What are the best things to do in Albany, Western Australia?

The best things to do in Albany, Western Australia, are Discovery Bay, whale-watching cruises and the National Anzac Museum. Other options include the Museum of the Great Southern, the Princess Royal Fortress, Breaksea Island and Torndirrup National Park.

Believe it or not, Perth isn’t the oldest city in Western Australia. That honour goes to the south coast town of Albany, which was the original site of British settlement in 1826.

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Things to do in Albany: Discovery Bay

Albany finds itself around a beautiful natural harbour, and for a long time whaling was the main industry. You can explore this at the former Cheynes Beach Whaling Station, which is now part of the Discovery Bay complex. On the list of things to do in Albany, Discovery Bay should be at the top. There’s a wildlife park and wildflower garden on site, but most time should be spent in the old whaling station.

It doesn’t romanticise the whaling industry, and pulls no punches on how grim the job was. Presentation is key, however, and Discovery Bay is inventive with massive oil silos now hosting videos and whale skeletons.

Whale-watching cruises and the National Anzac Museum

Now, thankfully, Albany observes whales rather than catches them. Albany Whale Tours heads out on whale-watching cruises between May and October. There’s a good chance of getting close to a southern right whale, but the cruise highlight is watching the seals at Breaksea Island. A colony of New Zealand fur seals has made a home on this island in the middle of King George Sound.

King George Sound was where Australian soldiers departed for Europe in World War I. The National Anzac Centre tells the story of the First World War from an Australian perspective. Again, presentation is a strong point, with visitors tracing the life stories of individual soldiers. It’s often highly moving.

The National Anzac Centre is on the hilltop site of the Princess Royal Fortress, next to the Mount Clarence Parklands. Both are worth a wander around if you’ve got enough time.

Things to do in Albany: Historic buildings

Discovery Bay, the whale-watching cruises and the National Anzac Centre are the big three things to do in Albany, but there are other attractions. Most of these focus on history. Patrick Taylor Cottage gets billed as Western Australia’s oldest dwelling. Built in 1832, it now hosts a smattering of historic artifacts. It’s not the oldest building in Western Australia, though. That honour goes to the fort in the underrated Houtman-Abrolhos Islands near Geraldton.

Slightly more interesting is the Museum of the Great Southern, which mixes in the region’s natural, social and cultural history. It’s next to the Brig Amity, an old convict ship. Tourists can go on board, discovering what life was like for shipped convicts in 1826.

The Albany Convict Gaol Museum also dips into convict life, but in all honesty, it’s not the most thrilling museum you’ll ever visit.

Things to do in Albany, WA: Best beaches

Albany has a decent collection of beaches but, be warned, the Southern Ocean waters can be COLD. If you’re going to brave it, then opt for Emu Point or Middleton Beach near the city centre. Both are patrolled by lifeguards. Middleton Beach has the widest range of facilities, and is thus the most popular beach in Albany. The nearby Ellen Cove boardwalk is a good bet if you want to stretch your legs. The six kilometre trail wraps around the coast towards central Albany.

Things to do in Albany, WA: National Parks

One of Albany’s underrated strengths is the range of national parks nearby. The William Bay National Park, home to the Greens Pool swimming spot and Elephant Rocks granite outcrops, is 72km to the west. That’s an easy reach if you hire a car in Albany.

The Torndirrup National Park is behind the Cheynes Beach Whaling Station on Frenchman Bay. This offers plenty of walking trails, clifftop lookouts, blowholes and natural bridge. The Gap is a fantastic place to watch the ocean crash into a gap in the high cliffs.

To the north is the Porongurups National Park, which is fabulous for the sort of walker who enjoys scrambling. The big granite boulders are made for climbing over.

South West WA road trip

The direct drive from Perth to Albany takes around four hours and 38 minutes, but Albany is better worked into a south-west road trip. Popular with second time visitors to Australia, such a loop from Perth can take in a whole ream of experiences. These include swimming with dolphins from the Dolphin Discovery Centre in Bunbury and undersea helmet walks in Busselton. There are also Margaret River cave tours, wine-tasting sessions and stingrays in the shallows at Hamelin Bay.

Moving from Margaret River towards Albany, you can try out the climbing trees around Pemberton and the Valley of the Giants high tree experience near Denmark.

More towns and cities in Western Australia

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