The Great Southern
The Great Southern region of Western Australia is located on the south
coast and is bounded by the Southern Ocean to the south, the South West
region to the west, the Wheatbelt region to the north and the
Goldfields/Esperance region to the east. The Great Southern is
approximately 39,000 square kilometres in area.
Prior to European settlement, the Great Southern region was inhabited by
the Bibbulmun people of the larger Noongar group. The Bibbulmun
themselves were divided into smaller tribal groups such as the Mineng
people (who occupied the area around what is now known as King George
Sound, Oyster Harbour and Princess Royal Harbour in Albany) and the
Yakkerlip tribal group (who occupied the land on and near what is now
known as Mount Barrow in the Mount Barker area). Carbon dating of
material uncovered around Oyster Harbour dates this occupation back over
18,860 years.
Dutch, British and French explorers recorded sightings of the south
coast of Western Australia from 1627 on. In 1791 the area around Albany
was visited by Commander George Vancouver, with a succession of others,
including Flinders, d'Entrecasteaux, Freycinet and King following over
the next thirty years. In that time King George Sound became a regular
port of call for whaling and sealing vessels. It was not until 1826 that
a party was sent from New South Wales with the express intention of
establishing a settlement in the vicinity of the Sound.
Today 52,000 people reside in the Great Southern, with three-quarters of
the region's population living in the Albany, Denmark and Plantagenet
local government areas. The population of inland and agricultural shires
has been in decline for the past twenty years and this trend is expected
to continue in the medium term. At the same time the region's population
is becoming increasingly concentrated in the coastal parts. Larger
centres include Albany (population approximately 30,000), Plantagenet
(4,700), Denmark (4,600), Katanning (4,500) and Kojonup (2,200).
The region's economy is dominated by the agricultural sector and
underpinned by wool, broadacre cropping, livestock production, tourism
and fishing. In recent times the need to diversify the economy has been
felt and has seen growth in niche horticulture crops, viticulture,
aquaculture, farm forestry and down stream processing. Of these, the
substantial planting of Tasmanian Blue Gums and grapes are the most
visible.
The region's climate is characterised by warm summers and cool to mild
winters. The area south of the Stirling Ranges (including Albany and
Mount Barker) is typically cooler and wetter than the inland areas to
the north, with maximum temperatures tending to be between 5-15C cooler
than Perth. For the month of January the following holds for Albany -
the mean maximum daily temperature is 22.8C with the mean minimum daily
temperature being 15.0C. Maximum temperatures tend to be reached early
and maintained throughout. January, based on 3.00pm wind speeds, is the
windiest month of the year.
Albany
Albany, the site of Western Australia's first European settlement and
proclaimed a City in 1998, is located 408 kilometres south-south-east of
Perth on the shores of King George Sound and Princess Royal Harbour.
Understandably, much is made of the City's harbour, adjacent coast-line,
historical buildings and spectacular National Parks.
While Albany is easily accessible from Perth by car, plane and bus,
bush-walking enthusiasts have the opportunity to travel by foot along
the 950 kilometre long Bibbulmun Track. The final section, from Walpole
to Albany, was completed in 1998.
Albany also boasts a wide selection of restaurants, cafes, hotels and
clubs.
The playing venue for all games of the 2000-2001 Australian Country
Cricket Championships is the North Road Sporting Complex, just one
kilometre from the town centre. Re-developed in 1997, the complex now
boasts a top class hockey venue, a re-modelled cricket facility, Netball
Courts and a Leisure and Aquatic Centre.
Mount Barker
Fifty kilometres to the north of Albany is the town of Mount Barker,
first settled in 1860. The Mount Barker township is the administrative
centre of the Plantagenet Shire and provides visitors with ample
shopping and recreational facilities and access to the Shire's thirty
vineyards and wineries including award winners such as Goundrey,
Alkoomi, Plantagenet, Patterson, Gilbert and Old Kent River.
Mount Barker also provides a good base for visits to the Stirling Range
National Park and the Porongurup National Park, two of Western
Australia's most popular, particularly in late spring when wildflowers
are in bloom. The Stirling Range National Park has 1500 naturally
occurring plant species, sixty of which are endemic. The Porongurups,
reportedly the world's oldest volcanic mountain range, boasts some fine
bush walking trails and 1100 million-year-old granite outcrops. Both
National Parks are within easy driving distance of the township.
Mount Barker will host two games of the 2000-2001 Australian Country
Cricket Championships, both of which will be played at Sounness Park,
named after the pioneering Sounness family. The Sounness family is still
involved in local cricket and football - cricket followers may be aware
of the prolific Bill Sounness, who in one local cricket final scored a
double century in both innings.
