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Albury (; ) is a major regional city that is located in the
Murray Murray may refer to: Businesses * Murray (bicycle company), an American bicycle manufacturer * Murray Motor Car Company, an American car manufacturer * Murrays, an Australian bus company * Murray International Trust, a Scottish investment trus ...
region of
New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...
, Australia. It is part of the twin city of Albury-Wodonga and is located on the
Hume Highway The Hume Highway, including the sections now known as the Hume Freeway and the Hume Motorway, is one of Australia's major inter-city national highways, running for between Melbourne in the southwest and Sydney in the northeast. Upgrading of t ...
and the northern side of the
Murray River The Murray River (in South Australia: River Murray; Ngarrindjeri language, Ngarrindjeri: ''Millewa'', Yorta Yorta language, Yorta Yorta: ''Dhungala'' or ''Tongala'') is a river in Southeastern Australia. It is List of rivers of Australia, Aust ...
. Albury is the
seat of local government The seat of government is (as defined by ''Brewer's Politics'') "the building, complex of buildings or the city from which a government exercises its authority". In most countries, the nation's capital is also seat of its government, thus that ...
for the council area which also bears the city's name – the
City of Albury The City of Albury (stylised as AlburyCity) is a local government area in the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia. The area covers to the north of the Murray River. The area extends around east and west along the river from the centr ...
. It is on the Victoria–New South Wales border. Albury has an urban population of 53,677 and is separated from its twin city in Victoria,
Wodonga Wodonga (pronounced ; ) is a city on the Victorian side of the border with New South Wales, north-east of Melbourne, Australia. It is part of the twin city of Albury-Wodonga and is located wholly within the boundaries of the City of Wodonga L ...
, by the Murray River. Together, the two cities form an urban area with a population of 97,793 in 2021. Combined population of urban areas. It is from the state capital Sydney and from the
Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Queen Victoria (1819–1901), Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India * Victoria (state), a state of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, a provincial capital * Victoria, Seychelles, the capi ...
n capital Melbourne. Said to be named after a village in England, United Kingdom, Albury developed as a major transport link between New South Wales and Victoria and was proclaimed a city in 1946.


History

The
Wiradjuri The Wiradjuri people (; ) are a group of Aboriginal Australian people from central New South Wales, united by common descent through kinship and shared traditions. They survived as skilled hunter-fisher-gatherers, in family groups or clans, a ...
(Wiradjuri northern dialect pronunciation iraːjd̪uːraj or Wirraayjuurray people (Wiradjuri southern dialect pronunciation iraːjɟuːraj people were the first known humans to occupy the area, and are a group of Indigenous Australian Aboriginal people that were united by a common language, strong ties of kinship and survived as skilled hunter–fisher–gatherers in family groups or clans scattered throughout central New South Wales. In the 21st century, major Wiradjuri groups live in
Condobolin Condobolin is a town in the west of the Central West region of New South Wales, Australia, on the Lachlan River. At the , Condobolin had a population of 3,185. History Prior to European settlement, the area was inhabited by the Wiradjuri pe ...
, Peak Hill,
Narrandera Narrandera ( ), until around 1949 also spelled "Narandera", is a town located in the central Riverina region of south-western New South Wales, Australia. The town lies on the junction of the Newell Highway, Newell and Sturt Highway, Sturt highwa ...
and
Griffith Griffith may refer to: People * Griffith (name) * Griffith (surname) * Griffith (given name) Places Antarctica * Mount Griffith, Ross Dependency * Griffith Peak (Antarctica), Marie Byrd Land * Griffith Glacier, Marie Byrd Land * Griffith Ridge, ...
. There are significant populations at Wagga Wagga and Leeton and smaller groups at West Wyalong, Parkes, Dubbo, Forbes, Cootamundra, Cowra and Young.


European exploration

The explorers
Hume and Hovell The Hume and Hovell expedition was a journey of exploration undertaken in eastern Australia. In 1824 the Governor of New South Wales, Sir Thomas Brisbane, commissioned Hamilton Hume and former Royal Navy Captain William Hovell to lead an ex ...
arrived at what their maps called 'Crossing Point', but is now known as the
Murray River The Murray River (in South Australia: River Murray; Ngarrindjeri language, Ngarrindjeri: ''Millewa'', Yorta Yorta language, Yorta Yorta: ''Dhungala'' or ''Tongala'') is a river in Southeastern Australia. It is List of rivers of Australia, Aust ...
at Albury, on 16 November 1824. They named the river the ''Hume River'', after Hume's father, and the next day inscribed a tree by the river bank before continuing their journey south to Westernport in Victoria. In 1830, explorer Captain
Charles Sturt Charles Napier Sturt (28 April 1795 – 16 June 1869) was a British officer and explorer of Australia, and part of the European land exploration of Australia, European exploration of Australia. He led several expeditions into the interior of the ...
discovered the Hume River downstream at its junction with the
Murrumbidgee River The Murrumbidgee River () is a major tributary of the Murray River within the Murray–Darling basin and the second longest river in Australia. It flows through the Australian state of New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory, desce ...
. Not realising it was the same river, he named it the Murray River. Both names persisted for some time, Hume falling into disuse eventually in favour of Murray. The Aboriginal name for the river was ''Millewa''. A crossing place for the Murray became popular close to where Hovell inscribed the tree. In summer it was usually possible to cross the river by foot.


British settlement

Among the first
squatters Squatting is the action of occupying an abandoned or unoccupied area of land or a building (usually residential) that the squatter does not own, rent or otherwise have lawful permission to use. The United Nations estimated in 2003 that there wer ...
to follow in the steps of the explorers and settle in the district were William Wyse and
Charles Ebden Charles Hotson Ebden (1811 – 28 October 1867) was an Australian pastoralist and politician, a member of the New South Wales Legislative Council, the Victorian Legislative Council and the Victorian Legislative Assembly. Early life Ebden ...
. The first European buildings erected at the crossing place were a provisions store and some small huts. A survey for a town was commissioned in 1838 by Assistant Surveyor Thomas Townsend who mapped out Wodonga Place (the present Wodonga Place) as the western boundary, Hume Street as the northern boundary, Kiewa Street to the east and Nurigong Street to the south, with Townsend Street being the only other north–south road, and Ebden and Hovell Streets being the two other east–west roads. Townsend proposed the settlement be named 'Bungambrawatha ', the Aboriginal name for the area, but when his plan was eventually approved and published in the Government Gazette on 13 April 1839 the name had been changed to Albury. Albury is said to be named after a village in
Kent Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...
, England which it apparently resembled, though that referenced publication seems incorrect since there is no Albury in Kent. More plausible is Albury in adjacent Surrey, straddling the Tillingbourne river and a significant 18th century site of mills and industry.


Frontier town

By 1847 the Albury settlement included two
public house A pub (short for public house) is in several countries a drinking establishment licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption Licensing laws of the United Kingdom#On-licence, on the premises. The term first appeared in England in the ...
s and a handful of huts, a police barracks and a blacksmiths. A log punt established in 1844 serviced the crossing of the
Murray River The Murray River (in South Australia: River Murray; Ngarrindjeri language, Ngarrindjeri: ''Millewa'', Yorta Yorta language, Yorta Yorta: ''Dhungala'' or ''Tongala'') is a river in Southeastern Australia. It is List of rivers of Australia, Aust ...
. Albury Post Office opened on 1 April 1843, closed in 1845, then reopened in the township on 1 February 1847. In 1851, with the separation of Victoria from New South Wales, and the border falling on the Murray River, Albury found itself a frontier town. With an increase in commerce with Melbourne, the first bridge was built in 1860 to the design of surveyor
William Snell Chauncy William Snell Chauncy (11 August 1820 – 3 July 1878) was an English civil engineer responsible for a number of important engineering works including the first steam railway opened in Australia. Early life and work William Snell Chauncy was b ...
. Albury at this time became a customs post between the two colonies as New South Wales held a protectionist stance after gaining its constitution in 1856. Albury was at this time starting to grow substantially with German speaking immigrants using the area to grow grapes for wine. By the 1870s a butter factory was established,
flour mill A gristmill (also: grist mill, corn mill, flour mill, feed mill or feedmill) grinds cereal grain into flour and middlings. The term can refer to either the grinding mechanism or the building that holds it. Grist is grain that has been separat ...
,
wineries A winery is a building or property that produces wine, or a business involved in the cultivation and production of wine, such as a wine company. Some wine companies own many wineries. Besides wine making equipment, larger wineries may also feat ...
and locally brewed
cider Cider ( ) is an alcoholic beverage made from the Fermented drink, fermented Apple juice, juice of apples. Cider is widely available in the United Kingdom (particularly in the West Country) and Ireland. The United Kingdom has the world's highest ...
and soft drinks were available. The railway line from Sydney arrived at Albury in 1881 (see Transport-Rail below). A temporary wooden railway bridge joined the line to the Victorian network in 1883. New South Wales and Victoria had different track gauges until 1962, when the first train ran direct from Sydney to Melbourne. The two states could not initially agree which should be the transfer point so they had an expensive and attractive iron lattice bridge sent from Scotland which accommodated both gauges. There was a school operating at Albury in 1848, catering for 13 private students. The following year the first National School opened on the corner of Dean and Kiewa Streets, with 73 students enrolled. In 1862 a new school was built in Olive Street on land which is now part of Albury Public School. The city's first mayor, James Fallon, was an innovator of the Public School, funding a demonstration High School to be built on Kiewa Streets. Albury High School opened in Kiewa Street in 1927.


