Albany

On the southern coast of Western Australia, where the Great Southern Ocean hurls itself against a granite coastline sculpted by millennia of Antarctic storms, Albany holds the distinction of being the state’s oldest European settlement—predating Perth by two years. Founded in 1826 as a military outpost guarding the sea route to the east, this city of 35,000 occupies one of the world’s finest natural harbors: King George Sound, a deep-water anchorage so perfectly sheltered that it served as the assembly point for the first ANZAC convoy in 1914, when 41,000 Australian and New Zealand soldiers departed for Gallipoli and the war that would forge both nations’ identities.

The National ANZAC Centre, perched on the clifftop at Albany’s heritage precinct overlooking the Sound, is one of Australia’s most affecting war memorials. Through interactive personal stories of individual soldiers—tracked via identity tags throughout the exhibition—the museum transforms abstract history into intimate human narrative. The Dawn Service on ANZAC Day (April 25) at the memorial is considered the most authentic in Australia, held at the very spot where soldiers took their final glimpse of Australian soil. The nearby Convoy Walk traces the route the troops marched to their transport ships.

Albany’s natural setting is nothing short of extraordinary. The Gap and Natural Bridge at Torndirrup National Park—where the ocean has carved granite into formations that channel 40-meter swells into explosive performances of wave energy—rank among Australia’s most dramatic coastal viewpoints. The Blowholes, where ocean pressure forces water through rock fissures in towers of spray, add to the spectacle. From June through October, the Sound fills with southern right and humpback whales—Albany was Australia’s last operating whaling station (closed 1978), and the Historic Whaling Station museum, built into the former processing facility, offers a confronting but essential account of the industry’s rise and end.

The Great Southern region surrounding Albany produces some of Western Australia’s finest cool-climate wines. The Porongurup Range and Mount Barker sub-regions, just an hour’s drive north, specialize in Riesling, Pinot Noir, and Shiraz of remarkable elegance, their vineyard landscapes backed by the ancient Stirling Range—granite peaks over a billion years old that harbor wildflower displays of global significance during the September-November bloom. Albany’s food scene draws on local produce: Southern Ocean oysters, marron (freshwater crayfish) from inland streams, Black Angus beef from surrounding farms, and truffles from the region’s growing truffle industry.

P&O Cruises brings its vessels to Albany’s deep-water port, drawn by the combination of ANZAC heritage, dramatic Southern Ocean coastline, and cool-climate wine country that distinguishes this corner of Australia from the tropical north. The port’s location in King George Sound—one of Australia’s most sheltered anchorages—ensures comfortable calls even when the Southern Ocean is in full voice. March through May and September through November offer the most pleasant weather, with the whale season (June–October) and wildflower season (September–November) providing compelling seasonal draws.