Albany, Western Australia
Encyclopedia : A : AL : ALB : Albany, Western Australia
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| colspan="2" style="line-height: 1.2; border-bottom: 1px solid #CEDEFF;" | Albany, (), is a city on the south coast of Western Australia, 408 kilometres southeast of Perth. Its estimated population in 2005 was 31,981. [Australian Bureau of Statistics, Regional Population growth, 2004-05 (3218.0)] www.ausstats.abs.gov.au (PDF - 4.4MB) Albany is the oldest continuous 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-despatched 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 Francois 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 the 26th September 1791, Vancouver took possession of New Holland for the British Crown. The next year, 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 Philip Parker King visited King George Sound in 1822 on the Bathurst. On 26 October 1826 Frenchman Dumont d'Urville in the Astrolabe visited King George Sound before sailing along the south coast to Port Jackson. Later in 1826, on Christmas Day, the British led by Major Edmund Lockyer on the Amity arrived from Port Jackson and founded the military outpost. Albany, was officially named by Governor Stirling at the beginning of 1832. It is named after Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany, and son of King George III. [link] 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 construction of Fremantle Port in 1897, 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. The city is nestled between three large hills, Mount Clarence, Mount Melville and Mount Adelaide, and faces both Princess Royal Harbour and King George Sound Albany was the port chosen for the ANZAC fleet to gather prior to its departure for Europe in 1914; a memorial to this has been established on top of Mount Clarence. It was also where the first Commemorative dawn service was held 25 April, 1923. See ANZAC Day. The contribution of Kemal Atatürk, president of Turkey during WWI, is recognised by naming the entrance into Princess Royal Harbour as Ataturk Channel. 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. 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 1979, has now been converted to a museum of whaling, and features one of the 'Cheynes' whale chasers what were used for whaling in Albany. The station was the last operating whaling station in the Southern Hemisphere at the time of closing.
The Western Power Wind Farm in Albany is the largest and newest in Australia. Its 12 turbines, driven by strong southerly winds, generate 75% of the town's electricity usage. Albany also has a number of historic tourist sites including the Museum, Old Gaol, the Forts and Patrick Taylors Cottage. Albany has much historical significance. Natural sights are also numerous, especially the rugged coast which includes the Natural Bridge and the Gap. The beaches have pristine white sand. The HMAS Perth was sunk in King George Sound in 2001 as a dive wreck. Albany is also close to two mountain ranges, the Porongorups and Stirling Ranges. Albany is also the southern terminus of the Bibbulmun Track walking trail. Albany is the adopted home port of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) frigate HMAS Anzac, Albany is also Frequently by other warships of the RAN.
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Source: [Australian Bureau of Meteorology] See alsoExternal links
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