Albany 2026: Historians go head to head over whether Princess Royal or Fremantle is WA’s best harbour

Albany is WA’s oldest port, but does it still hold the title of the best in WA?

Historians Malcolm Traill and Mike Lefroy are taking the argument of Fremantle Harbour versus Princess Royal Harbour to the test on Thursday night in a Gift of Truth Telling Lecture, a series exploring Albany’s history for the bicentenary.

The lecture will cover why Albany was chosen as such a prominent military base and acted as the main port of the WA colony until the turn of the 20th century, and why it was then overtaken by Fremantle.

Albany held its privileges as the preferred port for ships travelling to WA throughout the 1800s because Fremantle remained exposed to the full force of the Indian Ocean.

This was unlike Albany’s port, which was protected by the natural structures of King George Sound and Princess Royal Harbour.

However, the tides began to shift when Irish engineer C. Y. O’Connor designed and built Fremantle Harbour’s inner harbour.

Fremantle Harbour was officially opened in 1897, creating a similarly protected place for ships to dock at the mouth of the Swan River, close to the rapidly growing capital of Perth.

The nail in the coffin for Albany was marked by something that may not seem important enough to force such a huge change in WA’s economy: mail.

Until 1900, WA’s mail was dropped by P&O ships in Albany and transported to Perth by road in packhorses or carts, with the journey taking almost a week.

But in 1900, with the inner harbour at Fremantle completed and open for business, the first P&O ship docked in Fremantle, cutting days off the delivery time for mail to WA’s capital city and marking the end of Albany’s time as the State’s top port.

“August 20, 1900, was a sad day for the port of Albany because the India was the first P&O liner to bypass Albany and dock at Fremantle,” the Albany Advertiser reported at the time.

Despite this, Albany has remained an important port for WA in the century since, welcoming vessels of all kinds and sizes for both pleasure and trade.

In 1914 it was the place Anzac soldiers left Australia for the long voyage to Europe and Africa to fight in World War I.

More than 30,000 soldiers boarded 37 vessels, which grouped in the protected King George Sound before departing as a convoy.

It is now an important stop for cruise ships and cargo ships, with four port berths and a total land area spread over 84 hectares of land on Albany’s waterfront.

It welcomes more than 150 vessels a year and deals with almost five million tonnes of product per year from various suppliers.

Mr Traill and Mr Lefroy will face off in a battle of history on Thursday night, arguing the significant role of each port in WA’s history and its current economy, ultimately deciding which city is home to the best harbour.