Things to do in Albany, Western Australia

Day 1: Perth to Margaret River Begin by traveling south from Perth to the popular tourist town of Busselton. See the 19th-century jetty stretching 1.8km into the turquoise Geographe Bay. Stop at breathtaking Meelup Beach for lunch and a quick swim. Unleash the adventurer within embarking on a two-hour hike to Cape Naturalist in Leeuwin-Naturalise National Park. Descend into the magical Ngilgi Cave. Finally, arrive at Big Valley Caravan Park for the night. Day 2: Margaret River to Walpole In the morning, head to Surfers Point, at the Margaret River mouth to surfers, carve up the ocean. Embark on a 6km hike through one of the most scenic sections of the Cape to Cape Track from Redgate Beach to Contos. Taste your way around the world-renowned Margaret River region. Continue south into the pristine forests of the Walpole Wilderness Region. Visit the largest tingle tree in Western Australia and set up camp at idyllic Peaceful Bay. Day 3: Walpole and Albany Region After breakfast, pack up camp and roam on to William Bay National Park. Visit the Natural Bridge and The Gap. Set out on a two-hour hike through the forest to Castle Rock. Set up camp at a private campsite at Mt Trio with shower and toilet facilities. Day 4: Mt Trio to Cape Le Grand National Park Make your way towards Esperance and travel a little further east to Cape Le Grand National Park. Set up camp at Lucky Bay, where you will find an ocean colored all imaginable shades of blue and sand so white and fine it squeaks between your toes. The rest of the day is at your command. Day 5: Cape Le Grand National Park Wander onto the beach before spending a whole day unearthing this incredible park. Traverse through lush bushland, swim at fantastic bays and coves, and learn about its abundant flora and fauna. Embark on one of the best hikes of the tour, climbing Frenchman Peak to watch the sunset on the last night. Day 6: Esperance to Perth Depart early in the morning. Stop for lunch at a quintessential outback town and continue until reaching the 2,700-million-year-old Wave Rock. Hop back on the bus to see the historic township of York. Learn about the Rabbit-Proof Fence. Finally, roll into Perth in the evening after traveling around 9 hours with stops along the way.

Discover the gourmet gems of the Denmark food and wine scene on a sightseeing and tasting tour. Let your guide drive while you indulge your senses and hear passionate stories of cider-making. Explore flavorful sensations of the Great Southern in an array of cheeses made on the premises. Tantalizing handmade chocolates await and award-winning wines are available for tasting and purchase. Travel through towering cathedrals of karri forest and relax with views over the green landscape at lunch. Explore flavor at Duckett's Mill where an array of cheeses, cured meats, and condiments are presented in a mouth-watery shared platter lunch. Wines are available for tasting and purchase. Traditional cider making is explained at Denmark Heritage Cidery. The work of bees is savored at Bartholemews Meadery, where you'll have a dessert of ice cream. Then, visit a chocolatere to take home an Australian native bush lfavoured chocolate treat with which to reminisce.

Meander through backroads to taste outstanding wines from wineries of the Mt Barker sub-region of the Great Southern appellation; known for its Rieslings. This region has a characteristically cool climate with slow ripening times which allows for the development of rich flavors and quality grape juice. Wine tasting begins at Gilbert Wines, home to the ‘lads’ and where a morning coffee might be preferred. At Plantagenet wines, you are taken to the tasting bench to choose your wine and make your purchase to accompany a scrumptious shared platter lunch of local produce. Then it's on to Galafrey Wines, another family-owned winery and home to prominent female wine-maker Kim Tyrer. From there head to West Cape Howe where you can sample wine from their extensive range, olive oil, or their own brand of coffee. Our Busy Blue Bus Tour guide will take care of the skipper duties, while you relax and enjoy the scenery and the sensational flavors of the region.

Feel nurtured by nature.  Atop the Granite Skywalk, in the Porongorup National Park see boulders balancing, teetering on weatherworn pedestals. Castle Rock is a 4.2km return walk that requires moderate fitness.  To reach the spectacular views at the summit, requires a final short scramble over rocks and a climb in an enclosed ladder to the Granite Skywalk where a Busy Blue Bus guide will entertain you with intriguing stories of the area, from the traditional Noongar owners to the European settlers.  Suspended above the treetops you can breathe the clean air and exhilarate in the views to the Southern Ocean on this award-winning platform, newly opened to the public in this Heritage listed area. Savor the flavors of the Great Southern of Western in a selection from the menu at a Porongorups winery.  Rich soils, plentiful rain, and clean air nourish produce that travels only a short distance to your plate.

Visit the only complete whaling station tourism attraction in the world and embark on this adventure. Albany’s Historic Whaling Station was the last operating station in Australia and provides a fascinating insight into Albany’s colorful past. Explore this station that was recognized as a heritage site is an engaging and educational tourism attraction for all ages to enjoy. Gain your entry ticket to the restored whale processing factory. Find yourself immersed in the sights and sounds of the whaling industry.  Enjoy short films within the converted whale oil tanks. Climb aboard the Cheynes IV, the world’s only preserved whale chaser ship and see a giant blue whale skeleton.  Take in the world-renowned marine animal art collection and view precious scrimshaw art. Visit a variety of museum exhibits filled with authentic, whaling artifacts and memorabilia. Relax in the café overlooking one of Albany’s most picturesque bays. The unique, biodiverse location is also home to over 100,000 species of native plants which are displayed in the Regional Wildflower Garden. Families can enjoy free BBQs in the gardens and learn about the friendly collection of native animals at the Australian Wildlife Park. Enjoy a memorable day on The Amazing South Coast.

