south coast of Western Australia. Originally named King George the Third's Sound, it was referred to as King George's Sound from 1805. The name "King George Sound" gradually came into use from about 1934, prompted by new Admiralty charts supporting the intention to eliminate the possessive 's' from geographical names.
Pemberton is a town in the South West region of Western Australia, named after original settler Pemberton Walcott.
Denmark is a coastal town located on Wilson Inlet in the Great Southern region of Western Australia, 423 kilometres (263 mi) south-south-east of the state capital of Perth. At the 2016 census, Denmark had a population of 2,558; however, the population can be several times the base population during tourist seasons.
The Round House was the first permanent building built in the Swan River Colony. Built in late 1830 and opened in 1831, it is the oldest building still standing in Western Australia.
Whaling was one of the first viable industries established in the Swan River Colony following the 1829 arrival of British settlers to Western Australia. The industry had numerous ups and downs until the last whaling station closed in Albany in 1978.
The City of Rockingham is a local government area in the far southern suburbs of the Western Australian capital city of Perth.
Middleton Beach is a coastal suburb of Albany, Western Australia, located within the City of Albany approximately 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) east of the city centre. The traditional owners, the Noongar peoples, know the place as Binalup meaning the place of first light since the sun rises over the waters in the morning. The main road between the city and the locality is via Middleton Road. It is home to a caravan park and numerous holiday units which provide accommodation for visitors to the Albany region.
Mount Clarence is an inner suburb of Albany, Western Australia, between the Albany city centre and Middleton Beach. Its local government area is the City of Albany, and over three-quarters of its land area is either parkland or forest, including Albany's Heritage Park. Mount Clarence was gazetted as a suburb in 1979.
Transport in Perth, Western Australia, is served by various means, among them an extensive highway / freeway network and a substantial system of commuter rail lines and bus routes. Public transport is managed by the Transperth agency.
Henry Willey Reveley (1788-1875) was a civil engineer responsible for the earliest public works at the Swan River Colony, the foundation of the state of Western Australia.
Sir Ernest Augustus Lee Steere was a prominent Australian businessman and pastoralist.
Princess Royal Fortress also known as Albany Forts was a fortress on the northern shore of Atatürk entrance on Princess Royal Harbour on Mount Adelaide overlooking King George Sound in Albany, Western Australia. It now operates as a museum.
The coastline of the Albany area was observed by Europeans for the first time in 1627 by the Dutchman François Thijssen, captain of the ship 't Gulden Zeepaert, who sailed to the east as far as Ceduna in South Australia and back. Captain Thijssen had discovered the south coast of Australia and charted about 1,768 kilometres (1,099 mi) of it between Cape Leeuwin and the Nuyts Archipelago.
↑ West, D.A.P., The Settlement on the Sound – Discovery and settlement of the Albany Region 1791–1831, Western Australian Museum, Perth, 1976, reprinted 2004. pp.55–115.
Arnold, Murray (2015). A Journey Travelled: Aboriginal-European Relations at Albany and the Surrounding Region from first contact to 1926. Crawley, WA: UWA Publishing. ISBN9781742586632.
Garden, Donald S. Albany: a panorama of the Sound from 1827. West Melbourne, Vic.: Thomas Nelson (Australia), 1977. ISBN0-17-005167-6
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