20th-century city

The ''Royal Commission on Sites for the Seat of Government of the Commonwealth'' report of 1903 recommended Albury (along with
Tumut Tumut () is a town in the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia, situated on the banks of the Tumut River. Tumut sits on the north-west foothills of the Snowy Mountains and is located on the traditional lands of the Wiradjuri, Wolgalu ...
) as the preferred candidate for the
national capital A capital city, or just capital, is the municipality holding primary status in a country, state, province, department, or other subnational division, usually as its seat of the government. A capital is typically a city that physically encomp ...
, though the proposal met staunch opposition from residents.'The National Capital: Why Albury was not chosen' from The West Australian. Friday 6 May 1938. pg. 24 At a public meeting, just one member of parliament voted in favour of Albury –
Isaac Isaacs Sir Isaac Alfred Isaacs, (6 August 1855 – 11 February 1948) was an Australian lawyer, politician, and judge who served as the ninth Governor-General of Australia, in office from 1931 to 1936. He had previously served on the High Court of Au ...
, member for
Indi Indi may refer to: *Mag-indi language *Division of Indi, an electoral division in the Australian House of Representatives * Indi, Karnataka, a town in the state of Karnataka, India * Instrument Neutral Distributed Interface, a distributed control s ...
. The lack of support for other places ultimately led to the selection of Canberra as the preferred site. In 1934, a
Douglas DC-2 The Douglas DC-2 is a retired 14-passenger, twin-engined airliner that was produced by the American company Douglas Aircraft Company starting in 1934. It competed with the Boeing 247. In 1935, Douglas produced a larger version called the DC-3 ...
airliner of
KLM KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, or simply KLM (an abbreviation for their official name Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij N.V. , ),
(the "Uiver"), a competitor in the
MacRobertson Trophy Air Race The MacRobertson Trophy Air Race (also known as the London to Melbourne Air Race) took place in October 1934 in aviation, 1934 as part of the 1934 Centenary of Melbourne, Melbourne Centenary celebrations. The race was devised by the Lord Mayor o ...
(also known as the London to Melbourne Air Race), made an emergency night landing at the town's racecourse after becoming lost during severe thunderstorms. After signalling by
Morse code Morse code is a telecommunications method which Character encoding, encodes Written language, text characters as standardized sequences of two different signal durations, called ''dots'' and ''dashes'', or ''dits'' and ''dahs''. Morse code i ...
A-L-B-U-R-Y to the lost aircrew by using the entire town's public lighting system, the "Uiver" was guided in to land safely. The makeshift runway at the racecourse was illuminated by the headlights of cars belonging to local residents who had responded to a special news bulletin on ABC radio station 2CO. The next morning many local volunteers helped pull the stranded aircraft out of the mud and the aircraft was able to take off and continue to Melbourne where it won first prize in the race's handicap category and was second overall. Albury and Wodonga played a military role in World War II with the establishment of ordnance bases at
Bandiana Bandiana is a Suburb of the City of Wodonga local government area in northeast Victoria, Australia. History Bandiana takes its name from the early name for the area, probably from a First Nations toponym. The hill now known as Bears Hill appea ...
and
Bonegilla Bonegilla is a town of the City of Wodonga local government area in north-east Victoria, Australia, east of Wodonga, and around north-east of Melbourne. At the , Bonegilla and the surrounding area had a population of 610. History Bonegilla ...
. Proclaimed a city in 1946, Albury played a role in the
post-war immigration to Australia Post-war immigration to Australia deals with migration to Australia in the decades immediately following World War II, and in particular refers to the predominantly European wave of immigration which occurred between 1945 and the end of the Whi ...
with the establishment nearby of Australia's first migrant centre, the
Bonegilla Migrant Reception and Training Centre The Bonegilla Migrant Reception and Training Centre was a Post-war immigration to Australia#Migrant reception and training centres, camp set up for receiving and training migrants to Australia during the Post war immigration to Australia, post ...
in 1947. Albury's proximity to Wodonga has spurred several efforts to achieve some kind of municipal governmental union (see Albury-Wodonga). In 1973, Albury-Wodonga was selected as the primary focus of the
Whitlam Edward Gough Whitlam (11 July 191621 October 2014) was the 21st prime minister of Australia, serving from December 1972 to November 1975. To date the longest-serving federal leader of the Australian Labor Party (ALP), he was notable for being ...
federal government's scheme to redirect the uncontrolled growth of Australia's large coastal cities (Sydney and Melbourne in particular) by encouraging decentralisation. Grand plans were made to turn Albury-Wodonga into a major inland city and large areas of the surrounding farmland were compulsorily purchased by the government. Some industries were enticed to move there, and a certain amount of population movement resulted. However, the current urban population is approximately 92,200. Estimated resident population, 30 June 2018.


Population

According to the 2021 census of Population, there were 53,677 people in the Albury part of the Albury – Wodonga Urban Centre. * Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made up 2.9% of the population. * 81.2% of people were born in Australia. The next most common countries of birth were England 1.9%, India 1.2%, New Zealand 1.0%, Philippines 0.6% and Bhutan 0.6%. * 86.0% of people only spoke English at home. Other languages spoken at home included Nepali 1.1%, Punjabi 0.6%, Mandarin 0.3%, Greek 0.3% and Hindi 0.3%. * The most common responses for religion were No Religion 27.7%, Catholic 25.4% and Anglican 16.7%.


Climate and geography

Albury is situated above the river flats of the Murray River, in the foothills of the
Great Dividing Range The Great Dividing Range, also known as the East Australian Cordillera or the Eastern Highlands, is a cordillera system in eastern Australia consisting of an expansive collection of mountain ranges, plateaus and rolling hills. It runs roughl ...
. At the city's airport, Albury is above sea level.


Climate

Albury has a mild,
temperate climate In geography, the temperate climates of Earth occur in the middle latitudes (approximately 23.5° to 66.5° N/S of the Equator), which span between the tropics and the polar regions of Earth. These zones generally have wider temperature ra ...
, with cool, damp winters and warm to hot, mostly dry, summers. Under the
Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...
, Albury has a
humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...
(''Cfa''), but would have tendencies of a
Mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate ( ), also called a dry summer climate, described by Köppen and Trewartha as ''Cs'', is a temperate climate type that occurs in the lower mid-latitudes (normally 30 to 44 north and south latitude). Such climates typic ...
(''Csa'') as well. In high summer, the mean daily maximum temperature is with low humidity; however, this is subject to substantial daily variation. An average of 17 days with a maximum above occur in this summer period, with many cooler days. Mean mid winter maxima are with many cloudy days, and is likewise the wettest season. Albury gets approximately 20 days per year featuring minima of below freezing, though the cloud cover tends to limit frost. Sleet may occur during the winter months, but settling snowfalls are very rare, with the last significant snowfall in July 1966. The highest temperature recorded at Albury was 46.1 °C on 4 January 2020, and the lowest temperature was −4.0 °C recorded on 8 August 1994 (both at the Airport AWS station). Albury's mean annual rainfall is . Rainfall peaks distinctly in the winter months with a high mean of in July and August, comparing with the February low of . Albury has quite a high evaporation rate in summer, giving the environment a relatively arid appearance. The city enjoys a high amount of sunshine, getting around 108 days of clear skies annually (with the majority in summer and early autumn). The sunniest month is January, with 14.6 clear days (and 7.7 cloudy days), and the cloudiest month is July, with 17.5 cloudy days (and 3.9 clear days).


