Albany ( ; nys, Kinjarling) is a port city in the Great Southern region in the Australian state of Western Australia, southeast of

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

, the state capital. The city centre is at the northern edge of

Princess Royal Harbour Princess Royal Harbour is a part of King George Sound on the South coast of Western Australia, and harbour to Albany. On its northern shore is the Port of Albany. The name ''Princess Royal'' also appears in Albany in Princess Royal Fortres ...

, which is a part of

King George Sound King George Sound ( nys , Menang Koort) is a sound on the south coast of Western Australia. Named King George the Third's Sound in 1791, it was referred to as King George's Sound from 1805. The name "King George Sound" gradually came into use ...

. The central business district is bounded by Mount Clarence to the east and Mount Melville to the west. The city is in the local government area of the

City of Albany The City of Albany is a local government area in the Great Southern region of Western Australia, about south-southeast of Perth, the capital of Western Australia. It covers an area of , including the Greater Albany metropolitan area and the ...

. While it is the oldest colonial, although not European, settlement in Western Australia - predating Perth and Fremantle by over two years - it was a

semi-exclave An enclave is a territory (or a small territory apart of a larger one) that is entirely surrounded by the territory of one other state or entity. Enclaves may also exist within territorial waters. ''Enclave'' is sometimes used improperly to deno ...

of New South Wales for over four years until it was made part of the

Swan River Colony The Swan River Colony, also known as the Swan River Settlement, or just Swan River, was a British colony established in 1829 on the Swan River, in Western Australia. This initial settlement place on the Swan River was soon named Perth, and it ...

. The settlement was founded on 26 December 1826 as a military outpost of New South Wales for the purpose of forestalling French ambitions in the region. To that end, on 21 January 1827, the commander of the outpost, Major

Edmund Lockyer Edmund Lockyer, (21 January 1784 – 10 June 1860) was a British soldier and explorer of Australia. Born in Plymouth, Devon, Lockyer was the son of Thomas Lockyer, a sailmaker, and his wife Ann. Lockyer began his army career as an ensign in t ...

, formally took possession for the British Crown of the portion of New Holland not yet claimed by the British Crown; that is, the portion west of the

129th meridian east The meridian 129° east of Greenwich is a line of longitude that extends from the North Pole across the Arctic Ocean, Asia, Australia, the Indian Ocean, the Southern Ocean, and Antarctica to the South Pole. The 129th meridian east forms a grea ...

, with the portion east already being claimed collectively by the British Crown as New South Wales and

Van Diemen's Land Van Diemen's Land was the colonial name of the island of Tasmania used by the British during the European exploration of Australia in the 19th century. A British settlement was established in Van Diemen's Land in 1803 before it became a sep ...

. 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, however, saw its importance as a port decline, after which the town's industries turned primarily to agriculture, timber and later,

whaling Whaling is the process of hunting of whales for their usable products such as meat and blubber, which can be turned into a type of oil that became increasingly important in the Industrial Revolution. It was practiced as an organized industry ...

. Contemporary Albany is the southern terminus for tourism in the region, and the state's south west, which is known for its natural environment and preservation of its heritage. The town has a role in the

ANZAC legend The Anzac spirit or Anzac legend is a concept which suggests that Australian and New Zealand soldiers possess shared characteristics, specifically the qualities those soldiers allegedly exemplified on the battlefields of World War I. These ...

, 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. 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 a Royal Australian Navy naval installation which provided for refuelling from four fuel tanks.

Etymology

Upon its establishment in 1826, the settlement was named Frederick Town in honour of Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany. In 1831, the settlement was transferred to the control of the

and renamed Albany by Lieutenant-Governor James Stirling. The name of the area in the

Nyungar language Noongar (; also Nyungar ) is an Australian Aboriginal language or dialect continuum, spoken by some members of the Noongar community and others. It is taught actively in Australia, including at schools, universities and through public broadcastin ...

of the Menang people is ''Kinjarling'', which has been said to mean "place of plenty" and "place of rain". In 2020, the City of Albany began, as part of an official dual-naming project, to give prominence to “Kinjarling” as the city's Aboriginal name.

Early history

Kinjarling was home to Menang

Noongar The Noongar (, also spelt Noongah, Nyungar , Nyoongar, Nyoongah, Nyungah, Nyugah, and Yunga ) are Aboriginal Australian peoples who live in the south-west corner of Western Australia, from Geraldton on the west coast to Esperance on the so ...

tribes during the summer season. Early British explorers recorded 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 British exploration was undertaken to survey the land and sea to assess the profitability of resources. The explorers occasionally noted encounters with Noongars. Native treatment laws and programs have affected the tribes since settlement.

