The City of Albany is a local government area in the Great Southern region of Western Australia, about 410 kilometres (255 mi) south-southeast of Perth, the capital of Western Australia. It covers an area of 4,312.3 square kilometres (1,665 sq mi), including the Greater Albany metropolitan area and the Port of Albany, as well as the surrounding agricultural district and some national parks. The City of Albany had a population of over 36,000 at the 2016 census.
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History
The Municipality of Albany was gazetted in 1871. It was initially headed by a chairman, with William Finlay becoming the first mayor in 1885.
The Albany Road Board was gazetted in 1896. On 1 July 1961, they became respectively the Town of Albany and Shire of Albany councils following changes to the Local Government Act.
The City of Albany was established on 1 July 1998 with the amalgamation of the Town of Albany and the Shire of Albany.
A new administration building and Civic Centre was constructed and opened in 2005 on North Road.
Indigenous people
The City of Albany is located on the traditional land of the Minang people of the Noongar nation.
Mayors
See also List of mayors of Albany, Western Australia
Alison Goode was mayor from 1999 until 2007. Milton Evans was elected mayor in 2007. Evans served until elections in 2011; he was defeated by Dennis Wellington in that year. Dennis Wellington was elected mayor for a second time in 2015. Wellington was re-elected again in 2019, and served as mayor until 2023. Greg Stocks is the current mayor. He was elected in October 2023.
Wards
The city has been divided into six wards, each of two councillors. Each councillor serves a four-year term, and half-elections are held every two years. The mayor is directly elected.
Albany's six wards are as follows:
Breaksea
Frederickstown (central Albany)
Kalgan
Vancouver
West
Yakamia
Towns, suburbs and localities
The towns, suburbs and localities of the City of Albany with population and size figures based on the most recent Australian census:
Heritage-listed places
As of 2023, 471 places are heritage-listed in the City of Albany, of which 95 are on the State Register of Heritage Places.
National Parks and Reserves
Bakers Junction Nature Reserve
Bald Island Nature Reserve
Gull Rock National Park
Mill Brook Nature Reserve
North and South Sister Nature Reserves
Tinkelelup Nature Reserve
Torndirrup National Park
Two Peoples Bay Nature Reserve
Waychinicup National Park
West Cape Howe National Park