Albany, Western Australia

Albany
Western Australia
York Street Albany.jpg
Albany is located in Western Australia
Albany
Population: 25,196 (2006 census)[1]
• Density: 281/km² (727.8/sq mi)
Established: 1827
Postcode: 6330
Time zone: AWST (UTC+8)
Location: 408 km (254 mi) from Perth
LGA: City of Albany
State District: Albany
Federal Division: O'Connor
Mean Max Temp Mean Min Temp Annual Rainfall
19.4 °C
67 °F		 11.6 °C
53 °F		 930.5 mm
36.6 in

Albany (pronounced /ˈælbəni/) is a port city located in the Great Southern Region of Western Australia, some 390 kilometres south-east of Perth, the state capital. As of 2009, Albany's population is estimated at approximate 33,600 making it the sixth-largest city in the state[2].

The city centre is located at the northern edge of Princess Royal Harbour, which is a part of King George Sound. The Central Business District is bounded by Mount Clarence to the east and Mount Melville to the west. The city is situated in the Local Government Area of the City of Albany.

The city was founded in January 1827 as a military outpost of New South Wales as part of a plan to forestall French ambition in the region. The area was initially named Frederickstown in honour of Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany. In 1831 the settlement was transferred to the control of the Swan River Colony and renamed Albany by Governor James Stirling.[3]

During the late nineteenth and early twentieth century's the town served as a gateway to the Eastern Goldfields and for many years was the colony's only deep water port, having a place of eminence on shipping services between Britain and its Australian colonies. The construction of Fremantle Harbour in 1893[4], however, saw its importance as a port decline after which the towns industries turned primarily to agriculture and timber and, later, whaling. Unlike Perth and Fremantle, Albany was a strong supporter of Federation in 1901.

Today the town has a place of significance as a tourist destination and base from which to explore the south west of the state and is well regarded for its natural beauty and preservation of heritage. The town has an important though somewhat controversial role in the Anzac legend, being the last port of call for troopships departing Australia in the First World War.

Albany is the oldest permanently settled town in Western Australia, predating Perth and Fremantle by some two years.

Contents

History

The Albany region was first home to the Menang Noongar people, who made use of the area during the summer months for fishing and other activities. They called the area Kinjarling which means "the place of rain".[5] Many town names in South Western Australia end in "up" or "ing", which means "place of" in the Noongar language. Early European explorers discovered evidence of fish traps located on the Emu Point and on the French, now Kalgan, River and a small "village" of bark dwellings that were, at the time, deserted.

Albany is also the oldest continuous European settlement in Western Australia, and was founded in 1826, three years before the state capital of Perth. The King George Sound settlement was a hastily-dispatched British military outpost, intended to forestall any plans by France for settlements in Western Australia.

The first European explorers to visit the area around Albany were on the Dutch ship Gulden Zeepaert (Golden Seahorse) skippered by François Thijssen in 1626. They sailed along the south coast towards South Australia.

Many years later in 1791, English explorer George Vancouver explored the south coast including entering and naming King George Sound. Albany was the site at which on 26 September 1791, Vancouver took possession of New Holland for the British Crown. Vancouver went out of his way to establish good relations with the local Aboriginal people.

Old Forts Lighthouse. King Point, Albany.

In 1792, Frenchman Bruni d'Entrecasteaux in charge of the Recherche and L'Esperance reached Cape Leeuwin on 5 December and explored eastward along the southern coast. The expedition did not enter King George Sound due to bad weather.

In 1801, Matthew Flinders entered King George Sound and stayed about a month before charting the rest of the southern Australian coastline. By 1806 he had completed the first circumnavigation of Australia.

Australian-born explorer Phillip Parker King visited King George Sound in 1822 on the Bathurst.

On 26 October 1826 Frenchman Dumont d'Urville in the L'Astrolabe visited King George Sound before sailing along the south coast to Port Jackson.

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 operating in the Great Australian Bight as sexual 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 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.[6]

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,[7] 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 retirees, with inhabitants enjoying the fresh air, clean beaches, and fine views over the Southern Ocean, while still proving a thriving regional centre.

