Princess Royal Fortress facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Princess Royal Fortress |
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View from fortress to King George Sound and Atatürk entrance
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| General information | |
| Type | Heritage listed fortress |
| Location | Albany, Western Australia |
| Coordinates | 35°01′50.6″S 117°54′40.5″E / 35.030722°S 117.911250°E |
| Type | State Registered Place |
| Designated | 29 November 1996 |
| Reference no. | 26 |
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The Princess Royal Fortress, also known as the Albany Forts, is an old fortress in Albany, Western Australia. It sits on Mount Adelaide, looking over King George Sound. This important historical site now works as a museum.
Contents
About the Name
The fortress gets its name from Princess Royal Harbour. This harbour was named in 1791 by George Vancouver after Princess Charlotte Augusta Matilda. The whole area of the fortress covers about 11 acres (4.5 hectares).
Building the Fortress
In the 1800s, people worried that the port might be attacked. Losing the port would be a big problem for Australia. So, all the Australian states worked together to pay for the fortress. The British Government helped by providing the big guns.
The Princess Royal Fortress was the first ever defense project built by all Australian states together. This happened even before Australia had a federal government! It officially opened in 1893. Two main gun areas were built into the hillside of Mount Adelaide. These were Fort Princess Royal and Fort Plantagenet.
Fires and Changes Over Time
In 1897, a fire started on purpose destroyed some buildings. These included the canteen, mess-room, and library. The buildings were made of wood with metal roofs.
Another fire broke out in 1907 at the western end of the forts. This fire burned down the office, armament room, and stationery locker.
In 1909, one of the guns at Fort Plantagenet broke. This gun was removed, and Fort Plantagenet was no longer used. The other guns were updated in 1945. Interestingly, from 1893 to 1956, the guns at the fortress never had to fire in a real battle.
By 1956, new weapons like missiles made old coastal defenses less important. So, the Princess Royal Fortress, like many others, was closed down. Many of its military buildings were taken apart. For a while, the buildings were used as school rooms or holiday camps. By the 1970s, the site was empty and damaged by vandalism.
Restoring the Fortress
Work to restore the fortress began in 1987 and continued through the late 1980s.
Today, the site is a museum. You can see restored military equipment, including old gun batteries and storage areas for weapons. There are also barracks (where soldiers lived) and displays about the 10th Light Horse. You can also find naval guns and torpedoes.
The fortress grounds also have memorials. These include the South East Asia Memorial and the United States Submariners Memorial. More than 25,000 visitors come to the fortress every year. You can still see two original guns, an underground magazine, and several rebuilt buildings. There is also a parade ground where soldiers used to march.
The National Anzac Centre
The entire fortress site was greatly improved for the Anzac centenary in 2015. The National Anzac Centre was built there for about $10.65 million. It was opened on November 1, 2014, by the Prime Ministers of Australia and New Zealand. This date marked 100 years since the first Australian and New Zealand soldiers left Albany for war.
In 2015, the National Anzac Centre won an award for being the best Heritage Tourism Project in Western Australia. It quickly became very popular. In its first three months, it had about 25,000 visitors. After six months, it had over 45,000 visitors.
By September 2016, the centre was ranked as Australia's top museum by users of TripAdvisor. It had welcomed 136,000 visitors since it opened.
Engineering Heritage Award
The battery and magazine at the fortress received a special award. It was given a Historic Engineering Marker by Engineers Australia. This award recognizes important engineering achievements.
See also
- List of places on the State Register of Heritage Places in the City of Albany
