Great Southern, WA
anzac-history · rugged-coast · cool-climate · harbour-city
Want to find out if you can afford to move?
Move Regional compares towns across QLD, NSW and WA on price, work, schools and lifestyle, so you can find the one that fits.
© OpenStreetMap contributors
Drive to the coast
6 min
By road
Nearest major hospital
6 min
By road
Airport access
14 min
By road
Schools access
Excellent
Average daytime temp
19.9°C
Rainfall
Dry
Albany is a regional city of about 31,000 people, which gives it considerably more day-to-day depth than the small south-west towns around it. Recent population change is positive, at roughly 10% since 2016, while the median age of 44 suggests an established but not overwhelmingly older community.
Perth is almost five hours away by road, so Albany needs to function as a complete regional base rather than somewhere residents regularly depend on the capital. The airport sits only about 15 minutes from the centre and a major hospital around six minutes from town, two practical advantages that reduce some of the isolation created by road distance.
Average daytime temperatures are just under 20°C, with mild summers and cool winters, making the climate noticeably cooler than much of Western Australia. For home and work, the fixed-line network provides solid everyday connectivity. The scale of the city means residents can expect more employment, shopping and service choice than a country village, while still living at a much lower density than Perth.
Recent population growth indicates continuing demand, but the city remains geographically remote from the state capital. Albany makes sense for people who want a genuine regional city with local healthcare and airport access, and who are comfortable treating Perth as an occasional destination rather than part of normal weekly life.
19 photos
Albany works well for people who want a genuine regional city rather than a tiny town: families needing schools and healthcare, professionals who can work locally or remotely, and outdoors-focused movers who still want cafés, culture and everyday services. It also suits people drawn to cooler weather and a stronger sense of history than most coastal relocation options.
Perth is far enough away that you need to be comfortable building your life locally. The cooler climate will not appeal to everyone, and the city still has fewer specialist services and employment options than a capital. If regular Perth access is important, the distance becomes a recurring cost in time and travel.
Walk out over The Gap in Torndirrup National Park
Visit the National Anzac Centre
Explore Albany's historic whaling station
Median house price
$790,000
No WA-wide median published
Sourced from REIWA (Real Estate Institute of Western Australia) · June 2026 quarter
Healthcare access
Excellent
Shopping & everyday services
Good
4–9 shopping centres within 20km
Internet connection
Fixed line
Plus 15 more within 20km — showing the 8 closest.
Job market by industry
Agriculture — 14.6%
Largest share of local jobs
Employment figures cover this town's wider statistical region, not the town alone — you'll see the same figures for Toodyay and Jurien Bay.
The score ranks this region against other regions for the same occupation, not against other jobs here — a low score means it isn't a regional stronghold for that field, not that there are no vacancies. Counts online job advertisements, so trades and farm work hired by word of mouth are undercounted, and outside capital cities this is published at a regional level larger than one town.
Albany (UCL 512001) · 2021 Census
Older than the country as a whole: 23.7% are 65 or over against 17.2% nationally, and 17.5% are children against 18.2%.
Population
31,128
Population growth
+10%
Albany (SA2 509011225)
Median age
44 years
Labour force participation
56.1%
Growth is measured across the wider area named under the figure, which can be a different size to the town.
Share of total population in each band — rounding means these won't land on exactly 100%.
Couples are a share of total families; lone-person households are a share of total households — different bases, not one breakdown.
Median personal income
$703
Per week · ≈ $36,556/year
Median family income
$1,715
Per week
Median household income
$1,307
Per week
Personal is one person's income; family and household cover everyone living together — a single-income household will show a lower household figure than its highest earner's personal one. Personal income also covers every resident aged 15 and over, retirees included, so it reads low in a town with an older population even where household income is solid.
Owner-occupied
67.9%
Rented
28.2%
Born in Australia
75.4%
Born overseas
19.6%
Doesn't sum to 100% — people who didn't state a birthplace are excluded rather than redistributed.