World War I

Ships carrying the Australian Imperial Force and the New Zealand Expeditionary Force (later know collectively as ANZACs) to Europe to join World War I gathered at Albany in October 1914. They departed in convoy on 1 November 1914. Albany was the last place in Australia that the ANZACs saw and is therefore a prominent memorial.

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". A dawn service has been held ever since and currently several thousand people participate each year. The contribution of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, president of Turkey from 1923 until 1938, is recognised by naming the entrance into Princess Royal Harbour as Atatürk Channel.

Geography

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. There are many beaches surrounding Albany, with Middleton Beach being the closest to the town centre. Popular beaches include Middleton Beach, Frenchman's Bay and Muttonbird Island.

It is 408 kilometres (254 mi) south-southeast of the state capital, Perth, to which it is linked by the Albany Highway and the Highway 1 (a less direct but more scenic route).

Industry

The main industries of Albany consist of tourism, fishing and agriculture, although before the 1950s whaling was one of the major sources of income and employment for the population. The Whaling Station, which closed operations in 1978, has now 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 closing.

Wind farm at Albany.
The Gap at Albany.

The Western Power Wind Farm in Albany is the largest and newest in Australia. Its 12 turbines, driven by strong southerly winds, can generate up to 75% of the city's electricity usage.[8]

Albany also has a number of historic tourist sites including the Museum, Albany Convict Gaol, The Princess Royal Fortress (commonly known as The Forts), Patrick Taylor Cottage, ("is the oldest dwelling in Western Australia, c1832"). Albany has a great deal of historical significance to Western Australia.

Natural sights are also numerous, especially the rugged coast which includes the Natural Bridge and the Gap. The beaches have pristine white sand. The destroyer HMAS Perth was sunk in King George Sound in 2001 as a dive wreck.[9] Albany is also close to two mountain ranges, the Porongurups and Stirling Ranges.

Albany is also the southern terminus of the Bibbulmun Track walking trail.[10]

Albany is home to HMAS Albany (based in Darwin) and the adopted home port of the Royal Australian Navy frigate HMAS Anzac. Albany is frequently visited by other warships.

Wine region

Climate

Albany has a Mediterranean climate with generally warm summers and cool, wet winters. The city is situated on what is promoted as the "Rainbow Coast" which is an appropriate title given the significant frequency of cool cloudy days with drizzle or showers.

July is the wettest month, with a long-term average of over 140 mm, whilst rain occurs on two days out of every three during an average winter. The driest month is February with a mean of about 23 mm and in summer it rains on average about one day in every four.

Albany received a record amount of rain on November 20, 2008 when violent storms swept across the Great Southern. The town was flooded after 113.8 millimetres (4 in) of rain fell in a 24 hour period, the highest amount recorded since records began in 1877.[12]

Climate data for Albany, Western Australia
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 41.7
(107.1)		 44.8
(112.6)		 40.8
(105.4)		 37.7
(99.9)		 35.2
(95.4)		 24.6
(76.3)		 22.8
(73)		 27.2
(81)		 30.6
(87.1)		 36.2
(97.2)		 41.1
(106)		 42.2
(108)		 44.8
(112.6)
Average high °C (°F) 22.8
(73)		 23.0
(73.4)		 22.2
(72)		 20.8
(69.4)		 18.5
(65.3)		 16.5
(61.7)		 15.6
(60.1)		 16.2
(61.2)		 17.2
(63)		 18.4
(65.1)		 20.4
(68.7)		 21.9
(71.4)		 19.5
(67.1)
Average low °C (°F) 15.0
(59)		 15.3
(59.5)		 14.6
(58.3)		 12.6
(54.7)		 10.6
(51.1)		 9.0
(48.2)		 8.1
(46.6)		 8.3
(46.9)		 9.2
(48.6)		 10.3
(50.5)		 12.3
(54.1)		 13.9
(57)		 11.6
(52.9)
Record low °C (°F) 7.8
(46)		 7.2
(45)		 6.1
(43)		 4.8
(40.6)		 2.4
(36.3)		 1.7
(35.1)		 .1
(32.2)		 1.6
(34.9)		 2.0
(35.6)		 3.4
(38.1)		 5.6
(42.1)		 6.7
(44.1)		 .1
(32.2)
Precipitation mm (inches) 23.7
(0.933)		 23.1
(0.909)		 38.3
(1.508)		 67.9
(2.673)		 119.6
(4.709)		 132.5
(5.217)		 144.8
(5.701)		 127.4
(5.016)		 102.0
(4.016)		 80.4
(3.165)		 43.4
(1.709)		 29.6
(1.165)		 932.6
(36.717)
Source: [13]

