Stretching from West Cape Howe National Park in the West through the City of Albany and beyond to the East the Albany Region is a wonderful place to explore. We have many Albany Maps, to get an overview (Click to see a map of the Albany Region to get your bearings).

It is in Historic Albany that the first Western settlers arrived on sailing ship The Brig Amity which entered the harbour on Christmas Day 1826.

Like the water? Try whale-watching by motor or by sail or descend into the depths of the Brig Amity Replica and imagine the voyage of the first western settlers. The Princess Royal Sailing Club is one of the oldest in Australia,  having been based in Princess Royal Harbour for the past 98 years.  It hosts the annual Albany Race around Cape Leeuwin from Fremantle.

Visit Torndirrup Peninsula and see The Gap and Natural Bridge which were once connected to Antarctica, or walk up Stony Hill and view the spendor from atop the ancient granite. There are SO many reasons to enjoy amazing Albany. Take your pick!

We love watching the surfers. They're catching waves everywhere. This time off the Torndirrup Peninsula near the Albany Wind Farm.

Albany was officially named by Governor Stirling at the beginning of 1832, at the time that political authority passed to the Swan River colony. It is named after Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany, and son of King George III. Its metropolitan area has a population of 35,000 as of the 2007 census, making it the fourth largest city in the state.

Later in 1826, on Christmas Day, a British Army expedition, led by Major Edmund Lockyer arrived on the Amity, from Sydney, and founded a military base. Lockyer rescued Aboriginal women from offshore islands, who had been kidnapped by sealers (seal sailors) operating in the Great Australian Bight as slaves, and apprehended the culprits sending them east to stand trial. As a result the local Minang Noongar organised a corroboree in his honour, cementing the good relations established earlier between local Aboriginal groups of the area and European explorers.

Albany was also the final destination in 1841 of explorer Edward John Eyre, after being the first person to reach Western Australia by land from the east (Adelaide).

Until the opening of the Port of Fremantle in 1900, Albany was also home to the only deepwater port in Western Australia, Princess Royal Harbour, which is the largest natural harbour in Western Australia and also on the entire south coast of the Australian mainland, outside of Melbourne. This facility meant that for many years, the first port of call for the mail from England was Albany.

This put Albany in a privileged position over Perth and it remained that way until C. Y. O'Connor used dynamite on the reef blocking the entrance into the Swan River in Fremantle. Since that time, Albany has become popular with people who enjoy the fresh air, clean beaches, and fine views over the Southern Ocean, while still proving a thriving regional centre. (Wikipedia)

The Albany Historical Society lists several Historic Destinations including: Albany Convict Gaol, Patrick Taylor Cottage, Duke Street Park & Arthur Speller Memorial Gardens, The Heritage Trail and The Brig Amity and also has a museum in the Albany Co-op Store Museum. You can visit them at www.historicalbany.com.au online.