Heritage buildings

There are a number of heritage buildings in Albany; see List of heritage places in the City of Albany and :Heritage places in Albany, Western Australia. These include: *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 1833, 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. *

Scots Uniting Church Scots Uniting Church, originally known as the Scots Presbyterian Church, is a church in Albany in the Great Southern region of Western Australia. The church is located on York Street the main street through the centre of Albany. It is almost ...

(1892) was designed in the Victorian Academic Gothic style by Melbourne architect

Evander McIver Evander McIver (1834 – 28 June 1902) was an Australian architect, engineer and surveyor. McIver is best known for a number of Gothic Revival, mostly Presbyterian churches he designed in Melbourne, Australia, during the "boom" era of the 1880s. ...

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 York is a cathedral city with Roman Britain, Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Foss, Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many hist ...

, 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 George Thomas Temple-Poole (born George Thomas Temple, 29 May 1856 – 27 February 1934) was a British architect and public servant, primarily known for his work in Western Australia from 1885. As Superintendent of Public Works, and then P ...

. 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 Hillson Beasley (30 April 1855 – 7 October 1936) was an English-trained architect who relocated to Australia, executing his major buildings in Melbourne (1886–96) and Perth (1896–1917). In his later career he was the Principal Architect o ...

in 1897. *Another example of the work of George Temple Poole is the limestone and shingle

Federation Arts and Crafts Federation architecture is the architectural style in Australia that was prevalent from around 1890 to 1915. The name refers to the Federation of Australia on 1 January 1901, when the Australian colonies collectively became the Commonwealth of A ...

style

Cottage Hospital A cottage hospital is a semi-obsolete type of small hospital, most commonly found in the United Kingdom. The original concept was a small rural building having several beds.The Cottage Hospitals 1859–1990, Dr. Meyrick Emrys-Roberts, Tern Publicati ...

, 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 Captain George Vancouver (22 June 1757 – 10 May 1798) was a British Royal Navy officer best known for his 1791–1795 expedition, which explored and charted North America's northwestern Pacific Coast regions, including the coasts of what a ...

). File:Old Farm, Strawberry Hill.jpg, Old Farm, Strawberry Hill File:Old Farm, drawing room.jpg, Old Farm, drawing room File:St.John's Church.jpg, St. John's Church File:St.John's Church tower.jpg, St.John's Church tower File:Albany Court House.jpg, Albany Courthouse File:Old Post Office, north front.jpg, Old Post Office, north front File:Old Post Office, south front.jpg, Old Post Office, south front File:Scots Uniting Church.jpg,

File:Vancouver House, formerly the Cottage Hospital.jpg, Vancouver House, formerly the

File:Town Hall, Albany.jpg, Town Hall, Albany File:Patrick Taylor cottage museum.JPG, Patrick Taylor Cottage, Duke Street Some of the above information is derived from the State Heritage Register where these places are registered. The assessment criteria contain more details.

Population

In June 2018, the urban population of Albany was 34,205 Estimated resident population, 30 June 2018. making it the state's sixth-largest population centre. * 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 religious denominations were Anglican 16.5% and Catholic 13.1%. 37.4% had no religion and 10.4% did not respond.

Geography

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 SSE of the state capital,

, to which it is linked by

Albany Highway Albany Highway links Western Australia's capital city Perth with its oldest settlement, Albany, on the state's south coast. The highway travels through the southern Wheatbelt and Great Southern regions, and is designated State Route ...

Wine region

Albany is a sub-region of the Great Southern region of Western Australia.

Coastline

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. Betty's Beach was named after Betty Jones, who used to go camping there with her family, and was initially called Betty's Bay. Frenchman Bay Beach is adjacent to the Torndirrup National Park, and was originally called Quarantine Bay, owing to the

quarantine station A quarantine is a restriction on the movement of people, animals and goods which is intended to prevent the spread of disease or pests. It is often used in connection to disease and illness, preventing the movement of those who may have been ...

set up by the British in 1826 on Mistaken Island at the northern end of Goode Beach Misery Beach, located south of Albany, was so named owing to the location of the whaling station at Albany that operated until 1978, causing offal to be washed ashore at Misery Beach and its sand and waters to be stained red. However, the beach was named Tourism Australia Best Beach 2022 by

Tourism Australia Tourism Australia is the Australian Government agency responsible for promoting Australian locations as business and leisure travel destinations. The agency is part of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and employs 187 staff (inclu ...