Albury Airport AWS (1993–2022)

The airport is a more sheltered site than the reservoir, generally attaining greater maximum temperatures but also lower minima. Rainfall is lower across the board.


Governance

Albury is the largest city in the Federal electorate of
Farrer Farrer may refer to: People * Alisha Farrer (born 1993), Australian actress and model * Austin Farrer (1904–1968), English theologian, philosopher, and friend of C. S. Lewis * Buster Farrer (1936–2025), South African cricketer * Claude Farrer ...
, whose current representative is
Sussan Ley Sussan Penelope Ley (pron. , "Susan Lee"; ; born 14 December 1961) is an Australian politician who is the current Leader of the Opposition (Australia), Leader of the Opposition and Leader of the Liberal Party of Australia, leader of the Liberal ...
of the
Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...
. The previous Federal MP was
Tim Fischer Timothy Andrew Fischer (3 May 1946 – 22 August 2019) was an Australian politician and diplomat who served as leader of the National Party of Australia, National Party from 1990 to 1999. He was the tenth Deputy Prime Minister of Australia, d ...
, who was leader of the
National Party National Party or Nationalist Party may refer to: Active parties * National Party of Australia, commonly known as ''The Nationals'' * Bangladesh: ** Bangladesh Nationalist Party ** Jatiya Party (Ershad) a.k.a. ''National Party (Ershad)'' * Californ ...
and
Deputy Prime Minister of Australia The deputy prime minister of Australia is the deputy Chief executive officer, chief executive and the Deputy prime minister, second highest ranking officer of the Australian Government. The office of deputy prime minister was officially creat ...
. In State politics, the
Electoral district of Albury Albury is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales. It is currently held by Justin Clancy of the Liberal Party. Albury is a regional electorate in the state's south. It encompasses the local ...
is currently represented by Justin Clancy, also of the Liberal Party. The member for Albury between 1932 and 1946,
Alexander Mair Alexander Mair (25 August 18893 August 1969) was an Australian politician who served as Premier of New South Wales from 5 August 1939 to 16 May 1941. Born in Melbourne, Mair worked in various businesses there before moving to Albury, New Sou ...
, was the
Premier of New South Wales The premier of New South Wales is the head of government in the state of New South Wales, Australia. The Government of New South Wales follows the Westminster system, Westminster Parliamentary System, with a Parliament of New South Wales actin ...
from 1939 to 1941. Local government is the responsibility of the
Albury City Council The City of Albury (stylised as AlburyCity) is a local government area in the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia. The area covers to the north of the Murray River. The area extends around east and west along the river from the centr ...
, whose area of responsibility has gradually been enlarged to cover new housing estates on the city's fringes. Amanda Duncan-Strelec became Albury's first female
Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...
in 1995, serving for one year. The current mayor of Albury is Kevin Mack. Albury has a longstanding connection to conservative politics. Following the first convention in
Canberra Canberra ( ; ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the Federation of Australia, federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's list of cities in Australia, largest in ...
to form the
Liberal Party of Australia The Liberal Party of Australia (LP) is the prominent centre-right political party in Australia. It is considered one of the two major parties in Australian politics, the other being the Australian Labor Party (ALP). The Liberal Party was fo ...
, delegates, including
Sir Robert Menzies ''Sir'' is a formal honorific address in English for men, derived from Sire in the High Middle Ages. Both are derived from the old French "" (Lord), brought to England by the French-speaking Normans, and which now exist in French only as part ...
, met for a second conference in Albury at Mate's Department Store between 14 and 16 December 1944. The delegates agreed on the structure of the party organisation, adopted a provisional constitution and appointed a federal executive until one could be formally elected.


City and suburbs

The city has a number of suburbs. Central Albury comprises the central business district (CBD) and lies between the railway line, the Murray River and Monument Hill. Much commercial activity is concentrated here, with Dean Street forming the axis of the main shopping and office district. A cultural precinct is centred on QEII Square, which includes the
Albury Library Museum Albury Library Museum is a combined library and museum in Albury, New South Wales, Australia. Designed by Ashton Raggatt McDougall it was opened in 2007. The library has 50,000 books, magazines and electronic media items. The building received t ...
, Murray Art Museum Albury (MAMA), Albury Entertainment Centre and Convention Centre, and the Murray Conservatorium. In the same block are the Post Office, Police Station and Courthouse, and St Matthew's Anglican Church (which was rebuilt after being destroyed by fire in 1990). The Albury City Council offices are located on Kiewa Street. Forrest Hill lies directly north west and covers the saddle between Monument Hill and Nail Can Hill. West over the ridge lies
West Albury West Albury is a suburb of the city of Albury, New South Wales, located west of the Albury Central Business District. At the , West Albury had a population of 3,851. West Albury covers the slopes of Nail Can Hill on the Murray River floodplain, ...
. West Albury is primarily a residential area, but it is home to the First World War Memorial (locally known as the Monument), Riverwood Retirement Village, Albury Wodonga Private Hospital (which lies on the corner of Pemberton Street and the Riverina Highway), and the Albury sewage treatment plant. All of West Albury was once wetland and bush. The only remnant of this is Horseshoe Lagoon to the south-west of the suburb, which has been declared a Wildlife Refuge by NSW Parks & Wildlife and incorporated into the Wonga Wetlands. To the north-west of West Albury is Pemberton Park.
East Albury East Albury is a suburb of the city of Albury, New South Wales, located east of the Albury Central Business District. At the 2006 census, East Albury had a population of 5686. East Albury lies on the eastern side of the railway/freeway line ...
lies east of the railway line/freeway from the CBD and houses now cover the eastern hill alongside the Albury Base Hospital, while the flat land directly north of it is covered by parkland, housing and light industry, and a
retail park A retail park is a type of shopping centre found on the fringes of most large towns and cities in the United Kingdom and other European countries. Retail parks form a key aspect of European retail geographies, alongside indoor shopping centres, ...
including
Harvey Norman Harvey Norman is an Australian multinational retailer of furniture, bedding, computers, communications and consumer electrical products. It mainly operates as a franchise, with the main brand and all company-operated stores owned by ASX-lis ...
and
Spotlight Spotlight or spot light may refer to: Lighting * Spot light, an articulating automotive auxiliary lamp * Spotlight (theatre lighting) * Spotlight, a searchlight * Stage lighting instrument, stage lighting instruments, of several types Art, ent ...
franchises, as well as the city airport. The Mungabareena Reserve lies on the Murray south of the airport, and is considered an Aboriginal cultural site of some significance. Mungabareena means "place of plenty talk" in the
Wiradjuri The Wiradjuri people (; ) are a group of Aboriginal Australian people from central New South Wales, united by common descent through kinship and shared traditions. They survived as skilled hunter-fisher-gatherers, in family groups or clans, a ...
language. South Albury is a mix of residential and industrial areas, with the floodplains south of the railway line and freeway still used for farming and grazing. Flood mitigation works in the 1990s have dramatically reduced the risk of flooding in this area. North Albury was covered by orchards and vineyards in the first half of the 20th century, and a swamp existed where James Fallon High School now stands. After the World War II, housing development in the area increased and Waugh Road was extended from David Street to the "Five Ways" intersection at Union Road, which ascribes the border between North Albury and Lavington. The locality of ''Glenroy'' is adjacent to North Albury, west of the Bungambrawartha Creek, and housing was developed here in the 1970s, including a significant Housing Commission public housing estate. Lavington is the largest suburb of Albury, and the only suburb which has its own postcode (2641, as opposed to 2640 for the balance of Albury). The suburb was originally named Black Range in the 1850s and 1860s, before being renamed Lavington in 1910. Originally within the boundaries of Hume Shire, it was absorbed into the City of Albury
Local Government Area A local government area (LGA) is an administrative division of a country that a local government is responsible for. The size of an LGA varies by country but it is generally a subdivision of a federated state, state, province, division (politica ...
in the 1950s. Housing and commercial development has continued from that point until this day. Prior to 2007, the
Hume Highway The Hume Highway, including the sections now known as the Hume Freeway and the Hume Motorway, is one of Australia's major inter-city national highways, running for between Melbourne in the southwest and Sydney in the northeast. Upgrading of t ...
– passed north-east through the suburb, with Urana Road passing north-west through the suburb from the "Five Ways" road junction. In 2007, an internal bypass of the Hume Freeway was opened, with the former name of the Hume Highway section officially reverting to the commonly used "Wagga Road". The suburb of Lavington also includes the localities of Springdale Heights, Hamilton Valley and Norris Park. Albury's lawn cemetery and crematorium lies at the western end of Union Road.
Thurgoona Thurgoona is an outer suburb of the regional city of Albury, New South Wales, Albury in southern New South Wales, Australia. The suburb is located in the City of Albury Local government in Australia, local government area. History Thurgoona ...
, to the east of Lavington, was established as a new residential suburb by the Albury Wodonga Development Corporation in the 1970s. In the 1990s a new campus of
Charles Sturt University Charles Sturt University is an Australian multi-campus public university located in New South Wales, Australian Capital Territory and Victoria, Australia, Victoria. Established in 1989, it was named in honour of Captain (British Army and Royal ...
was established here, as was an office of the Murray Darling Freshwater Research Centre. A major golf club (Thurgoona Country Club Resort) is also situated in this suburb. Further outlying localities include Splitters Creek – a small residential/farming community to the west, Ettamogah (home of the
Ettamogah Pub The Ettamogah Pub is a cartoon pub that was featured in the now defunct '' Australasian Post'' magazine. The cartoonist Ken Maynard, loving empty spaces and having nothing around him, enjoyed an area just outside Albury at Table Top, New South W ...
), Bowna and Table Top to the north, and Wirlinga and
Lake Hume Hume Dam, formerly the Hume Weir, is a major dam across the Murray River downstream of its junction with the Mitta River in the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia. The dam's purpose includes flood mitigation, hydro-power, irrigation, ...
village to the east.
Howlong Howlong is a town west of Albury, New South Wales, Albury, and is situated on the Murray River which separates the Australian states of New South Wales and Victoria (Australia), Victoria. The town is located on the Riverina Highway. There is a ...
(20 km west) and
Jindera Jindera is a small town in the South West Slopes section of the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia. The town is situated in the Greater Hume Shire local government area, north of the regional centre of Albury. At the 2016 census, J ...
(16 km north) are the closest towns outside the Albury city area, and act as commuter dormitories as well as service centres for the local rural industries. Albury's houses and buildings are numbered using a special system introduced in 1920. The centre of the city, which is defined as the intersection of Dean and Olive Streets, is numbered 500, and all other houses are numbered depending on whether they are north, south, east or west of the centre.


