Hotels in Albany

Albany: WA's Oldest European Settlement on King George Sound

Albany, established in 1826 on King George Sound, became Western Australia's first permanent European settlement — predating Perth by three years. The city of roughly 35,000 people sits 418 km south of Perth along the South Coast Highway. Its deep natural harbour once served as a major wool and whaling port; the last whale was processed here in 1978 at Cheynes Beach Whaling Station, now operating as Whale World, one of Australia's largest maritime museums.

Where to Stay and What Draws Visitors

Accommodation concentrates around Middleton Beach, a sheltered swimming bay two kilometres east of the city centre, and along Stirling Terrace, a heritage streetscape of 19th-century shopfronts. The Anzac Centre on Mount Clarence — opened in 2014 — documents the soldiers who departed Albany for Gallipoli in 1914 and attracts visitors throughout the year. Torndirrup National Park, 15 km south of the CBD, contains The Gap and Natural Bridge, sheer granite formations above the Southern Ocean.

Practical Tips

• Getting there: Albany Regional Airport receives direct flights from Perth in under one hour; driving the South Coast Highway takes roughly four hours.
• Best season: Spring (September–November) brings wildflowers across the nearby Stirling Range National Park; whale watching runs June to October off Flinders Bay.
• Packing: Bring a windproof layer — Southern Ocean conditions can be cold and gusty even in January.