Whale Watching Cruises depart the Albany Town Jetty every morning and most afternoons during the whale watching season from June-October. See  Humpbacks and the Southern Right Whales as their calves play on protected coastline.This year has seen whales spotted every trip and included several baby calves swimming with their mothers. Whale watching cruises depart every morning from the town jetty at 9:30am. Afternoon cruises leave at 1pm or 1:30pm and run most days depending on demand

With the new fishing licencing laws, petitions are circulating protesting this new move. Below is the response from the Goverment Minister regarding these petitions.

We live in a democracy and people are entitled to their opinions.  

“However, I can only repeat the State Government’s position that expert researchers and other scientists have advised that certain fisheries are at risk unless urgent action is taken. 

“As Minister for Fisheries I do not resile from making it financially unattractive for anglers to go fishing for certain types of fish, like dhufish and baldchin groper.

 “Scientists have told me that stocks of these types of demersal fish are in danger of collapse. The whole point of the State Government’s action is to try and prevent so many of these fish from being caught and to ensure that there are enough to sustain the fishery for future generations of fishers. 

“The commercial sector has already slashed its take of these types of fish by 50 per cent. It is only fair that recreational fishers now do the same

“In relation to other fishing fees, once again I repeat that the decision to charge higher fees gives me no pleasure. 

“The fees are designed to enable those people who make greatest use of the resource to make a proportionately greater contribution to the management of that resource – which ultimately is funded by the taxpayer, many of whom do not fish.

Our own local hero, Joanne Lucas will receive the Star of Courage Bravery Award for rescuing Jason Cull after a shark attack at Middleton Beach

Joanne Lucas, a volunteer at the Middleton Beach surf life saving club in Albany in Western Australia’s south, heard the man’s screams for help and swam out to him, pulling him to safety.

Stay safe when buying and selling items online. Fraudsters are active
online and we strongly suggest you keep your guard upIf you see an ad on Albany Gateway or have been contacted by someone you think is suspicious, please bring it to our attention immediately. If you
are a victim of fraud, please inform Albany Gateway and the local Police

Albany Gateway Classified Ads are for local buying and selling. You should meet the person personally ( take someone with you for personal safety) to exchange goods and money.

If selling, never send your item before receiving your money.
If buying, never send money via Western Union or Money Order

When buying or selling expensive items please take extra care as these are
more likely to attract scammers. Again we encourage local trading where you can inspect the item offered for sale. Never accept a sale where the buyer offers more than the advertised price. This is a common scam tactic

Be careful buying tickets to any events. Often these have clauses preventing
tickets being onsold to other people.

Never provide your personal credit card or banking information online to
others.
Never email your credit card details – even to trusted sources – it’s
unsecure. When paying anything online eg for accommodation, check the site you are entering your credit card information to is a secure site.
Secure sites start with https, normal websites start with http- check for
the extra “s” in the site address. Secure sites have a lock icon in the
window of the browser (not on the webpage). The icon is not just a picture-
a click will show details of the site’s security. Be aware some scam sites
will try and immitate this lock icon.

Never click a link received via email for any bank or Paypal.
Always hand type your bank address into your browser

Albany Gateway does not offer a buyer protection or payment service. Anyone that suggests we do is trying to scam you. Please report such emails to us immediately.

Common Scam Signs for sellers:

Emails with poor english or grammar
Email sent to more than one person
Offers to pay more than the asking price
Requests for your personal information
Too eager to complete the sale
Too eager to give you their credit card details
(probably fake or stolen credit cards)
No details of the item they wish to buy.
eg: ” I wish to purchase the item you have listed for sale on AlbanyGateway“

If you are unsure or have any other security questions, please contact us

An infestation of introduced pine trees along Albany’s pristine Kalgan River will be removed and the area’s biodiversity restored as part of a new project coordinated by South Coast Natural Resource Management.

The $120,000 project is funded by the State Government and will be delivered by South Coast NRM in collaboration with the City of Albany, Oyster Harbour Catchment Group, local landholders and volunteers.

About 120 pine trees, some reaching up to 40 metres high and with 25 metre canopies, will be cut down over the next two months while significant native re-vegetation and weed spraying efforts get underway.

South Coast NRM invasive species coordinator Matthew Kennewell said pine trees were a prolific invasive species that upset the balance of native ecosystems.

Mr Kennewell said some of the larger saplings growing along the Kalgan River were preventing sunlight from reaching the Riparian Zone (riverbank) and the establishment of native vegetation.

“These pines are an increasing problem in the Riparian Zone because they out-compete native species and steal nutrients. Directly under the trees you’ll see a mat of decaying pine debris that increases acidity and reduces biodiversity,” he explained.

“In some cases, hardy species such as grasses cannot establish themselves there.”