, described a "

icking Icking is a municipality in the district of Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen in Bavaria in Germany. People * Anita Augspurg, lived in Icking from 1916 until she fled the Nazis * Dieter Borsche, actor, lived in Icking in the beginning of the '60s. * ...

all the boxes of what the typical beachgoer is looking for — uncrowded, crystal-white sand, turquoise waters and a very dramatic granite backdrop". Other beaches include: * Emu Point * Gull Rock Beach, also known as Boiler Beach * Middleton Beach * Nanarup Beach * Muttonbird Beach * Cosy Corner * Two Peoples Bay, including Little Beach and Waterfall Beach

Climate

Albany has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate (

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (born 1951), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author and ...

''Csb'') with dry, warm summers, mild, wet winters, and pleasant springs and autumns. 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 . Rain in excess of occurs on two days out of every three during an average winter. The driest month is February with a mean of . 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 of rain fell in a 24-hour period, the highest amount recorded since rainfall records began in 1877. The wettest month on record was June 1920 when fell, while February 1877 and February 1879 remain the only rainless months.

Industry

Albany's main industries are tourism, fishing, timber (wood chips) and agriculture. From 1952 to 1978

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. 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% of the city's electricity usage. 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, . 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 was sunk in

in 2001 as a dive wreck. Albany is also close to two low mountain ranges, the Porongurups and

Stirling Range The Stirling Range or Koikyennuruff is a range of mountains and hills in the Great Southern region of Western Australia, south-east of Perth. It is over wide from west to east, stretching from the highway between Mount Barker and Cranb ...

s. Albany is the southern terminus of the

Bibbulmun Track 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 long. It is managed by government agencies, and has a foundation. It traverses the Darling Range and has ...

walking trail. Albany is the southern terminus of the

Munda Biddi Trail The Munda Biddi Trail is a long-distance mostly off-road cycling trail in Western Australia. It runs for over from Mundaring to Albany. The completed Munda Biddi Trail opened end-to-end in April 2013 when it claimed the title of the longest c ...

off-road cycling trail. Albany is home to HMAS ''Albany'' (based in Darwin) and the adopted home port of the Royal Australian Navy frigate . Albany is frequently visited by other warships.

Transport

Albany has a city bus service run by Swan Transit with five town routes. Albany is connected to Perth with road-coach services via Walpole and Bunbury; via Katanning and Northam; via Kojonup and Williams. Transwa coaches also serve Jerramungup, Ravensthorpe and Hopetoun.

Regional Express Airlines Regional Express Pty. Ltd., trading as Rex Airlines (and as Regional Express Airlines on regional routes), is an Australian airline based in Mascot, New South Wales. It operates scheduled regional and domestic services. It is Australia's large ...

, a national independent regional airline, provides 23 services a week between

and Albany Airport using 34-passenger turboprop Saab 340 aircraft. Albany was served by the ''

Albany Progress The ''Albany Progress'' was an overnight passenger train operated by the Western Australian Government Railways between Perth and Albany via the Eastern and Great Southern lines from May 1961 until December 1978. History The ''Albany Progre ...

'' passenger train from

until 1978. The railway station reopened as a tourist information centre in 1994.

Media

Albany radio stations include 783 Triple M (formerly 6VA and

RadioWest RadioWest was a group of 11 AM stations across the Southern half of Western Australia playing 'Real Music Variety', and targeting the 35+ audience. On 15 December 2016, the network renamed itself to Triple M as part of a nationwide move by parent ...

), GOLD MX,

Rete Italia Rete Italia is an Italian-language radio network which broadcast to selected capital cities in Australia. The station is associated with Il Globo Newspaper and La Fiamma newspaper. The radio network was launched in 1994. To listen to the app, ...

, Vision FM, Fly FM Albany, HitFM (formerly HOT FM),

ABC South Coast ABC South Coast is an ABC Local Radio station based in Albany broadcasting to the coastal parts of the Great Southern region of Western Australia including the towns of Denmark, and Mount Barker. Although planned in 1951 the station began br ...

ABC News ABC News is the news division of the American broadcast network ABC. Its flagship program is the daily evening newscast '' ABC World News Tonight with David Muir''; other programs include morning news-talk show ''Good Morning America'', ''Ni ...

