- Port Albert, Victoria
Infobox Australian Place | type = town
name = Port Albert
state = vic
caption = credit|PhillipC
lga = Shire of Wellington
postcode = 3971
est =
pop = 248 (2006)Census 2006 AUS | id = SSC26467 | name = Port Albert (State Suburb) | accessdate = 2007-10-01 | quick = on]
elevation=
maxtemp =
mintemp =
rainfall =
stategov = Gippsland South
fedgov = Gippsland
dist1 = 236
dir1 = SE
location1=Melbourne
dist2 = 82
dir2 = S
location2= Morwell
dist3 = 13
dir3 = S
location3= YarramPort Albert is a coastal town in Victoria,
Australia , located on Yarram - Port Albert Road, convert|82|km|mi|0|lk=on kilometres south-east of Morwell, convert|236|km|mi|0|lk=on kilometres south-east ofMelbourne , in theShire of Wellington . At the 2006 census, Port Albert had a population of 248.Port Albert was one of the earliest ports established in Victoria. In 1841 the
Gippsland Company investigated the area following favourable reports from explorerAngus McMillan . In May of that year the first settlers arrived. Initially the area was known as Seabank or Old Port, but was changed to New Leith when the town started developing, and later changed to Alberton and Port Albert in honour ofPrince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha , the husband of Queen Victoria. The Post Office opened on 1 November 1842 as Alberton and was renamed Port Albert in 1856. Citation
last = Premier Postal History | title = Post Office List | url = https://www.premierpostal.com/cgi-bin/wsProd.sh/Viewpocdwrapper.p?SortBy=VIC&country= | accessdate = 2008-04-11 ] It became the administrative centre ofGippsland and a transport hub for cargo betweenMelbourne andVan Diemen's Land (nowTasmania ), thanks to its 250 metre timber jetty. As theVictorian Gold Rush began in the 1850s, traffic through Port Albert increased, bringing prospectors fromEurope andChina . This further added to Port Albert's prosperity.During the 1870s and 1880s, Gippsland was gradually settled, and connected to the railway network. This reduced Port Albert's role as an important transport hub, and the population subsequently decreased.
Today the town acts as a commercial fishing port, and is popular was fishers and
surfer s. The town hosts a fishing competition each March.References
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