The pesky pines are thought to have grown from seeds dispersed from original trees planted on nearby private properties to produce ship masts in the 1800’s. About 24 of these original trees will be retained due to their heritage value.

City of Albany reserves manager Mark Ford said that once the adult pine trees were removed, the task of removing future pine seedlings by volunteers and local landholders would be relatively easy.

“Working with South Coast NRM and volunteer groups provides a great opportunity to remove woody weeds so the area can be re-vegetated with local natives such as Marri, Jarrah and Peppermint which native fauna rely on.

“Before South Coast NRM came along, we weren’t able to get rid of all of these pine trees…we need input from other sources to get these projects underway,” he explained.

Public safety was another consideration in completing the project, Mr Ford said, as some pine tree limbs could become unstable.

Sections of the trees will be retained as saw logs and the debris burned on site.

About 20 volunteers will make sure that bush walkers and recreational boat users stay out of the area during felling while local landholders have kindly offered their sheds and homes to keep crews refreshed.

Environment Minister Donna Faragher will today announce the final stage in the creation of Western Australia’s first marine park in the south coast. 

The Walpole and Nornalup Inlets Marine Park is the 13th marine conservation area in the State but the first to be created since 2004.

 Situated about 450km south of Perth, the marine park encompasses the 100-hectare Walpole Inlet, the 1,300-hectare Nornalup Inlet and the tidal reaches of the Frankland, Deep and Walpole rivers. 

Mrs Faragher said the quiet nature, abundant wildlife and scenic quality of the Walpole and Nornalup Inlets Marine Park provided a wealth of opportunities for nature appreciation.

“Walpole and Nornalup Inlets Marine Park is a spectacularly scenic area, largely surrounded by the Walpole-Nornalup National Park where tall forest meets the sea,” she said.

 “A major attraction of the inlet system for visitors is the perception of remoteness that can be experienced, particularly in parts of the Nornalup Inlet and the Frankland and Deep rivers. 

“Tour boats operating from the town of Walpole allow visitors to experience the marine park’s stunning scenery and get up close to wildlife.

“The permanent opening to the sea, the mixing of fresh and salt water and the dynamic sandy deltas of the marine park create a distinctive habitat for more than 40 fish species, including larger fish such as sharks, which are uncommon in other inlets.”

Seagrasses, algae, a diverse range of shellfish and other animals also live on the marine park’s floor, including some prawn species, the blue swimmer crab and mud burrowing crab. 

A wide range of waterbirds also use the marine park. Pelicans, gulls and terns are abundant, and shearwaters, gannets and albatrosses are regularly seen. Ospreys and white-bellied sea eagles can be seen flying over the inlet waters in their hunt for fish. Migratory and Australian shorebirds use the tidal delta flats to probe for worms and small shells and crabs that make their home underground. 

“The entire Walpole and Nornalup Inlets Marine Park is zoned for recreation which allows for recreational fishing to occur in all areas,” the Minister said. 

“This zoning will allow uses of the marine park to be managed in an equitable, integrated and sustainable manner by the departments of Environment and Conservation and Fisheries and present opportunities for the local community and visitors to contribute to the management of this important addition to the State’s marine parks and reserves system.” 

Mrs Faragher also recognised the unique natural environment of the south coast region between Manjimup and Denmark with the release of a management plan for the Walpole Wilderness area. 

“The establishment of the marine park and development of management plans for the marine and terrestrial areas recognise the important ecological and recreational values this region has within the local community,” she said. 

Development of the new Albany Health Campus is well on track with procurement planning at an advanced stage, a community reference group established and a new website launched, showing the Liberal-National Government is about progress, not just promises.

 Health Minister Kim Hames said the $135million campus would be a purpose-built facility providing modern and expanded services to enhance the quality of patient care and safety for more than 50,000 local residents.

 “The State Government commissioned an expert procurement options analysis for the new facility earlier this year which has recommended that a fast-track approach with early contractor involvement be used to build the facility,” Dr Hames said.

 “This approach is similar in principle to the procurement approach being undertaken for the new Fiona Stanley Hospital project and means the contracted builder is involved in the design process.  This differs from traditional procurement methods where design work is completed prior to seeking tenders to undertake the actual building construction only.

 “A contractor will be appointed via a tender process, which will be undertaken in early 2010.  While this process is occurring, initial design work will also be undertaken so that the required level of planning can be completed before the successful building tenderer takes on responsibility for design development in 2010.”

 As a second, important part of the procurement approach, a separate expression of interest (EOI) will be developed seeking private sector interest in delivering services for the new health campus, including potential for contributing towards the building cost.  It is expected this EOI will be advertised in mid-July, closing in mid-August.

 The Minister said a community reference group for the development, comprising key stakeholder and community representatives, had been formed and meet for the first time today.

 “The development of the Albany Health Campus is one of the biggest public hospital developments ever undertaken in regional Western Australia and it is crucial that the people of Albany can access up-to-date information about the project’s status and services,” he said.