Lake Hume

Lake Hume Hume Dam, formerly the Hume Weir, is a major dam across the Murray River downstream of its junction with the Mitta River in the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia. The dam's purpose includes flood mitigation, hydro-power, irrigation, ...
is situated on the Murray River upstream of Albury. The Hume Dam (colloquially termed the
Weir A weir or low-head dam is a barrier across the width of a river that alters the flow characteristics of water and usually results in a change in the height of the water level. Weirs are also used to control the flow of water for outlets of l ...
locally) wall construction took 17 years, from 1919 to 1936. A hydro-electric power plant supplies 60 MW of power to the state grid. When full, the lake covers . The lake was created for
irrigation Irrigation (also referred to as watering of plants) is the practice of applying controlled amounts of water to land to help grow crops, landscape plants, and lawns. Irrigation has been a key aspect of agriculture for over 5,000 years and has bee ...
purposes and has caused significant changes to the flow patterns and ecology of the Murray River. Before the construction of the Hume Weir, flows in normal (non-drought) years were low in summer and autumn (though still significant overall), rising in winter due to seasonal rainfall and reaching a flood-peak in late spring due to snow-melt in the Murray and its tributaries' alpine headwaters. The flow is now effectively reversed, with low flows in winter and sustained, relatively high flows in late spring, summer and early autumn to meet irrigation demands, although the spring flood peak has been virtually eliminated. The water released from the base of the Hume Weir is unnaturally cold, at least colder than it naturally should be. This flow reversal, temperature depression, and removal of the spring flood peak, has led to the drying out and loss of many billabongs and has harmed the populations of native fish of the Murray River such as the iconic
Murray Cod The Murray cod (''Maccullochella peelii'') is a large Australian predatory freshwater fish of the genus '' Maccullochella'' in the family Percichthyidae.Dianne J. Bray & Vanessa J. Thompson (2011Murray Cod, Maccullochella peelii Fishes of Au ...
.


Flora and fauna

Several threatened species can be found in Albury, including the
Sloane's froglet Sloane's froglet (''Crinia sloanei'') is a species of frog in the family Myobatrachidae. It is endemic to Australia. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical seasonally wet or flooded lowland grassland and intermittent freshwater marshe ...
,
Regent Honeyeater The regent honeyeater (''Anthochaera phrygia'') is a critically endangered bird endemic to southeastern Australia. It is commonly considered a flagship species within its range, with the efforts going into its conservation having positive effec ...
, and
Squirrel Glider The squirrel glider (''Petaurus norfolcensis'') is a nocturnal gliding possum. The squirrel glider is one of the wrist-winged gliders of the genus '' Petaurus''. Habitat This species' home range extends from Bordertown near the South Austral ...
(Petaurus norfolcensis).


Transport


Road

Situated on the
Hume Highway The Hume Highway, including the sections now known as the Hume Freeway and the Hume Motorway, is one of Australia's major inter-city national highways, running for between Melbourne in the southwest and Sydney in the northeast. Upgrading of t ...
, Albury is a major transit point for interstate commerce. In March 2007, Albury city centre was bypassed by a new section of the
Hume Freeway The Hume Highway, including the sections now known as the Hume Freeway and the Hume Motorway, is one of Australia's major inter-city National Highway (Australia), national highways, running for between Melbourne in the southwest and Sydney in ...
. The city centre bypass includes the new Spirit of Progress Bridge over the Murray River, and cost $518 million, the most expensive road project built in rural Australia at that time. Creation of the lake resulting from construction of the Hume Dam from 1915 onward necessitated a 30 km deviation of the Hume Highway. The Highway originally ran east out of Albury, along what is now the Riverina Highway, then turned north through Thurgoona via today’s Table Top Rd then Old Sydney Road, then crossed Bowna Creek to follow Plunkett Rd to Bowna. The deviation, opened in 1933, follows the first 9 km of the Wagga Road, then crossed the railway and ran to Bells Road before turning east then southeast to Bowna. Most of this route, although now duplicated, remains as part of the Hume Highway, other than the 2009 Yellow Creek deviation. The other minor highways which connect to Albury are the
Riverina Highway Riverina Highway is a -long state highway located in the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia. The road was constructed over several decades with final asphalt concrete sealing completed during the 1960s. Route The eastern terminus o ...
, which runs west through Berrigan to
Deniliquin Deniliquin () is a town in the western Riverina region of south-western New South Wales, Australia, close to the border with Victoria. It is the largest town in the Edward River Council local government area. Deniliquin is located at the inte ...
and east to
Lake Hume Hume Dam, formerly the Hume Weir, is a major dam across the Murray River downstream of its junction with the Mitta River in the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia. The dam's purpose includes flood mitigation, hydro-power, irrigation, ...
; and the
Olympic Highway Olympic Highway is a rural road in the Central West, New South Wales, central western and Riverina, south-eastern Riverina regions of New South Wales, Australia. It services rural communities, links Hume Highway with Mid-Western Highway, and ...
which diverges north from the Hume north of Albury, and runs across the South Western Slopes via
Wagga Wagga Wagga Wagga (; informally called Wagga) is a major regional city in the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia. Straddling the Murrumbidgee River, with an urban population of more than 57,003 as of 2021, it is an important agricultural, m ...
,
Cootamundra Cootamundra, nicknamed Coota, is a town in the South West Slopes region of New South Wales, Australia and within the Riverina. It is within the Cootamundra-Gundagai Regional Council. At the 2016 Census, Cootamundra had a population of 6,782. I ...
and
Young Young may refer to: * Offspring, the product of reproduction of a new organism produced by one or more parents * Youth, the time of life when one's age is low, often meaning the time between childhood and adulthood Music * The Young, an America ...
to terminate at the
Mid-Western Highway Mid-Western Highway, sometimes Mid Western Highway, is a state highway located in the central western and northern Riverina regions of New South Wales, Australia. The highway services rural communities and links the Great Western, Mitchell, ...
at
Cowra Cowra () is a town in the Central West, New South Wales, Central West region of New South Wales, Australia. It is the largest population centre and the council seat for the Cowra Shire, with a population of 8,254. Cowra is located approximate ...
. In 1888, the Smollett Street wrought iron arch bridge was constructed over Bungambrawatha Creek. Smollet Street was extended westward through the botanical gardens to give direct access from
Albury railway station Albury railway station is a heritage-listed railway station at Railway Place, Albury, New South Wales, Australia, adjacent to the border with Victoria, in Australia. It was designed under the direction of John Whitton and built from 1880 to 1 ...
to Howlong Road by a straight street. The bridge is near the botanic gardens and the local swimming pool. The bridge is a rare example of a metal arch bridge in New South Wales, and is the oldest of only two such bridges in New South Wales, the other being the
Sydney Harbour Bridge The Sydney Harbour Bridge is a steel through arch bridge in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, spanning Port Jackson, Sydney Harbour from the Sydney central business district, central business district (CBD) to the North Shore (Sydney), North ...
.