Coastline

King George Sound, painted in 1803 by William Westall

The Albany region is notorious for people being lost from waves washing people off rocks, which may or may not be associated with freak waves or similar phenomenon. On the otherwise picturesque coastline there are many beaches that are safe and usable:

Transport

Albany has a town bus service run by Loves bus service with 5 town routes. Albany is also connected to Perth with coach services GS1, GS2 and GS3 run by Transwa.

There is air connection to Perth at the Albany Airport.

Media

Albany radio stations include RadioWest 6VA, Gold MX, Rete Italia, Vision FM, Fly FM Albany, Vision FM, HOT FM, ABC South Coast, ABC NewsRadio, ABC Radio National, ABC Classic FM, Triple J, Racing Radio & Albany Community Radio.

Localised television stations available in Albany include GWN, WIN Television Western Australia and ABC Television Western Australia.

Localities

Notable residents

See also

References

  1. ↑ Australian Bureau of Statistics (25 October 2007). "Albany (Urban Centre/Locality)". 2006 Census QuickStats. http://www.censusdata.abs.gov.au/ABSNavigation/prenav/LocationSearch?collection=Census&period=2006&areacode=UCL500200&producttype=QuickStats&breadcrumb=PL&action=401. Retrieved 2007-08-25.  Consists of Albany SSD (Central) and the State Suburbs of Milpara, Gledhow, McKail, Bayonet Head, Collingwood and Lower King in the 2006 census.
  2. ↑ About Albany City of Albany, accessed December 1, 2009
  3. ↑ 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.
  4. ↑ Hutchison, D., Fremantle Walks, Fremantle Arts Centre Press, Fremantle, 2006, pp.51-55.
  5. ↑ The Amity Heritage Precinct www.museum.wa.gov.au. http://www.albanyaustralia.com/history.htm Retrieved 3 August 2007.
  6. ↑ Western Australian Land Information Authority. "History of country town names". http://www.landgate.wa.gov.au/corporate.nsf/web/History+of+country+town+names. Retrieved 2007-06-08. 
  7. ↑ Western Australian Museum. "History of the Albany Port". http://www.museum.wa.gov.au/welcomewalls/albany_history_albanyport.asp. Retrieved 2007-08-03. 
  8. ↑ Wind Energy in Western Australia Jade Carlton, www.sustainability.dpc.wa.gov.au. Retrieved 3 August 2007.
  9. ↑ Former HMAS Perth Dive Wreck www.albany.wa.gov.au. Retrieved 3 August 2007.
  10. ↑ "Overview Map". Track Info. Bibbulmun Track Foundation. http://www.bibbulmuntrack.org.au/track-info.aspx. Retrieved 2008-10-01. 
  11. ↑ James Halliday (2009). The Australian Wine Encyclopedia. Hardie Grant Books. ISBN 978-1-74066-774-6. 
  12. ↑ "PerthNow - Storm dumps record rainfall on Albany". 2008. http://www.news.com.au/perthnow/story/0,21598,24685364-2761,00.html. Retrieved 2008-11-24. 
  13. ↑ "Climate statistics for Albany". Australian Bureau of Meterology. http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/averages/tables/cw_009500.shtml. 

External links

Cities of Western Australia
Capital city
Metropolitan Cities

Armadale · Bayswater · Belmont · Canning · Cockburn · Fremantle · Gosnells · Joondalup · Melville · Nedlands · Rockingham · South Perth · Stirling · Subiaco · Swan · Wanneroo
Regional Cities

Albany · Bunbury · Geraldton · Kalgoorlie · Mandurah
Towns > 10,000 people
Broome · Busselton · Esperance · Karratha · Port Hedland