King George Sound is one of the largest and most spectacular natural harbours in Australia and has played a defining role in the history of Western Australia for thousands of years. Renowned for its deep sheltered waters, strategic location and natural beauty, the Sound has served as a place of cultural significance, exploration, trade, defence, migration and maritime activity, helping shape the identity and development of Albany and the State itself.

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Located on Western Australia's south coast, approximately 418 kilometres southeast of Perth, King George Sound forms the maritime heart of Albany and the Great Southern region. The Sound stretches between Bald Head and the Flinders Peninsula to the southwest and Cape Vancouver to the northeast, encompassing some of the most sheltered waters in Australia. Two major harbours extend from the Sound: Oyster Harbour to the north and Princess Royal Harbour to the west.

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Although open to the Southern Ocean from the east, the Sound benefits from a series of natural barriers that create remarkably calm and protected waters. Michaelmas Island rises near the entrance to the Sound, helping to shield vessels from ocean swells, while Breaksea Island stands guard at the gateway. Within the Sound, Seal Island and Mistaken Island further reduce the force of incoming seas, creating deep and dependable anchorage that has attracted mariners for centuries.

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These natural advantages established King George Sound as one of the world's finest natural harbours. Princess Royal Harbour subsequently became Western Australia's only deepwater port for nearly seventy years, until the opening of Fremantle Inner Harbour in 1897.​

 

Early European Exploration

The first recorded European exploration of Western Australia's south coast occurred during 1626–27 when Dutch navigator Pieter Nuyts sailed aboard the Dutch East India Company vessel 't Gulden Zeepaert (The Golden Seahorse), commanded by Captain François Thijssen. Their voyage charted significant sections of Australia's southern coastline and represents the earliest known European contact with the region.

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However, it was not until September 1791 that King George Sound itself was formally explored and named. British explorer Captain George Vancouver, aboard HMS Discovery and accompanied by HMS Chatham, sailed between Michaelmas and Breaksea Islands and was immediately impressed by the size and safety of the harbour.

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Vancouver named the area "King George the Third's Sound" in honour of the reigning British monarch, King George III. Over time, the name evolved into King George's Sound and eventually the modern form, King George Sound. During his exploration, Vancouver also discovered and named Princess Royal Harbour after Princess Charlotte Augusta Matilda, the first daughter and fourth child of King George III. The harbour would later become one of the most important ports in Australian history.

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In December 1801 and January 1802, British navigator Matthew Flinders arrived on the south coast of Western Australia aboard HMS Investigator during his historic circumnavigation of Australia. Flinders spent time surveying and charting King George Sound and the surrounding coastline, building upon the earlier work of Captain George Vancouver. During his visit, Flinders carefully mapped the Sound's harbours, islands and coastal features, contributing valuable knowledge to British navigation and exploration of the continent. Several local landmarks, including the Flinders Peninsula, were later named in recognition of his achievements.

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Flinders' surveys helped establish King George Sound as one of the finest natural harbours in Australia and reinforced its strategic importance to future explorers, mariners and colonial authorities. His work formed part of the first complete scientific survey of Australia's coastline and contributed significantly to the understanding of the continent's geography.

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Whaling and Maritime Industry

The sheltered waters of King George Sound became one of Australia's earliest centres of commercial whaling. Whaling operations were active in the region as early as 1801, taking advantage of the large populations of southern right and humpback whales that migrated through local waters. Throughout the nineteenth century, whaling became one of Albany's most important industries, contributing significantly to the local economy and supporting maritime trade and employment. The industry continued in various forms for almost two centuries and remains an important chapter in Albany's maritime heritage.

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Arrival of the Amity

On Christmas Day 1826, the colonial brig Amity sailed into the Sound carrying Major Edmund Lockyer, soldiers, convicts and supplies. The following day, the party landed at what is now Residency Point and established a military outpost on behalf of the Government of New South Wales.

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The settlement, initially known as Frederick Town, was formally proclaimed on 21 January 1827. In 1832, Governor James Stirling officially renamed the settlement Albany, although the broader region continued to be referred to as King George's Sound for many years. From these beginnings, Albany grew from a military garrison and penal outpost into one of the most important settlements in Western Australia.

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Gateway to the Colony

The exceptional qualities of King George Sound quickly established Albany as Western Australia's principal maritime gateway.

