Albany, Western Australia.Albany is a bustling town on the rugged southern coast of Western Australia, 409km from Perth and is the site of the first European settlement in Western Australia. Set against a backdrop of rugged granite coastline, green seas and wild beauty, Albany's dramatic convict history is just one reason visitors come to this beautiful place. Discovered by a Captain Vancouver in 1791 and settled in 1826, around 50 colonial buildings have survived and they now house museums, art and craft galleries and restaurants. 
There is no shortage of interesting attractions around the town. Visit the replica of the brig “Amity”, a full size reproduction created by local craftsmen in 1975 and when you do try to imagine more than 50 men, together with stores, sheep and pigs, sharing this small vessel in a difficult journey taking over six weeks. Life was tough for those early sailors… Just a short distance from Albany, the Old Farm on Strawberry Hill is the site of the original cottage built in 1831 for the first Government resident. Though it has been partially destroyed and renovated, it is one of the earliest buildings in Western Australia. The beautiful gardens are believed to contain some of the original fruit trees. Possibly the best way to take it all in is to follow the Amity Trail, a 30 minute self-guided walk that takes you past historical buildings of note. You’ll step back in time as you explore the convict jails, old taverns, whaling ships, settlers' cottages and grand National Trust homes in beautifully landscaped grounds.
Tour the old whaling station, jump aboard a whaling boat and try to imagine just how hard life was back then. St. Johns Anglican Church in Albany was constructed in the 1840s from local stone and was the first church consecrated in Western Australia. The Mount Romance Emu Oil and Sandalwood Factory tour highlights the history and uses of these oils. Sandalwood has been used as a perfumed balm and natural medicine for 5000 years and Western Australia has the largest natural reserves of sandalwood in the world. To the north of the town, are the Albany Botanic Gardens, as well as Dog Rock, which is a rock in the shape of, surprise surprise, a dogs head. Visit Albany's towering wind farm and walk the Middleton Beach boardwalk trail, a three kilometre trail with sensational views of King George Sound. While the whaling industry closed down in 1978 whale watching has taken its place. You can take a journey through the site of Australia's last operating whaling station at Whale World and you can watch from the shore or take a whale-watching cruise to see magnificent Southern Right and Humpback whales close up. Albany also offers some of the best fishing, sailing and hiking in the west. Divers, you should make a beeline for HMAS Perth, a prepared wreck which rests on the ocean floor offshore. Albany is known for its natural attractions along the rugged coastline of Torndirrup National Park. Get some salty sea air and fantastic photos at the Gap, boasting a dramatic 24 metre ocean drop and nearby Natural Bridge is a mind-boggling granite formation in the shape of a bridge. 
The area surrounding Albany is rich in natural beauty. The majestic Stirling Ranges and the Mt Barker wine region to the north, the dramatic Southern Ocean coastline and the many gorgeous small rural towns such as Denmark, all go to make the area a treat to explore. World-class wineries surround Albany, including Goundrey Estate. With its surprisingly English feel, Albany is an important business centre and port for the southwest of Western Australia. The main street, York Street, is lined with specialty stores, cafes, and restaurants and runs all the way down to Princess Royal Harbour. There is a good selection of accommodation in and around Albany, including campsites, hostels and guesthouses. Much of the accommodation is along streets off of York Street, with restaurants along Frederick Street, Stirling Terrace and York Street itself and if you don't have your own transport you can get around Albany by bus. The Stirling Range National Park is 80km north of Albany. The jagged peaks of the Stirling Range National Park rise abruptly more than 1000 metres above sea level and stretch east west for over 65km. The sea winds and low-lying cloud create humid conditions within Stirling Range National Park, making it one of the most important botanic environments in the world and Western Australia’s isolation from the rest of the world ensures that many of the species in the park are unique. Known predominantly for its wildflowers that bloom between August and November, the Stirling Ranges are home to at least 1500 species of plants, 90 of which are found nowhere else. Whether its on the slopes, flat paddocks or higher up in the ranges themselves, beautiful and delicate species can be found in abundance. The Stirling Range National park also contains Bluff Knoll, Western Australia’s highest peak that rises to 1095m above sea level and makes for an excellent vantage point for those skilled enough to climb it. NOW When you visit Albany you'll need somewhere to stay for a few days, well the task of finding accommodation in Albany really is quite easy. That little box on the right is not the usual link to a hotel booking site... It is a search tool. It searches the 30 biggest booking sites on the web and brings back all the prices for you, so you can make sure you get the best deal available. •Just enter your chosen dates, •click "Search"... •...and you get taken to a page that lists the Albany accommodation that is currently available for those dates and the best price for each. (Page opens in new window.) Click on any individual hotel and you can see all the results for that hotel. If you want a bigger or better located room than the cheapest one available, you can still see with one glance who has the best deal for that particular room. On top of the best prices you also get information about the individual hotels and resorts, pictures, maps, reviews from travellers, all neatly presented and very user friendly. Once you click "Select" on the best price, THEN you get taken to a booking site where you can find out more details about the offer. I played with this myself before I put it here. I compared it to the prices that the hotels offer on their own websites: this tool brought back the same or a better offer. (Up to 20% cheaper!) and it beats hands down any other hotel booking tool available today Needless to say, I was impressed. Try it out for yourself! Yes, Albany’s a bustling town that was named Western Australia’s Top Tourism Town in 2000 and 2006, there's so much to do you won't want to leave! For more information on Albany WA contact the Albany Visitor Centre on +61 8 9841 9290 or visit their website and ……..enjoy, John.
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