Rail

Albury railway station Albury railway station is a heritage-listed railway station at Railway Place, Albury, New South Wales, Australia, adjacent to the border with Victoria, in Australia. It was designed under the direction of John Whitton and built from 1880 to 1 ...
is on the main Sydney-Melbourne railway line. Originally, New South Wales and Victoria had different
track gauge In rail transport, track gauge is the distance between the two rails of a railway track. All vehicles on a rail network must have Wheelset (rail transport), wheelsets that are compatible with the track gauge. Since many different track gauges ...
s, which meant that all travellers in either direction had to change trains at Albury. To accommodate this, a very long
railway platform A railway platform is an area in a train station alongside a railway Track (rail transport), track providing convenient access to trains. Almost all stations have some form of platform, with larger stations having multiple platforms. Grand Cen ...
was needed; the long covered platform is one of the longest in Australia. The broad gauge section of track between Seymour and Albury has now been converted to standard gauge; there is no longer a
break-of-gauge With railways, a break of gauge occurs where a line of one track gauge (the distance between the rails, or between the wheels of trains designed to run on those rails) meets a line of a different gauge. Trains and rolling stock generally canno ...
at Albury station. The station is served by a three daily
V/Line V/Line is a statutory authority that operates Regional rail, regional passenger rail and Intercity bus service, coach services in the Australian state of Victoria (state), Victoria. It provides passenger train services on five Commuter rail, ...
train services from
Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...
(terminating at Albury) and the
NSW TrainLink NSW TrainLink is a regional train and coach operator in Australia, providing services throughout New South Wales and into Australian Capital Territory, the Australian Capital Territory, Victoria (state), Victoria, Queensland and South Australia ...
Melbourne-Sydney XPT service, which runs twice daily in each direction. In 1873, the
broad gauge A broad-gauge railway is a railway with a track gauge (the distance between the rails) broader than the used by standard-gauge railways. Broad gauge of , more known as Russian gauge, is the dominant track gauge in former Soviet Union countries ...
railway line from Melbourne reached the township of Belvoir/Wodonga. In 1881, the New South Wales
standard gauge A standard-gauge railway is a railway with a track gauge of . The standard gauge is also called Stephenson gauge (after George Stephenson), international gauge, UIC gauge, uniform gauge, normal gauge in Europe, and SGR in East Africa. It is the ...
railway line reached Albury, with a railway bridge joining the two colonies in 1883. Albury became the stop over, where passengers on the Melbourne-Sydney journey changed trains until 1962, when a standard gauge track was opened between the two capitals. After World War II, in an attempt to overcome the difference in gauges and speed up traffic, a
bogie exchange A bogie ( ) (or truck in North American English) comprises two or more wheelsets (two wheels on an axle), in a frame, attached under a vehicle by a pivot. Bogies take various forms in various modes of transport. A bogie may remain normally ...
device lifted freight wagons and carriages allowing workers to refit rolling stock with different gauged wheel-sets. The break of railway gauge at Albury was a major impediment to Australia's war effort and infrastructure during both World Wars, as every soldier, every item of equipment, and all supplies had to be off-loaded from the broad gauge and reloaded onto a standard gauge railway wagon on the opposite side of the platform. In his book ''Tramps Abroad'', writer
Mark Twain Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910), known by the pen name Mark Twain, was an American writer, humorist, and essayist. He was praised as the "greatest humorist the United States has produced," with William Fau ...
in 1895 wrote of the break of gauge at Albury and changing trains: ""Now comes a singular thing, the oddest thing, the strangest thing, the most unaccountable marvel that Australia can show. At the frontier between NSW and Victoria our multitude of passengers were routed out of their snug beds by lantern light in the morning in the biting cold to change cars. Think of the paralysis of intellect that gave that idea birth, imagine the boulder it emerged from, on some petrified legislator's shoulders." During World War II military armouries and warehouses were established in the vicinity of Albury at Bonegilla, Wirlinga and Bandiana. Similar stores were also established at
Tocumwal Tocumwal ( ) is a town in the southern Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia, in the Berrigan Shire Local government in Australia, local government area. The town, north of the city of Melbourne, lies on the northern bank of the Murray ...
and Oaklands. The conversion of the broad gauge track to a second standard gauge track, between
Seymour Seymour may refer to: Places Australia *Seymour, Victoria, a township ** Seymour railway station * Electoral district of Seymour, a former electoral district in Victoria * Rural City of Seymour, a former local government area in Victoria * Se ...
and Albury, was substantially completed in 2011. The railway station and its associated yards are listed on both the
Australian National Heritage List The Australian National Heritage List or National Heritage List (NHL) is a heritage register, a list of National heritage site, national heritage places deemed to be of outstanding heritage significance to Australia, established in 2003. The li ...
and the
New South Wales State Heritage Register The New South Wales State Heritage Register, also known as NSW State Heritage Register, is a heritage list of places in the state of New South Wales, Australia, that are protected by New South Wales legislation, generally covered by the Heritag ...
.


Air

Albury Airport Albury Airport is a regional airport located northeast of Albury, Australia. The airport, which also serves Albury's adjacent twin city of Wodonga. It hosts the official weather station for Albury-Wodonga. History Although the site had been ...
, owned and operated by the
City of Albury The City of Albury (stylised as AlburyCity) is a local government area in the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia. The area covers to the north of the Murray River. The area extends around east and west along the river from the centr ...
, is the second busiest regional airport in New South Wales with around 280,000 passenger movements per year. The airport, east of the city centre, has scheduled daily flights to
Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...
,
Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...
and
Brisbane Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...
through commercial carriers. The road leading from Albury Airport to the city was renamed Borella Road in 1979, in honour of
Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious decoration of the Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, British decorations system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British ...
recipient Albert Chalmers Borella, who was buried at Albury.


Public transport and cycling

Local public transport is provided exclusively by private bus operators, Martin's Albury and
Dysons Dyson Group of Companies, operating as Dysons, is a bus and coach operator in Victoria, Australia. The oldest of its subsidiary companies is L.C. Dysons Bus Services, which was founded in June 1952 and is based in Bundoora, Victoria, Bundoora ...
who run day time bus services. The overwhelming majority of local transport is by private car, however traffic is generally moderate. The opening of the Hume Freeway bypass on 4 March 2007, has greatly eased previous traffic congestion on the Lincoln Causeway, allowing vastly better flow between Albury and Wodonga. There is a good network of bicycle paths in the city, including one to the outlying suburb of Thurgoona and across the state border to Wodonga. A new program has built many more bike tracks, including one from the riverside parks to Wonga Wetlands.


