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Albany 2026

It was an energetic crowd who greeted the Chats on Saturday.

albany 2026Albany 2026: Live music series earns thumbs up from youth

A packed schedule of headbangers, foot stompers and toe tappers came to a hell-raising conclusion on Saturday as the City of Albany’s Live @ the Town Hall finshed the season with a bang.

Melissa Sheil

The Old Post Office now houses the University of Western Australia Albany campus.

albany 2026PremiumThe Albany building that was once WA’s link to world

Now a place of learning and scholarship, the distinctive clock tower, turrets and gabled terraces of Albany’s UWA campus on Stirling Terrace once served a different purpose — mail.

Melissa Sheil

Mt Adelaide gun emplacement at Albany Forts.

Albany 2026Albany 2026: Albany Forts preserve rich military history

Perched atop Mt Adelaide overlooking King George Sound, Albany Forts has watched over the coast for more than 130 years evolving from a defence stronghold into a reminder of the region’s military history.

Amy Towers

Cheynes II whale chaser wreck now sits in Princess Royal Harbour.

Albany 2026Cheynes II’s significant influence in Albany’s history

For decades, the rusting hull of Cheynes II has sat in the waters of Princess Royal Harbour, a reminder of a very different chapter in Albany’s history. 

Amy Towers

Shiralee McCracken, Wayne Smith and Yvonne Vogel.

Walk of fameIN PICTURES: Big night to honour Albany’s sporting greats

Some of Albany’s greatest sporting talents have been recognised for their achievements, with four members officially the first inductees into the city’s Sporting Walk of Fame. 

Amy Towers

Wayne Smith (golf), Tricia Heberle (hockey), Jodie Cooper (surfing) and the family of Diane Martin (nee Jackson, netball), Tasha Burnside, Kelly Martin and Weston Jackson.

Walk of FameFour champions first to be inducted in Sporting Walk of Fame

Four champions, whose routes to the highest level of their sports were forged in Albany, were inducted into the city’s Sporting Walk of Fame at a ceremony on Thursday evening at Retravision Stadium.

Claire Middleton

The Song Catchers cast Jarrad Inman, Matt Reuben James Ward, Jarred Wall and Lachlan Higgins.

Albany 2026Albany history inspires lively show about finding your voice

A fox, an echidna and a mythical tree are leading audiences into a world of lost songs and unlikely friendships in a new musical adventure premiering in Albany this week.

Amy Towers

John, Wendy, Charlotte and Jennifer Munro.

Albany 2026IN PICTURES: Sold-out show for Albany premiere of film

It was a full house at the Albany Entertainment Centre on Friday as hundreds huddled into theatre seats to watch the familiar sites, scenery and people on show in Albany-shot film Almost With You.

Melissa Sheil

Menang Noongar elder Lester Coyne on Mt Melville/Kardarup.

Albany 2026Lester Coyne lifetime of opening doors for Indigenous people

For Menang Noongar elder Lester Coyne, a lifetime of helping people find their place in the community has been more than just a job. 

Amy Towers

Golfer Wayne Smith, City of Albany mayor Greg Stocks and hockey Olympian Tricia Heberle. The City of Albany will announce the five inaugural members of the Sporting Walk of Fame on Thursday.

Walk of fameInaugural Albany Walk of Fame members to be inducted

Albany’s sporting greats will be recognised for their achievements and local connections, with five inaugural members set to join the city’s new Sporting Walk of Fame on Thursday. 

Amy Towers

Archetype Projects director Glenn Hegedus is giving a lookout tower a touch of colour.

Albany 2026Spark plug mural to reflect Albany 2026 listening motif

The drab grey concrete of Mt Melville’s iconic “spark plug” is slated for a makeover, with an esteemed local mural artist preparing the structure for a poignant new look.

Melissa Sheil

Louise Molan, Sienna Molan, 11 months, Darcy Molan, 3. Jenny Feast

albany 2026IN PICTURES: Inclusive fun a hit with Bornholm family day

Bornholm Hall was a riot of colour and activity on Friday as hundreds poured into the Great Southern town for a free day of fun.

