Albany Museums & Monuments
Albany was the first European settlement in Western Australia.
You can wander around the Albany Town centre and see many historic buildings dating back to the times of the first settlement in 1826.
There are many lovely museums steeped in history. The museums themselves are monuments to the first pioneers. Albany has a great deal of historical significance to Western Australia.
If you're visiting (or live nearby) Albany, these are the ones we recommend:
Old Gaol & Museum
Albany Town Centre
The Princess Royal Fortress is one of Australia's best outdoor military museums in Australia.
The Princess Royal Fortress was built as a result of all the Australian states contributing money and the Imperial Bristish Government providing guns. It was the first federal defense of Australia and it opened in 1893. Now also the site of the National ANZAC Centre. The Fortress is an amazing living museum atop mount Adelaide.
National ANZAC Centre
Princess Royal Fortress It is now the site of the National ANZAC Centre, opened at the centenary celebrations in 2014.
National ANZAC Centre, Albany Heritage Park, Mount Adelaide, Albany
The Brig Amita Replica
First settlement in Western Australia
The Brig Amity is an exact replica of original vessel which brought the first white settlers to Albany. Built in 1975, the Amity is placed a few hundred metres from where Major Edmund Lockyer and the party of forty-five arrived in the Princess Royal Harbour on Christmas Day 1826.
"This is a full size replica of the Brig Amity, the ship which carried the party which established the first British settlement in Western Australia. This party, under the command of Major Edmund Lockyer, landed near this spot on December 26th 1826.
The original Amity was completed in New Brunswick, Canada in 1816. After some years as a trader she sailed to Hobart and in 1824 was bought by the colonial government in Sydney to assist in supply and exploration. She was important in the establishment of settlements at Moreton Bay, Queensland and King George Sound, Western Australia. The Amity was wrecked off Flinders Island (island off the north east coast of Tasmania) on June 18th, 1845."
The Amity had a healthy life as an exploration and supply vessel, even supplying the new Swan River Colony in 1829. You can explore the replica thoroughly with an audio-guided tour, open daily.
The Brig Amity Replica is located on the Foreshore in the Historical Precinct, Princess Royal Drive.
Explore the deck, descend to the oficers area and bunks, and in the hull of the ship, the cargo area. An awesome experience for those of any age. The audio tour relives the experience of arriving in Brig Albany.
Western Austarlian Museum, Albany
Western Australian Museum, Albany
The Western Australian Museum Albany has exhibitions, public programs, educational programs and information on the unique natural and social history of the region.
Well worth a visit. Located just next to the Brig Amity off Princess Royal Drive, Albany.
Open daily: 10.00am – 4.30pm
Open: ANZAC Day 1.00pm – 4.30pm
Closed: Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year’s Day and Good Friday
Free Entry: Suggested donation $5
Address:
Residency Road,
Albany, Western Australia.
Telephone: 1300 134 081 - www.museum.wa.gov.au
The Western Australian Museum is located on Residency Road off Princess Royal Harbour just next to the Brig Amity Replica. Their educational programs for kits are top-notch.
Albany Convict Gaol, Albany
The Old Gaol (and Museum) is located on the corner of Stirling and Parade Streets, right next to the Western Australian Museum and the Brig Amity Replica on the Princess Royal Harbour Forshore.
If you're into Albany's convict history the Old Gaol Museum is worth a visit. Wander through the men and women's blocks, the kitchen and warder's quarters and see firsthand what the convicts from England (from 1850 to 1868) experienced upon arriving in Albany.
The walking tour of the Gaol is informative and enlightening. The convict history of the settlement was important in setting up infrastructure in an otherwise hostile and unyeilding environment. Learn more with a visit to the Albany Convict Gaol
Open: 10am to 4pm 7 days
Closed: Christmas, Good Friday
Visit: 267 Stirling Terrace, Albany, WA. Admission fee applies.
Patrick Taylor Cottage (1832)
This cottage is the oldest surviving dwelling in Western Australia. Built in 1932 this eleven room wattle and daub home is of great historical significance to Albany Australia. Located at 39 Duke Street, Albany, Western Australia
This cottage is the oldest surviving dwelling in Western Australia. Built in 1932 this eleven room wattle and daub home is of great historical significance to Albany Australia.
Located at 39 Duke Street, Albany, Western Australia
Photo courtesy Wikipedia