Industry

Albury serves as an administrative centre for the agricultural communities around the district and is a major processing centre of the
Australian Taxation Office The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) is an Australian statutory agency and the principal revenue collection body for the Australian Government. The ATO has responsibility for administering the Taxation in Australia, Australian federal taxation ...
, and many other smaller secondary industries. Other large employers are: The Commercial Club Albury and Hume Bank. One of Albury's major employers was DSI Holdings. Originally the Kaitlers Road facility was opened as an expansion for
Borg-Warner BorgWarner Inc. is an American automotive and e-mobility supplier headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan. As of 2023, the company maintains production facilities and sites at 92 locations in 24 countries, and generates revenues of US$14.2 bi ...
in 1971, manufacturing gearboxes for various manufacturers including
Ford Ford commonly refers to: * Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford * Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river Ford may also refer to: Ford Motor Company * Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company * Ford F ...
,
Holden Holden, formerly known as General Motors-Holden, was an Australian subsidiary company of General Motors. Founded in Adelaide, it was an automobile manufacturer, importer, and exporter that sold cars under its own marque in Australia. It was ...
and even
Maserati Maserati S.p.A. () is an Italian luxury vehicle manufacturer. Established on 1 December 1914 in Bologna, Italy, the company's headquarters are now in Modena, and its emblem is a trident. The company has been owned by Stellantis since 2021. Ma ...
. At its peak in 1982 it employed 1251 people. The ownership of the plant changed several times – it was sold in 1987 to
Nylex Nylex Plastics, founded in 1927, is an Australian manufacturer of a range of plastic goods. It was originally called the Australian Moulding Corporation but changed its name in 1948. The founder was John Derham. During the period between 1990 ...
. It was sold again in 2002 to ION Ltd but the company collapsed in 2004 with debt to creditors of $550 million. Due to a failed deal with Holden the workforce was reduced to 750 people. Chinese car manufacturer
Geely Group Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Co., Ltd. (ZGH), commonly known as Geely Holding ( ; ), is a Chinese Multinational Corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive Conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered in Hangzhou, China. Th ...
then purchased the bankrupt DSI company for $48 million in March 2009 and the plant then exported automatic transmissions to Geely, Ssangyong and Mahindra. In 2014 DSI Holdings closed the Lavington factory resulting in the loss of the remaining 142 jobs. The Australian pizza chain
Eagle Boys Eagle Boys was an Australian fast food pizza chain. Eagle Boys was founded in Albury, New South Wales, by businessman Tom Potter in 1987. From 1992, Eagle Boys national headquarters were located in Annerley, Queensland. In 2007 NBC Capital, a ...
was founded in Albury but ceased operations in 2017 when it was purchased by Pizza Hut. The
Hume Power Station Hume Dam, formerly the Hume Weir, is a major dam across the Murray River downstream of its junction with the Mitta River in the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia. The dam's purpose includes flood mitigation, hydro-power, irrigation ...
is a hydro-electric
power station A power station, also referred to as a power plant and sometimes generating station or generating plant, is an industrial facility for the electricity generation, generation of electric power. Power stations are generally connected to an electr ...
located at the
Hume Dam Hume Dam, formerly the Hume Weir, is a major dam across the Murray River downstream of its junction with the Mitta River in the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia. The dam's purpose includes flood mitigation, hydro-power, irrigation, ...
on the Murray River, near Albury. The power station is operated by
Eraring Energy Eraring Energy was an electricity generation company in Australia that was owned by the Government of New South Wales, and had a portfolio of generating sites using thermal coal, wind, and hydroelectric power. It was sold to Origin Energy in 20 ...
and has two 29 MW
turbines A turbine ( or ) (from the Greek , ''tyrbē'', or Latin ''turbo'', meaning vortex) is a rotary mechanical device that extracts energy from a fluid flow and converts it into useful work. The work produced can be used for generating electrical ...
.


Tourism

The region surrounding Albury provides a variety of tourist attractions, including the wine region centred on
Rutherglen Rutherglen (; , ) is a town in South Lanarkshire, Scotland, immediately south-east of the city of Glasgow, from its centre and directly south of the River Clyde. Having previously existed as a separate Lanarkshire burgh, in 1975 Rutherglen lo ...
, the historic goldfield towns of
Beechworth Beechworth is a town located in the north-east of Victoria, Australia, famous for its major growth during the gold rush days of the mid-1850s. At the , Beechworth had a population of 3,290. Beechworth's many historical buildings are well pr ...
and
Yackandandah Yackandandah is a town in northeast Victoria, Australia. It is near the regional cities of Wodonga and Albury, and is close to the tourist town of Beechworth. At the , Yackandandah had a population of 2,008. History The indigenous people of ...
, boating, fishing and canoe hire on the many rivers and lakes, including
Lake Hume Hume Dam, formerly the Hume Weir, is a major dam across the Murray River downstream of its junction with the Mitta River in the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia. The dam's purpose includes flood mitigation, hydro-power, irrigation, ...
, the forests and mountains of the
Great Dividing Range The Great Dividing Range, also known as the East Australian Cordillera or the Eastern Highlands, is a cordillera system in eastern Australia consisting of an expansive collection of mountain ranges, plateaus and rolling hills. It runs roughl ...
and slightly further afield the snowfields Falls Creek and
Mount Hotham Mount Hotham is a mountain located in the Victorian Alps of the Great Dividing Range, in the Australian state of Victoria. The mountain is located approximately north east of Melbourne, from Sydney, and from Adelaide by road. The nearest ...
. Within the city of Albury itself, Monument Hill, at the western end of the CBD is the location of the city's distinctive First World War Memorial and provides a good view of the city. Wonga Wetlands, west of the city and adjacent to the River Murray is a key feature of Albury's use of treated wastewater and consists of a series of lagoons and billabongs. Wonga Wetlands boasts more than 150 species of birdlife and is home to the Aquatic Environment Education Centre. The Hume and Hovell Walking Track, that begins in Yass and follows the route of explorers
Hamilton Hume Hamilton Hume (19 June 1797 – 19 April 1873) was an early explorer of the present-day Australian states of New South Wales and Victoria (Australia), Victoria. In 1824, along with William Hovell, Hume participated in an expedition that first t ...
and
William Hovell William Hilton Hovell (26 April 1786 – 9 November 1875) was an English explorer of Australia. With Hamilton Hume, he made an 1824 overland expedition from Sydney to Port Phillip (near the site of present-day Melbourne), and later explored the ...
on their 1824 expedition to
Port Phillip Port Phillip (Kulin languages, Kulin: ''Narm-Narm'') or Port Phillip Bay is a horsehead-shaped bay#Types, enclosed bay on the central coast of southern Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. The bay opens into the Bass Strait via a short, ...
, ends at the Hovell Tree in South Albury.


Education

Albury is home to one of the campuses of
Charles Sturt University Charles Sturt University is an Australian multi-campus public university located in New South Wales, Australian Capital Territory and Victoria, Australia, Victoria. Established in 1989, it was named in honour of Captain (British Army and Royal ...
. The original Albury campus was located in the northern part of the CBD between Kiewa and David streets. Charles Sturt University relocated to a new purpose-built campus at Thurgoona in 2009. CSU offers courses in Arts, Business, Education, Medicine and Science. The Albury-Wodonga campus of
La Trobe University La Trobe University is a public university, public research university based in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. Its main campus is located in the suburb of Bundoora, Victoria, Bundoora. The university was established in 1 ...
is also a large and growing educational institution with several thousand undergraduates and postgraduates in its two colleges. Degrees in Business, Arts, Science, Bioscience, Nursing, and various Allied Health disciplines, are available. Riverina Institute of
TAFE Technical and further education or simply TAFE () is the common name in Australia for vocational education, as a subset of tertiary education. TAFE institutions provide a wide range of predominantly vocational courses. Colloquially also known ...
operates a campus in Albury. There is also a campus of the
UNSW The University of New South Wales (UNSW) is a public university, public research university based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It was established in 1949. The university comprises seven faculties, through which it offers bachelor's, ...
Rural Clinical School of Medicine adjacent to the Albury Base Hospital. Albury is home to nine public primary schools ( Albury Public School, Albury North Public School, Albury West Public School, Glenroy Public School, Hume Public School, Lavington Public School, Lavington East Public School, Springdale Heights Public School, and Thurgoona Public School) and three public high schools (
Albury High School Albury High School is a government-funded co-educational comprehensive secondary day school located in Albury, a city in the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia. Established in 1920, the school enrolled approximately 1,000 student ...
, James Fallon High School and Murray High School). Several non-government high schools operate in the area including Trinity Anglican College, Xavier High School,
The Scots School Albury The Scots School Albury is an independent, K–12, co-educational day and boarding School, located in Albury, New South Wales, Australia. It draws students from the local area and other parts of Australia. It is associated with the Uniting C ...
, Border Christian College, Aspect Riverina school, and St Paul's College. The city is the base for NSW Department of Education South West Riverina regional office.


