Albany and the Great Southern

Western Australia'S Oldest Colonial Settlement, A Former Whaling Port On The State'S Rugged South Coast, Where The Decommissioned Cheynes Beach Whaling Station Is Now A Museum And The Gap And Natural Bridge Granite Formations Take The Full Force Of The Southern Ocean A Short Drive From Town · Albany, Western Australia

Albany sits on Western Australia's rugged south coast, about four hours from Perth, and it was the state's first permanent European settlement, founded as a military outpost in 1826, three years before the colony that became Perth and Fremantle. For most of the twentieth century it was a working whaling port, and the old Cheynes Beach Whaling Station at Discovery Bay, which processed its last whale in 1978 - the last whaling operation in Australia - is now a museum with its catcher ships and flensing deck left largely as they were. Albany was also the departure point for the first ANZAC convoys in 1914, a story told at the National Anzac Centre inside the restored Princess Royal Fortress above the harbour. A short drive out of town, Torndirrup National Park holds The Gap and the Natural Bridge, granite formations where the full force of the Southern Ocean explodes against the rock, dramatic to watch from a safe platform but genuinely dangerous at the unfenced edges nearby.

Western Australia's south coast, about 4 hours south of Perth, Albany, Western Australia, Australia

Albany's town precinct, including the historic streetscape and Patrick Taylor Cottage area, is open to walk at any time, though individual museums keep their own hours. The National Anzac Centre and the old Whaling Station at Discovery Bay typically open daily from around 9:30am to 4:30 or 5pm, with the Whaling Station closed on Christmas Day and both sites keeping shorter hours in winter - confirm current times before visiting since they are reviewed seasonally. Torndirrup National Park, including The Gap and the Natural Bridge, has no gate and is accessible during daylight hours, though the elevated viewing platform at The Gap can close temporarily in genuinely severe weather or king-wave warnings. A national park entry fee applies by vehicle, payable at a self-registration station or online in advance.

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