The port city of Albany is located in the Great Southern region of Western Australia, some 418 km SE of Perth, the state capital.

Albany, is the oldest permanently settled town in Western Australia. With Mount Clarence to the east and Mount Melville to the west, Albany city centre is at the northern edge of Princess Royal Harbour.

There were several European explorer visits to the Albany shores prior to British settlement. The dutchman François Thijssen in 1627, in 1792 the Frenchman Bruni d'Entrecasteaux, In 1801 Englishman Matthew Flinders and in 1826 Frenchman Dumont d'Urville in the L'Astrolabe visited King George Sound. Click here for an overview of Albany Australia's Museums.

In 1826 Major Edmund Lockyer arrived on the Amity, from Sydney, and founded a British military outpost. This was to stop any plans by the French to claim Western Australia.

Albany was named by Governor Stirling in 1832, at the time that political authority passed to the Swan River colony. The official postal service began in 1834 and the first town jetty was established in 1837.

The construction of the railway in 1885, between Perth and Albany brought with it more settlers and more opportunities.

The 1890's gold rush brought more settlers and prosperity. During this time many of the historic buildings on Stirling Terrace were built.

Albany was home to the only deep-water port in Western Australia, Princess Royal Harbour, until the opening of the Port of Fremantle in 1900. After this decline the town's industries became predominently agriculture and timber.

During World War 1, 1914-1918, the ships that carried the ANZAC' soldiers to Europe gathered at Albany. Albany was the last place in Australia that the soldiers saw and is therefore a prominent memorial, with the dedication of the Albany Anzac Peace Park and the pier of remembrance in 2010 a precursor to centenary commemorations planned for 2014-18.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albany,_Western_Australia

During World War II from 1942-1945 Albany served as the US Navy submarine base responsible for safeguarding the Western Australian cities between Perth and Albany.

Atop Mount Adelaide is the Princess Royal Fortress Military Museum. It houses the Albany Barracks & The Princess Royal Battery, the Military Heritage Centre, the Ellam-Innes Collection (extensive collection of War memorabilia of the 11th Battalion and 10th Light Horse regiments), Underground Magazine, Repository Store and Caretaker's Cottage, Artillery Display, Torpedoes, HMAS Perth trail, World War II Control Bunker plus more.

On top of Mt. Clarence there is a memorial to the Desert Mounted Corps.

Albany also has many historic buildings and sites including:

• The Brig Amity (1826). Replica (1975).
• Patrick Taylor Cottage (1832).
• The Old Post Office (1834).
• St John's Church (1841).
• Albany Convict Gaol & Museum (1852).
• The Residency Museum (1856).
• Albany Co-op Store Museum (1870).
• The Royal George Hotel (1885).
• Albany Town Hall (1888).
• Wesley Church (1890).
• Princess Royal Fortress Military Museum (1893).

Today the city of Albany is a thriving port city home to over 30,000.

It is a significant tourist destination for Australians and International visitors.

It has great significance historically and its coastline is a place of outstanding & spectacular natural beauty.

Princess Royal Fortress Military Museum (1893)

The Princess Royal Fortress is one of Australia's best outdoor military museums in Australia.

The Princess Royal Fortress was built as a result of all the Australian states contributing money and the Imperial Bristish Government providing guns. It was the first federal defense of Australia and it opened in 1893.

It houses the Albany Barracks & The Princess Royal Battery, the Military Heritage Centre, the Ellam-Innes Collection (extensive collection of War memorabilia of the 11th Battalion and 10th Light Horse regiments), Underground Magazine, Repository Store and Caretaker's Cottage, Artillery Display, Torpedoes, HMAS Perth Interpretive Centre, World War Old Fort's Cafe a Control Bunker, Kiosk, BBQ & Picnic Area, Children's Playpark and a Function Centre

The Brig Amity (1826). Replica (1975)

The Brig Amity is an exact replica of original vessel which brought the first white settlers to Albany. Built in 1975, the Amity is placed a few hundred metres from where Major Edmund Lockyer and the party of forty-five arrived in the Princess Royal Harbour on Christmas Day 1826.

"This is a full size replica of the Brig Amity, the ship which carried the party which established the first British settlement in Western Australia. This party, under the command of Major Edmund Lockyer, landed near this spot on December 26th 1826.

The original Amity was completed in New Brunswick, Canada in 1816. After some years as a trader she sailed to Hobart and in 1824 was bought by the colonial government in Sydney to assist in supply and exploration. She was important in the establishment of settlements at Moreton Bay, Queensland and King George Sound, Western Australia. The AMity was wrecked of Flinders Island on June 18th, 1845."

Western Australian Museum, Albany

Albany Convict Gaol, Albany

The Old Gaol (and Museum) is located on the corner of Stirling and Parade Streets, right next to the Western Australian Museum and the Brig Amity Replicaon the Princess Royal Harbour Forshore.

If you're into Albany's convict history the Old Gaol Museum is worth a visit. Wander through the men and women's blocks, the kitchen and warder's quarters and see firsthand what the convicts from England (from 1850 to 1868) experienced upon arriving in Albany.

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