Culture

HotHouse Theatre is Albury's only professional theatre company, previously known as the Murray River Performance Group which formed in 1979. It spawned
The Flying Fruit Fly Circus The Flying Fruit Fly Circus is Australia's national youth circus, and the only full-time circus school for young people in Australia. History The Flying Fruit Fly Circus was one of the productions of the Murray River Performing Group, initially ...
in 1979, and these days conducts many productions through the
HotHouse Theatre HotHouse Theatre is a professional theatre company based in the Albury-Wodonga region on the border of New South Wales and Victoria, Australia. It evolved from the Murray River Performing Group which was established in 1979. HotHouse Theatre is ...
located on Gateway Island between Albury and Wodonga, though still in Victoria rather than New South Wales. Albury is home to a large number of amateur theatre companies presenting productions ranging from plays in intimate settings to major musicals in the Albury Entertainment Centre and Shakespeare and other events in the Albury Botanic Gardens. The oldest theatre company in Albury is the Albury Wodonga Theatre Company and its associated youth theatre company BYTESized Productions often presenting shows in its small theatre in Olive St, South Albury . Other companies and organisations producing theatre in Albury Wodonga are Livid Productions, The Other Theatre Company, Revolution Theatre, and Centre Stage Event Company. Jazz Albury Wodonga also regularly hosts national and international artists at the Jazz Basement which is located on Gateway Island. Touring productions and major music acts often perform at the Albury Entertainment Centre. Regent Cinemas on Dean Street have operated since 1929. Since 2007, the city has hosted the annual
Albury City Short Story Award The Albury City Short Story Award (ACSSA) is an annual Australian literary award, established in 2007 in the Australian regional city of Albury Albury (; ) is a major regional city that is located in the Murray River, Murray region of New ...
, curated by the Write Around the Murray Writers' Festival. In 2015 Murray Art Museum Albury (MAMA) was opened, formerly known as Albury Regional Arts Centre. The art museum has 10 galleries with double the space of the former art centre. Canvas Eatery is also attached to MAMA, facing onto Queen Elizabeth II Square. In 2003, a sister city relationship with
Nanping Nanping; historically known as Yanping ( zh, s=延平, poj=Iân-pêng is a third-tier prefecture-level city in northwestern Fujian province of China, Province, China, People's Republic of China. It borders Ningde to the east, Sanming to the sou ...
in north western
Fujian Fujian is a provinces of China, province in East China, southeastern China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, Guangdong to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the east. Its capital is Fuzhou and its largest prefe ...
province A province is an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire, Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...
, China, was formalised.


Media


Print

Albury serves as a regional media centre. A daily tabloid owned by Nine Entertainment, The ''Border Mail'', is printed in, and has offices in, Wodonga.


Television

Albury has access to all major TV networks, with channels available including
Seven Network Seven Network (stylised 7Network, and commonly known as Channel Seven or simply Seven) is an Australian commercial free-to-air Television broadcasting in Australia, television network. It is owned by Seven West Media, Seven West Media Limited, ...
,
WIN Television WIN Television is an Australian television broadcasting, Australian television network owned and operated by WIN Corporation that is based in Wollongong, New South Wales. WIN commenced transmissions on 18 March 1962 as a single television stat ...
(an affiliate of the
Nine Network Nine Network (stylised 9Network, and commonly known as Channel Nine or simply Nine) is an Australian commercial free-to-air television network. It is owned by parent company Nine Entertainment and is one of the five main free-to-air television ...
),
Network 10 Network 10 (commonly known as the 10 Network, Channel 10 or simply 10) is an Australian commercial television network. It is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Paramount Global's UK & Australia division and is one of the five national free-to-a ...
, as well as the
Australian Broadcasting Corporation The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is Australia’s principal public service broadcaster. It is funded primarily by grants from the federal government and is administered by a government-appointed board of directors. The ABC is ...
(ABC) and the
Special Broadcasting Service The Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) is an Australian hybrid-funded public broadcasting, public service broadcaster. About 80 percent of funding for the company is derived from tax revenue. SBS operates six TV channels (SBS (Australian TV chann ...
, more commonly known as SBS. Of the three main commercial networks,
Seven Network Seven Network (stylised 7Network, and commonly known as Channel Seven or simply Seven) is an Australian commercial free-to-air Television broadcasting in Australia, television network. It is owned by Seven West Media, Seven West Media Limited, ...
airs a half-hour local
news bulletin Breaking news, also called late-breaking news, a special report, special coverage, or a news flash, is a current issue that warrants the interruption of a scheduled broadcast in order to report its details. News broadcasters also use the term ...
at 6 pm each weeknight, produced from a newsroom in the city but broadcast from studios in
Canberra Canberra ( ; ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the Federation of Australia, federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's list of cities in Australia, largest in ...
.
Network 10 Network 10 (commonly known as the 10 Network, Channel 10 or simply 10) is an Australian commercial television network. It is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Paramount Global's UK & Australia division and is one of the five national free-to-a ...
(formerly 10 (Southern Cross Austereo), Southern Cross 10) airs short local news updates from its Hobart studios throughout the day (on weekdays). The flagship bulletin aired on Network 10 in Albury/Wodonga is 10 News First from Melbourne.
WIN Television WIN Television is an Australian television broadcasting, Australian television network owned and operated by WIN Corporation that is based in Wollongong, New South Wales. WIN commenced transmissions on 18 March 1962 as a single television stat ...
broadcasts a half-hour state-wide regional WIN News bulletin each weeknight at 5:30 pm, produced from studios in Wollongong. Previously a local edition was produced by WIN until the closure of its Albury newsroom in June 2019. On 5 May 2011, analogue television transmissions ceased in most areas of regional Victoria and some border regions including Albury–Wodonga. All local free-to-air television services are now broadcasting in digital transmission only. This was done as part of the Federal Government's plan for Digital terrestrial television in Australia where all analogue transmission systems are gradually turned off and replaced with modern DVB-T transmission systems.


Radio

There are three commercial radio stations in Albury – 2AY on 1494 AM, Triple M The Border on 105.7 FM and Hit104.9 The Border, Hit The Border on 104.9 FM. Hit 104.9 The Border's south eastern network is programmed out of the Albury/Wodonga Hub, going to centres in the Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania and South Australia. Broadcasting out of the same building is Triple M 105.7 The Border, which is also networked to local stations around the Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania and South Australia. Albury/Wodonga is one radio market, thus advertisements are directed to both sides of the border. The Albury/Wodonga market underwent significant change in 2005 when Macquarie Southern Cross Media bought 105.7 The River from RG Capital, and 2AY and Star FM from DMG Radio Australia. Due to cross-media ownership laws preventing the ownership of more than two stations in one market, Macquarie was required to sell one of these stations and in September 2005 sold 2AY to the Ace Radio network. 2AY takes much of its daytime and evening programming from 3AW in Melbourne. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, ABC produces breakfast and morning radio programs through its local radio network, from the studios of ABC Goulburn Murray, 106.5 FM, located in Wodonga. Most of the rest its programming content is delivered from Melbourne. The ABC also has local transmitters for ABC Radio National, 990 AM; ABC NewsRadio, ABC News Radio, 100.9 FM; ABC Classic, 104.1 FM and Triple J, 103.3 FM There is also a community radio station known as 2REM 107.3 FM. The Albury Wodonga Community Radio station broadcasts a large number of speciality programs including those for the retiree, racing enthusiast, ethnic and Aboriginal communities and a range of musical styles including underground and independent artists from 8:00 pm onwards. 2GHR 96.7 FM is another community radio station that plays classic hits. Oak 101.3 FM (from Wangaratta) can be heard clearly across the region. KIX Country, KIX 801 AM (on the narrowcast band) plays country music. Sky Sports Radio, Sky Radio is a sports and racing station which can be heard on 99.3 FM In addition, the area is serviced by SBS Radio and Rete Italia, Niche Radio, which provide national multicutural stations. SBS Radio 1 is available on 1701 AM, SBS Radio 2 is available on 89.5 FM, while Niche Radio broadcasts on 87.6 FM. 2APH 101.7 FM is a reading for the print handicapped station.
TAFE Technical and further education or simply TAFE () is the common name in Australia for vocational education, as a subset of tertiary education. TAFE institutions provide a wide range of predominantly vocational courses. Colloquially also known ...
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Wodonga Wodonga (pronounced ; ) is a city on the Victorian side of the border with New South Wales, north-east of Melbourne, Australia. It is part of the twin city of Albury-Wodonga and is located wholly within the boundaries of the City of Wodonga L ...
's broadcasting and training station on 88.4 that also serves the area. Albury-Wodonga Christian Broadcasters transmits as 98.5 The Light. Other religious stations include Faith FM which broadcasts on 88.0 and Vision Christian Radio that airs on 1611 AM. The dance music station Raw FM (Australian radio network), Raw FM airs on 107.9


