ALBANY

Albany Model Railway Association and Museum

Location: Old Bond Store at Albany Railway Station, Proudlove Parade
Opening Hours: Every Saturday afternoon, and Wednesdays during school holidays. 1.30 to 4.30pm. Group visits by prior arrangement.

The Albany Model Railway Association commenced following the bequest of the model railway collection of the late Robert Goodman, a local solicitor, to the Town of Albany in 1989.

Mr Goodman kept his railway in the loft of a garage behind his practice in Peel's Place. After his retirement he constructed a model railway on the ground floor of his new house on Mount Clarence.

Many of Mr Goodman’s models are on display in a cabinet in the entrance room of the Club.

Strawberry Hill Farm

Location: Middleton Road, Albany
Opening Hours: 10.00am - 4.00pm daily.  Closed Christmas and Boxing Days, Good Friday and the month of June (except Foundation Day weekend.)

The money raised from entrance fees is used to preserve and maintain the farm. You only have to pay to enter the historic house - you can stroll around the gardens and visit the tea rooms free.

The Farm was the first property to be acquired by the National Trust in WA. It was an experimental farm site that became the home of Sir Richard Spencer, the third Government Resident. The beautiful tranquil gardens feature heritage roses and historic trees.  The tearooms are located in wattle and daub workers' cottages and serve light lunches and Devonshire teas.

The Brig Amity

Location: Harbour Foreshore, Stirling Terrace, Albany
Opening Hours: 9.00am - 5.00pm Daily

The replica of the Brig Amity - the ship that brought the first settlers and convicts to Albany in 1826 - was built in 1975. It was the focal point of the 150th commemoration of her landing on Christmas Day 1976.

Earl of Spencer Historic Inn

The Earl of Spencer Historic Inn is one of the oldest taverns in Western Australia. There has been a building on the site since 1865. In 1874 Richard Nesbitt established ‘The Spencer Inn’ as a boarding house and Inn. A beer and wine licence was granted in 1884. In 1925 the Inn was delicensed and converted into a shop. The Nesbitt family owned it until about 1978.

In 1988 the Inn was renovated to its original charm and named The Earl of Spencer Historic Inn. A visit to Albany would not be complete without dropping into 'The Earl' - if you’re lucky you might get a glimpse of the resident ghost!

The Western Australian Museum, Albany

Location: Harbour Foreshore, Residency Road, Albany
Opening Hours: 9.30am - 4.30pm Daily. Closed Christmas Day and Good Friday.

The Western Australian Museum, Albany was originally built as a convict store and converted into a house for magistrates in 1873.  Opened as a part of the Western Australian Museum in 1975, it contains displays showing the natural and social history of the region.

Old Gaol & Museum

Location: Corner Stirling Terrace and Parade Street, Albany
Opening Hours: 10.00am - 4.00 Daily
Night Tours: Fri or Sat nights or groups of 6 by arrangement.

Tours are conducted in candlelight and lamplight to emphasise the ghostly, grim and foreboding nature of the building and its history.
Bookings essential Ph: 9845 1020

Built by convicts as their own prison in 1852,  today is an interesting folk museum.

Patrick Taylor Cottage

Location: Duke Street, Albany
Opening Hours: 11.00pm - 3.00pm Daily

Patrick Taylor Cottage is the oldest surviving dwelling in WA. It houses displays of furniture, glassware, china, period costumes and photographs. The wattle and daub cottage is shown on a map dated 1831.

St John's Anglican Church

Location: York Street, Albany

The first consecrated church in WA.  Built from locally quarried stone, construction commenced in 1845, but it was not until the arrival of the first clergyman in Albany that the walls were finished and it was roofed.  The tower was completed by British soldiers as a spare time project over the next decade.

Scotts Presbyterian Church

Location: York Street, Albany

Across the road from St John's is the Scotts church, which was built in 1892.

Wesley Church and Manse

Location: Duke Street, Albany
Distance from Town Centre: 200m

These buildings are fine examples of the later Victorian style.  The church was built in 1890 and features walls of local granite and elaborate brick window surrounds.  The manse was built in 1903 and features elegant ornamentation and turned verandah posts.  The manse was a gift to the church by prominent merchant John Robinson and his wife.

The Amity Trail - A Heritage Walk Through the Town of Albany

Location: City Centre, Albany, starting from York House

The trail takes at least 30 minutes.  Allow longer if you intend to visit the museums along the way.  The trail starts in York street at York House.  Details and a map can be obtained from the Albany Visitors Centre on the foreshore.  The Visitors Centre also have their own walk which is longer and takes in more buildings.  Details and a map for this can also be obtained from the Visitors Centre.  Both walks provide an  interesting look at the historic buildings in Albany.