Take in the 360 degree views of the coastline from the summit of Stoney Hill. From here, amidst the bushland it is possible to see the vast expanse of the Southern Ocean and the rugged coastlines that early explorers first encountered as they rounded the peninsula for the sheltered waters of Princess Royal Harbour. Get closer to the edge! At The Gap, feel the power of the wind and water from the masterfully crafted, protected walkway lookout over the Gap.  See the pounding waves as they thrash the granite walls and surge through the spaces. Exhilarating!  Travel on to the cove from where sailing boats launch into the quiet harbor before one more view from the Albany Wind Farm to Mutton Bird Island. Looking across the vibrant City of Albany, see the granite formations of the Stirling and Porongurup Ranges in the distance. Complete your journey and exploration of the impressive coastline with a relaxing refreshment at Middleton Beach.

Set within the Princess Royal Fortress, the National Anzac Centre provides a deeply personal connection between yourself and those who served during WW1. Learn about the key phases and events of the First World War are told through the stories of the Anzac's themselves. Assume the identity of one of 32 characters, and follow their personal experience of the Great War from recruitment, training and embarkation, shipboard life on the convoys, the conflicts at Gallipoli, the Middle East and the Western Front, and post-war life for those who returned. Engage with these personal stories through interactive, multimedia displays, poignant artifacts, rare images and film, and audio commentary. On 1 November 1914, the first convoy of Australian and New Zealand troops departed for the First World War from King George Sound, Albany. For many, Albany was their last sight of Australian soil. Today Albany is known as the birthplace of the Anzac story and the home of the National Anzac Centre. As the story of conflicts within the National Anzac Centre draws to a close, the names of the 41,265 servicemen and women who left Albany in the first and second convoys are revealed: scrolling beneath a Pool of Reflections. The experience concludes with the discovery of each character’s fate and a Tribute Wall where visitors may document their own feelings and messages to the Anzacs.

Begin the tour curving around Princess Royal Harbor with a view to King George Sound and the Southern Ocean beyond.  Albany’s role in Australia’s whaling story comes to life on this tour at Albany’s Historic Whaling Station, Discovery Bay.  Climb aboard the famous whale chaser and marvel at the enormous whale skeletons on display. You haven’t seen Albany until you’ve visited the Historic Whaling Station, the only experience like it in the world!   Imagine yourself spotting on the prow of a whale chaser scanning the water to the tell-tale spume. Wind in your hair and salty spray in your face, you lean out and shade your eyes to the sun. Is your prey to be hunted or honoured? At Albany’s Historic Whaling Station, the history of whaling along the southern coastline of Western Australia is presented in animation, image and relic as you are guided through this educational and historic site.  Climb the Whaler chaser Cheynes IV. Complete your journey and exploration of the impressive coastline as you journey through the Torndirrup National Park.  What tales these granite mounds could tell. This tour provides reflection on the significance of whale hunting in the past, and recognition of the value of whale watching today. On return to Albany, journey through the Torndirrup National Park.  Simply breathtaking!

Curving around Mt Adelaide view the expanse of King George Sound. Breaksea Island comes into view, and stories of the construction of the lighthouse and its connection to the ANZAC narrative are revealed. Discover the role Albany played in the ANZAC campaign and visit the National ANZAC Center. Enjoy a break for tea and scones. In the historic precinct journey under the shade of trees planted to remember fallen soldiers, the Avenue of Honour leads to the Memorial of the Desert Mounted Corps. The dawn service is Padre White’s story. Take in the view from the summit, an easy and accessible walk. At Middleton Beach, pause a moment to absorb the vista of the ocean and perhaps, if lucky, a glimpse of sheltering whales and calves. Traveling into the city center, pass by the oldest farm in Western Australia and learn of the contribution it made to the social life and nourishment of the early community; a property with a chequered history.  Visit one of the earliest homes in Australia at Patrick Taylor Cottage. Could Albany have belonged to France?  British intervention soon put a stop to that!  Landmarks abound with the stamp of British settlement established in the early 1800’s. Hear about the treacherous voyage in the cramped quarters of The Brig Amity and its arrival, in Albany, on Christmas Day 1826.

Spend 14 days touring around the undiscovered regions of Western and South Australia. Stay in an underground Coober Pedy hotel. Go on a scenic flight at lake Eyre. Speed around the Flinders range by jeep. Walk 40 meters above the forest on a treetop walk. Taste Australian wine in Margaret River. Begin your outback exploration in the Northern Territory. Depart from Alice Springs, the gateway to the Red Center. Cross red desert sands to the opal mining town of Coober Pedy, famous for its underground homes, on day 2. Escape from the heat as you spend the night in an underground hotel. Depart Coober Pedy on day 3 to arrive at the cattle station service town of Marree, famous for having Australia's first mosque. Continue on day 4 as you go to Akaroola in the Flinders Range, known for its bird wildlife and nature sanctuary. Leave the mountains and drive to Port Augusta on day 5. Enjoy Port Augusta and the views of the Spencer Gulf as you head to Port Lincoln on day 6. Appreciate this city on the lower Eyre Peninsula, known as the seafood capital of Australia. Depart from here on day 7 to go to the Nullarbor. Marvel at the flat, arid plain, which is home to the largest single exposure of limestone bedrock in the world. Head to the roadhouse community of Balladonia on day 8. Arrive at the goldfields coastal town of Esperance on day 9, and gaze at the white, sandy beaches. Go north to the gold mining town of Kalgoorlie on day 10. Spend day 11 in this town and experience the Golden Mile. Appreciate being near one of the world's richest goldfields. Travel to Hyden on day 12, which is home to the famous Wave Rock, a 15-meter granite cliff. Arrive in the port city of Albany on day 13 and enjoy beaches on the southern tip of Western Australia. Travel to Pemberton in the southwest of the state, in the Margaret River region, on day 14. Reach your final destination of Perth on day 15 to conclude your amazing adventure.