“This group will ensure the community is kept fully informed about the development of the new campus and provide an ideal forum for two-way communication between the community and health service.

“The feedback and input provided via this forum will assist the project to meet local community needs as well as explain the progress of the project to the broader community.”

The group is made up of representatives from: 

• New Hospital for Albany Action Group
• Lower Great Southern District Health Advisory Council
• Great Southern GP Network
• Great Southern Development Commission
• Medical Advisory Committee chairperson
• City of Albany
• Albany Chamber of Commerce and Industry
• Great Southern Aboriginal Health Advisory Group Council
• Silver Chain Albany
• St John Ambulance Albany
• Albany Health Campus Development Project Working Group representative.

 Local physiotherapist Andrew Partington has been appointed as the Minister’s representative.  WA Country Health Service regional director Robert Pulsford will be the chair.

 An Albany Health Campus website has been launched today to provide information on the progress of the development.  This will complement regular updates and information provided to staff working at the hospital and wider input into the planned development.

 “The State Government wants to ensure the community has an opportunity to contribute to the consultation process and provide feedback on issues relating to the development,” Dr Hames said.

 “Our actions show that we are going to deliver this project and make real progress – not just promises like the previous Labor government.”

 Preparatory site work on the project is planned to commence towards the end of 2010 with main construction works for  the campus expected to start in early 2011, targeting completion of new buildings by the end of 2012, ready for operation in 2013.

For further information about opportunities for consultation and feedback, or to view the Terms of Reference for the Albany Health Campus Development Community Reference Group, go to http://www.wacountry.health.wa.gov.au/albanyhealthcampus

Residents of WA’s Great Southern are invited to have a say on the name of Albany’s new venue.
The City of Albany Council is offering a double pass to the centre’s opening night to anyone who can suggest an appropriate name for the building.
Mayor Milton Evans said the Council wanted to find a name that expressed the uniqueness of the site, the centre’s regional importance and the wide range of performing arts and community uses that will be hosted there. To find out more, CLICK HERE

With full stage flying capabilities and an orchestra pit which can rise to become a stage extension, the facility is very flexible.

On a recent trip to South Australia, two things stood out as we were walking around the city. One was the lack of roadside litter and the other was the numbers of people with trollys or garbage bags looking for it.South Australia has long had a refund policy on drink containers. Cans, bottles, water bottles and even flavoured milk containers attract a 10c container refund when recycled. The impact is visable.

I remember years ago attending the Adelaide Speedway (in the days when Adelaid hosted the Formula 1 Grand Prix). Kids with garbage bags prowled the grounds pouncing on any disgarded drink container. In fact our group held bets on how long a drink can we rolled down the slope would last. Not one ever reached the bottom. When the crowd went home, the difference in litter left on the grounds was very significant compared to Western Australia events.

Many would remember the days when cool drink bottles could be sold to the local shop for a few cents. Most of that would be immediately spend on lollies by the kids. Yet often, families were fed when the wages ran out, and the cool drink bottles were rounded up to be sold for a loaf of bread

Would a similar policy work in Western Australia?  Would it make a difference to the amount of roadside litter? Anyone that visits the Middleton Beach carpark early on a Saturday morning cannot help but notice how often piles of trash are left from the night before. Take out the drink containers and it would immediately halve.

A financial incentive to recycle is a compelling reason not to dump bottles and cans in the environment. S.A. has the best recycling record or any state because of the deposit. Is it time a similar program was implemented here in Western Australia?

 Forestry Minister Terry Redman  officially opened Plantation Energy’s $25million wood pellet plant, the first of its kind in Australia.
“This plant ticks all the right boxes: a new industrial sector, valuable export dollars, production of renewable energy, creating new employment for the region, finding a commercial use of low value or waste products and improving plantation viability,” Mr Redman said.

“In recent weeks the company has announced major multi-million dollar deals to supply wood pellets to some of Europe’s biggest power plants, demonstrating the ‘green’ credentials of Australia’s timber industry.
“To handle the expected 250,000 tonnes of pellets exported each year, Plantation Energy Australia is financing a $10million upgrade of infrastructure and handling facilities at the Albany port.
“Plantation Energy’s plant in Albany has or will create more than 100 jobs both directly and indirectly.” 
Up to 45 people were employed during the construction process, it will employ 15 permanent employees and support a further 45 jobs in forestry, transport, handling and engineering.The pelletising process takes plantation residues and converts it into ‘densified biomass fuel’ (DBF) or wood pellets. Bioenergy is then produced from the pellets through burning. In Europe, bioenergy is becoming more popular as a sustainable substitute to high carbon energy.
“Albany is the first step for Plantation Energy which is planning at least five other plants in Australia, including another in Western Australia,” the Minister said.