Melissa Sheil

Emu Point attracted the crowds in the 1950s and 1960s.

Albany 2026Tranquil spot is a special place for picnics and pelicans

Emu Point has been, both by turn and all at once, one of Albany’s most desirable residential zones, a haven for picnics and paddling and an area at-risk of disappearing altogether through erosion.

Claire Middleton

Hundreds took part in Albany's popular 7s tournament.

Rugby 7sStorm ride the tackles but Joondalup dominate with five wins

Some 3000 players, coaching staff and their families descended on Albany at the weekend for the annual AFGRI 7s tournament, Rugby WA’s largest 7s event of the year.

Claire Middleton

Carol Petersen and Brooke Harrison.

NAIDOC eventIN PICTURES: Big crowd for Noongar Festival celebration

Large crowds gathered at Alison Hartman Gardens on Thursday to celebrate Noongar culture and community as part of the City of Albany’s NAIDOC celebrations. 

Amy Towers

Albany Storm players Felix Kennedy, 10, Archie Kennedy, 12, Tom Ellis, 9, Hunter Bakerman, 8 and Atley Leviczke, 9.

Rugby bonanza Albany Storm out in force as AFGRI 7s carnival comes to town

The AFGRI Albany 7s is coming to town, with more than 1000 junior rugby players set to fill Centennial Park at the weekend.

Claire Middleton

Albany historian Malcolm Traill will be among speakers bringing Albany’s history to life.

Albany 2026Dive deeper into Albany’s past at community history day

The Great Southern, Great History community history day is set to host historians from far and wide to share untold tales of Albany’s history, bringing a popular bicentenary series to a close.

Jacki Elezovich

Chair of the Albany Cemetery Board Jan Biglin at Memorial Park Cemetery. Laurie Benson

albany 2026Forgotten stories live on in old cemetery’s aging headstones

Just beneath a carved service hat and belt that is hanging off the sculpted branch of a tree stump, is the epitaph of a young man who died in April 1915.

Melissa Sheil

Mooditch Nop Dance Group's Lindsay Dean, Zepplin Dean, Jackson Simpson, Devin Edwards and Kaiden Simpson.

Noongar festivalGreat Southern Noongar Festival to celebrate culture

The Great Southern Noongar Festival will bring culture, creativity and community to Albany this week, with a packed program planned for the Alison Hartman Gardens. 

Amy Towers

Jo Morris with Larry Blight (centre stage) with the Ngallak Koort Boodja canvas.

albany 2026Bicentenary production tells Albany’s story on stage

Theatre 180 opened Our Place: Rain or Shine on Friday to a full house, with hundreds of locals turning out to see Albany’s story translated to the stage in the special bicentenary production. 

Jacki Elezovich

Vietnam veteran Laurie Fraser.

albany 2026Albany RSL to launch stalwart Laurie Fraser’s biography

Albany veteran and former RSL president Laurie Fraser has been an integral part of Albany’s commemoration of its servicepeople over the years, and is now set to have his story immortalised in print. 

Jacki Elezovich

Great Southern Wines' Mark Forrest and Alkoomi Wines' Sandi Hallett were set to be part of The Spring Social.

albany 2026Bustling street party set to for Stirling Terrace cancelled

The forecast of strong winds and heavy rain this weekend have forced organisers to cancel this weekend’s The Spring Social event in the CBD. 

Melissa Sheil

Our Place Rain Or Shine director Stuart Halusz.

Albany 2026Theatre 180 gearing up for special bicentenary production

Albany is set to take centre stage this weekend as Theatre 180 brings the city’s story to life in honour of its bicentenary in the original show Our Place: Rain Or Shine.

Jacki Elezovich

Former lord mayor Sir Ernest Lee-Steere looking at storm damage at Strawberry Hill farm.

Albany 2026Cyclone Alby wreaked havoc and caused disaster in Albany

It was a night that will never be forgotten in Albany.

Amy Towers