Located 450k south of perth, Albany sits between the hills of Mount Melville and Mount Clarence. Albany is nestled between the waterways of the Princess Royal Harbour and King George Sound. There are many beaches surrounding Albany, with Middleton Beach being the closest to the town centre.

Albany is home to 6 National Parks including Torndirrup National Park (home of The Gap and Natural Bridge Formations), West Cape Howe (the southern most point of WA), and the newest National Park, Gull Rock National Park.

Albany is one of the best places in WA to venture out for day trips to see whales in the Great Southern Ocean. Despite Albany's whaling past, the Humpback and the Southern Right Whales use the sheltered southern bays for mating and raising their calves. Whales are frequently spotted from the lookouts between May and October.

You can oftentimes see them from the Albany Wind Farm lookout which winds along the Bibbulmun Track. You can also see spectacular views of the twelve eco-friendly turbines which lower greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 77,000 tonnes per year.

Albany Town Hall

The Town Hall (top photo above) is located on York Street, the main street in town which gently slopes toward the Princess Royal Harbour. Albany is filled with character, cafe's and charm!

Looking west from the harbourside walkway bridge.

There is a memorial to the Desert Mounted Corps on top of Mount Clarence. The memorial consists of a statue of an Australian mounted soldier assisting a New Zealand soldier whose horse has been wounded and a wall bearing the words "Lest We Forget". The first commemorative dawn service was held here on Anzac Day, 25 April 1923. A dawn service has been held ever since and currently around several thousand people participate each year. [wikipedia]

Albany began with the landing of The Brig Amity. Under the command of Major Edmund Lockyer the party of forty-five arrived in the Princess Royal Harbour on Christmas Day 1826.

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. [1]

Its metropolitan area has a population of 35,000 as of the 2007 census, making it the fourth largest city in the state.

The picturesque town of Albany offers all amenities to tourists and locals alike and it is a very popular Western Australian tourist destination. Albany is the southern section of the Bibbulmun Track.

Rich with history, many of the original colonial buildings are now museums, restaurants and galleries which add to its uniqueness. Albany is Western Australia's first European settlement (1826).

Albany, Princess Royal Harbour and the Albany Wind Farm

The region has a cool costal climate with warm summers and cool, wet winters. The locals say it's the best weather in WA. The frequent mix of showers and sun create the magical Rainbows from which the name comes. The strength of nature is ever present, with a landscape dominated by waterways which weather wise means generally warm summers and cool, wet winters. Albany was the home of the Menang Noongar people, who made use of the coastal waters of the area over the summer months. They called the area Kinjarling which means “the place of rain”