ABC Radio National Radio National, known on-air as RN, is an Australia-wide public service broadcasting radio network run by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). From 1947 until 1985, the network was known as ABC Radio 2. History 1937: Predecessors an ...

ABC Classic FM ABC Classic, formerly ABC-FM (also ABC Fine Music), and then ABC Classic FM, is an Australian classical music radio station available in Australia and internationally. Its website features classical music news, features and listening guides. I ...

, Triple J, Racing Radio & Great Southern FM. Below is a table showing the broadcast frequencies on which these services can be received. Localised television stations available in Albany include GWN7, WIN Television Western Australia,

West Digital Television West Digital Television is an Australian digital television network jointly owned by Seven West Media and WIN Corporation. It broadcasts free-to-air on a number of digital terrestrial transmitters in regional and remote areas of Western Aust ...

, SBS and ABC Television Western Australia. GWN7 broadcasts a half-hour news program for regional WA, ''GWN7 News'', at 5:30pm on weeknights with a district newsroom covering Albany and surrounding areas based in the city. 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 a 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 The Viewer Access Satellite Television service, or VAST, is a satellite television platform in Australia, providing digital television and radio services to remote and rural areas, as well as viewers in terrestrial black spots. The service usin ...

system. Local newspapers are the ''

Albany Advertiser The ''Albany Advertiser'', also published as the ''Australian Advertiser'' and the ''Albany Advertiser and Plantagenet and Denmark Post'', is a biweekly English language newspaper published for Albany and the Great Southern region in Western ...

'' (established 1888) and ''The Extra'' (owned by

Seven West Media Limited Seven West Media Limited is an ASX-listed media company and is Australia's largest diversified media business, with an extensive presence in broadcast television, print and online publishing. Seven Group Holdings Ltd (SGH), a company contro ...

, publishers of

The West Australian ''The West Australian'' is the only locally edited daily newspaper published in Perth, Western Australia. It is owned by Seven West Media (SWM), as is the state's other major newspaper, ''The Sunday Times''. It is the second-oldest continuousl ...

), 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.

Sport

Two of Albany's major sports facilities are Collingwood Park Stadium in Collingwood Park and Centennial Oval in Centennial Park. Collingwood Park is home to North Albany Football Club while Centennial Oval is home to

Royals Football Club Royals Football Club or Royals Football and Sporting Club, is an Australian rules football club located in Albany, Western Australia playing in the Great Southern Football League (Western Australia). The home ground is called Centennial Oval ...

. Albany Leisure and Aquatic Centre is the home of Albany Basketball Association. The Rainbow Coast Raiders of the State Basketball League played at the Albany Sports Centre (33 Barker Road) between 1989 and 1999. 33 Barker Road is now the home of Albany Indoor Beach Volleyball.

Education

There are currently several primary schools, eight high schools and one university campus in the Albany area. GSGgym

Primary schools

* Albany Primary School * Flinders Park Primary * Mount Lockyer Primary * Parklands School * Spencer Park Primary * Yakamia Primary * Woodbury Boston Primary School * OneSchool Global (Albany) * Little Grove Primary School * St Joseph's College * Great Southern Grammar * Bethel Christian School * Australian Christian College Southlands * John Calvin School

High schools

* Albany Senior High School 7–12 * Albany Secondary Education Support Centre 7–13 * Australian Christian College - Southlands K-12 * North Albany Senior High School 7–12 *

Great Southern Grammar Great Southern Grammar is an independent non-denominational Christian co-educational primary and secondary day and boarding school, located in the Great Southern regional town of Kalgan, Western Australia between the King River and the Kalg ...

K-12 * St Joseph's College K-12 * Bethel Christian School K-12 * John Calvin School K-10

Universities

* A campus of the University of Western Australia * Some courses delivered by

Curtin University Curtin University, formerly known as Curtin University of Technology and Western Australian Institute of Technology (WAIT), is an Australian public research university based in Bentley, Perth, Western Australia. It is named after John Curtin, P ...

TAFE

* South Regional TAFE

Localities

Notable residents

Notes

References

Bibliography

External links

*
City of Albany

Albany - Official Tourism Site

Albany Entertainment Centre

Albany Historical Society (Inc)

National Anzac Centre

Wikisource

* {{Authority control 1826 establishments in Australia Former exclaves Great Southern (Western Australia) Port cities in Western Australia Populated places established in 1826