Its sheltered waters welcomed explorers, sealers, whalers, traders, settlers and immigrants arriving from around the world. During much of the nineteenth century, Princess Royal Harbour served as the colony's primary point of international contact.

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As Albany developed, it became the centre of the pastoral industry and a vital port for coastal and international shipping. Wool, livestock products and agricultural goods were exported through the harbour, while imported goods, mail and passengers arrived from Britain and the eastern colonies.

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During the 1850s, Albany was selected as Western Australia's official coaling station and mail steamer port. Steamships travelling between Great Britain and Australia regularly called at King George Sound, making Albany the principal gateway to the colony.

For decades, most people travelling to and from Western Australia passed through Albany. The harbour handled mail, passengers, cargo and communications, connecting the colony to the rest of Australia and the wider world.

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Charles Darwin and HMS Beagle

On 8 March 1836, HMS Beagle entered King George Sound during the final stages of its historic voyage around the world. On board was the young naturalist Charles Darwin, who spent eight days exploring the area and collecting plant specimens. His observations of the region formed part of the scientific knowledge gathered during the voyage and contributed to the research that would later influence his revolutionary theory of evolution. Today, Darwin's visit remains one of the most significant scientific events associated with Albany and King George Sound.

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Defence and the Princess Royal Fortress

The strategic importance of King George Sound led to the construction of one of Australia's earliest coastal defence systems.

Recognising that the loss of such a valuable harbour could threaten the security of Australia, all Australian colonies agreed to contribute to the construction of defensive fortifications overlooking the Sound. The British Government supplied the artillery while the colonies shared the cost of construction.

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The Princess Royal Fortress officially opened in 1893 on Mount Adelaide and became Australia's first federal defence project. Positioned high above the harbour, the fortress commanded sweeping views across King George Sound and Princess Royal Harbour. For more than sixty years the fortress stood ready to defend the harbour. Although its guns were never fired in combat, they remained an important deterrent until their military role ended in 1956.

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The Great White Fleet

In September 1908, King George Sound welcomed one of the most famous naval visits in Australian history.

The United States Navy's Great White Fleet arrived in Albany during its global circumnavigation. The fleet's battleships required coal supplies before continuing their 3,500-mile voyage to Manila, and Albany's sheltered harbour provided the ideal replenishment point. Thousands of residents gathered to witness the arrival of the impressive vessels, an event that remains one of the most celebrated naval visits in Albany's history.

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The Departure of the ANZAC Convoy

King George Sound's most famous moment came during the First World War. On 1 November 1914, the first ANZAC convoy assembled in the Sound. Twenty-eight Australian troopships and ten New Zealand troopships gathered alongside naval escorts, carrying approximately 29,000 soldiers and more than 7,000 horses. Although Fremantle had initially been considered as the assembly point, King George Sound's vast sheltered waters were considered better suited to accommodate such a large fleet.

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The convoy departed via Ceylon and the Suez Canal for training camps in Egypt before many of the soldiers would go on to fight at Gallipoli and on the Western Front. For thousands aboard, Albany represented their final sight of Australia.

Today, the departure of the ANZAC convoy remains one of the most significant events in Australian and New Zealand military history.

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World War II and Allied Operations

During the Second World War, King George Sound once again became strategically important. The harbour served as a refuelling, supply and operational base for Allied naval forces, including the United States Navy. Its deep sheltered waters provided a secure location for vessels operating throughout the Indian and Pacific Oceans.

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Nearby Stony Hill and the Princess Royal Fortress precinct continued their important contribution to Australia's wartime defence network, building upon their earlier role during the First World War.

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A Harbour that Shaped a State

The story of Albany is inseparable from the story of King George Sound. As Western Australia's oldest permanent European settlement and one of Australia's most historically significant ports, Albany owes much of its development to the deep, sheltered waters that made King George Sound famous around the world. The Sound became the centre of pastoral exports, coastal shipping and international trade, connecting Western Australia to Britain and the wider world. It welcomed explorers, traders, settlers, immigrants, naval fleets and military convoys, each leaving their mark upon its shores.

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For generations, the harbour has witnessed waves of adventure, resilience and hope. It has weathered storms, embraced change and guided those who depended upon its shelter and resources. More than a harbour, King George Sound is the foundation upon which Albany was built, a place where Aboriginal heritage, maritime history, natural beauty and national significance come together. It remains one of Australia's great natural harbours and a living reminder of the custodian, people, events and stories that helped shape Western Australia.