Princess Royal Fortress

Location: Forts Road, off Marine Drive, Albany
Opening Hours: Daily 9am - 5pm 7 days per week

Built on King George Sound, the Princess Royal Fortress - or 'The Forts' - is one of a series of forts constructed around the coast to defend against invasion by the Russians or French at the end of the 1800s.  After falling into disrepair the fortifications have been restored and include tea rooms, a barbeque area and a nature trail which provides excellent views.

Contact: 9841 9333

Explore over 20 exhibits
Spectacular skeleton display - Three movie theatres & Spectra Vision display Cheynes IV whale chaser to climb aboard - Art, photographic & memorabilia galleries.
Guided tour of Australia's last whaling station - Cheynes III working steam engine.  There's plenty to discover so allow 2-3 hrs for your visit.
Dont miss the children's playgrounds, Whalers Galley Cafe-Restaurant & Mobies Souvenirs

MOUNT BARKER

Police Station Museum

Location: Albany Highway, Mount Barker
Opening Hours: 10am - 4pm Saturday, Sunday, and school holidays. other times by arrangement.

The police station is convict-built and started operations in March 1868.  It is preserved for its historic value and is furnished in the style of the period. 

The Old Railway Station

Location: Albany Highway, Mount Barker
Opening Hours:

The restored Railway Station houses the Mt Barker Tourist Bureau. The building was constructed in 1923 and was in use until 1984 when the passenger and goods services were discontinued. The building fell into disrepair until 1997 when the Shire of Plantagenet commenced restoration. The restoration was completed in 1998 and the official opening was held in October 1998.

KOJONUP

Military Barracks Museum

Location: Albany Highway
Opening Hours: Sunday 1.30pm - 3.30pm or by appointment.

As Kojonup's oldest building, the Military Barracks, built in 1845, act as a reminder that the town began as a military outpost to ensure the safety of travellers and settlers.

Elverd's Cottage

Location:
Distance from Town Centre:
Opening Hours: By appointment.

Elverd's Cottage is a well restored pensioner guard cottage. Pensioner guards accompanied convicts to W.A. and were granted 10 acres of land in paymnet. Several settled in Kojonup and built homes such as these. Also on site is a shed displaying historic farm machinery.

ONGERUP

The Ongerup - Needilup District Museum

Location:
Opening Hours: by appointment - contact (08) 98282 122

Housed in the old railway barracks the museum is a focus for ecotourists. Noogar artefacts, foods and medical plants, natural history items, old machinery and household goods from pioneer days are featured.

KATANNING

The Old Flour Mill Museum

Location: Corner of Austral Terrace and Clive Street
Opening Hours: 10am - 4pm weekdays

The Premier Katanning Roller Flour Mill was opened on April 30 1891.  The mill was capable of producing 4 tons of flour every 12 hours. By the 1940s the mill was employing 80 men and exporting to Egypt, Singapore and London. In 1970 the mill was taken over by the Oat Milling Company of Katanning. Advanced milling processes employed in metropolitan mills forced the mill's closure in 1977.

The Old Mill Museum also houses the Kobeelya Room - a facinating look at the history of the Girls' School which operated from 1922 and 1986, and the Katanning Tourist Bureau and Information Centre.

War Memorial

Location: Lower York Street, Albany

A granite memorial to honour all those who lost their lives in war since the first world war. Its setting in the garden and park surrounding Saint Johns Church are peaceful and the perfect spot to reflect.  ANZAC Day services are held here.

Hordern Monument

Location: Top of York Street, Albany

The monument was erected in July 1890 in commemoration of Anthony Hordern, a Sydney businessman who won the contract to construct the Albany to Beverley railway line. Hordern planned and organised the project, but died before it was begun in 1886. The line was opened three years later.

Mokare "Man of Peace"  Monument

Location: Middle of York Street, Albany

In recognition of the role Mokare played in the peaceful co-existence between Noongar people and the first European settlers.  Sculpture by local artist Terry Humble.

Desert Corps Memorial

Location: Forts Road, Mount Clarence, Albany
Distance from Town Centre: 2km

The memorial overlooks King George Sound where the first troopships to leave Australia for the Great War departed.  The views over Albany, Princess Royal Harbour, King George Sound and Middleton Bay are superb.