Sport

soccer in Australia, Football is a very popular code with more than 2,500 players registered from twelve local clubs (six from Albury) competing in the Albury Wodonga Football Association. Clubs have teams from U10s through to Senior Men and Women and play on Sundays with MiniRoos providing Football for ages 4–12 on Saturdays. Since 2016, Murray United FC, Murray United Football Club, a team encompassing Albury, Wodonga and the wider region, has been competing in the National Premier Leagues Victoria, the highest level of Football in the area. On 9 February 2014, Melbourne City FC, Melbourne City (then known as Melbourne Heart) triumphed 2–1 against Perth Glory in scorching conditions, where the temperature got as high as 41 °C, at the Lavington Sports Ground. The Albury-Wodonga Steamers are the local rugby union club, playing in the Southern Inland Rugby Union competition. The Steamers have produced several players for the Australian Rugby Union National Talent Squad. Cricket is the most popular summer sport in the region, with the local Country Cricket New South Wales#Cricket Albury Wodonga, Cricket Albury Wodonga competition administered by Country Cricket New South Wales#Cricket Albury Wodonga, Country Cricket New South Wales. In the 1992 Cricket World Cup, the Lavington Sports Ground hosted Albury's only international cricket match. It was a One Day International in which Zimbabwe defeated England in the biggest upset of the tournament. Albury also regularly hosts Big Bash League matches in both the pre-season and regular season, often involving the Sydney Thunder and Melbourne Stars. Albury has a strong rugby league community, with three senior teams based in the city, the Albury Thunder, Border Bears and CSU Mud Dogs. The Thunder compete in the strong, Riverina-based Group 9 Rugby League competition, while the Bears and Mud Dogs compete in the Goulburn Murray Rugby League run under the banner of the Victorian Rugby League. Albury Thunder Juniors is one of the largest junior rugby league clubs outside of metropolitan areas, offering rugby league and league tag to the Border's young men and women from 5 years to 16 years. Albury has produced many great rugby league players, with the two most famous exports being former Canberra and Penrith flyer Adrian Purtell and Australia national rugby league team, Australian fullback Dylan Edwards. Despite being located in New South Wales, Albury is a stronghold of Australian rules football, Australian rules. There are five Australian rules football, Australian rules clubs in Albury, the Albury Football Club, the Lavington Panthers Football Club, the Murray Magpies Football Club, the North Albury Football Club, and the Thurgoona Football Club. Albury, Lavington Panthers and North Albury compete in the Ovens & Murray Football League (OMFNL), while the Murray Magpies compete in the Hume Football League and Thurgoona compete in the Tallangatta & District Football League. The OMFNL is one of the strongest regional leagues in the nation, with the Grand final, Grand Final regularly drawing 15,000 spectators. Many players from Albury have moved on to play in the Australian Football League, including Haydn Bunton Senior, who won three Brownlow Medals and was an inaugural ''legend'' of the Australian Football Hall of Fame; Fitzroy 1936 Brownlow medallist Denis "Dinny" Ryan; and Sydney Swans, South Melbourne Brownlow medallist Fred Goldsmith (Australian rules footballer), Fred Goldsmith. The Albury Gold Cup horse race is the major autumn event for the district. In 2005, it attracted a record crowd in excess of 18,600 racegoers. Albury has lately become a stronghold of junior hockey, boasting one of the few synthetic fields in the area. The town also has the Albury Grass Tennis Courts. Supercars Championship team Brad Jones Racing is based in Albury, making it the only team in the championship to have its workshop in New South Wales. The Albury Wodonga Bandits compete in the South East Australian Basketball League (SEABL) East Conference of the Australian Basketball Association (ABA), playing their home games at the Lauren Jackson Sports Centre (previously known as the Albury Sports Stadium). The Lady Bandits joined the women's SEABL in 2006. Albury is the birthplace of controversial former tennis player Margaret Court, winner of 62 Women's Grand Slam titles including eleven Australian titles, four Grand Slam singles titles played in one year (1970), four mixed doubles titles with Ken Fletcher in 1963 and many other titles around the world. WNBA MVP winner Lauren Jackson, NRL Player Adrian Purtell, and test cricketer Steve Rixon are among other champion sports people from the area.


Notable crime

Albury's most notorious crime is also one of Australia's most famous, the 'Pyjama Girl Murder' in 1934. Other notable crimes include the murders of Bronwynne Richardson who was abducted on Smollett Street on 12 October 1973. Her body was found in Horseshoe Lagoon two days later. The case has never been solved despite a coronial inquest in 2011 which resulted in an arrest. In another case, on 23 March 1996, Kim Meredith was murdered in Macauley Street while walking from Sodens Hotel to the Termo Hotel. A memorial to Kim was later placed in Queen Elizabeth II Square by the citizens of Albury.


Heritage listings

The following buildings, structures, and ephemera in Albury are listed in various heritage registers:


Notable people

* Jim Armstrong (wrestler), Jim Armstrong (wrestler and rugby league player) * Damien Brown (fighter), Damien Brown (mixed martial artist) * Haydn Bunton Sr., Australian Football Hall of Fame Legend * William Carter (actor), William Carter (actor) * Margaret Court (tennis player) * Daniel Cross (footballer), Daniel Cross (Australian rules footballer) * W.A. Crowle (businessman and philanthropist) * Ben Doolan (Australian rules footballer) * Dylan Edwards (rugby league player) * Alexander England (actor) * Carly Findlay (writer and activist) * Eric Frauenfelder (rugby league player) * Dianne Fromholtz (tennis player) * Reg Gleeson (Australian rules footballer) * Dick Grimmond (Australian rules footballer) * Ross Henshaw (Australian rules footballer) * Zarlie Goldsworthy (Australian rules footballer) * Lisa Ho (fashion designer) * Matt Holmes (actor), Matt Holmes (actor) * Noel Hodda (actor) * Lauren Jackson (basketball player) * Hayley Jensen (singer) * Brad Jones (racing driver), Brad Jones (racing driver) * Lee Kernaghan (singer and 2008 Australian of the Year) * Tania Kernaghan (singer) * Brett Kirk (Australian rules footballer) * Maggie Kirkpatrick (actress) * Jacob Koschitzke (Australian rules footballer) * Justin Koschitzke (Australian rules footballer) * Brian Leahy, Australian rules footballer * Lee'Mon (singer) * Darren Mapp (rugby league player) * Ken Maynard (cartoonist), Ken Maynard (cartoonist of
Ettamogah Pub The Ettamogah Pub is a cartoon pub that was featured in the now defunct '' Australasian Post'' magazine. The cartoonist Ken Maynard, loving empty spaces and having nothing around him, enjoyed an area just outside Albury at Table Top, New South W ...
) * Malcolm McEachern (singer) * Anthony Miles (Australian footballer), Anthony Miles (Australian rules footballer) * Lisa Mitchell (singer) * Adam Nable (rugby league player) * Matt Nable (rugby league player) * Ellie Pashley (runner) * Gabriella Pound (Australian rules footballer) * Adrian Purtell (rugby league player) * David Reynolds (racing driver), David Reynolds (racing driver) * Richard Roxburgh (actor) * Bill Ryan (rugby league), Bill Ryan (rugby league player) * Mat Ryan (rugby league), Mat Ryan (rugby league player) * Patrick Joseph Ryan, Dr 'Paddy' Ryan (priest) * Will Setterfield (Australian rules footballer) * Charlie Spargo (Australian rules footballer) * Geoff Strang (Australian rules footballer) * Paul Spargo (Australian rules footballer) * Clementine Stoney (Olympic swimmer) * Terry Underwood (author) * Charles Waterstreet (barrister and author) * Bill Wood (Australian footballer), Bill Wood (Australian rules footballer)


See also

* Christmas Eye, a seasonal epidemic of corneal ulceration which predominantly occurs only within a particular region of Australia * Albury City Short Story Competition * Albury Wodonga Football Association


References


Further reading and viewing

* * *


External links


Albury City Council

Albury Wodonga Football Association
* * {{Authority control Albury, Suburbs of Albury, New South Wales Populated places on the Murray River Populated places established in the 1830s Proposed sites for national capital of Australia