Campus life : The University of Western Australia

Our campus
Our region
Community
Public lectures
Our history

A friendly, supportive university community in the picturesque and historic city of Albany provides an alternative experience to studying at our Perth campus.

Albany is located 400km, or a four-hour drive, from Perth on Western Australia’s pristine south coastline. Situated in a biodiversity hotspot, Albany is close to some of the most spectacular beaches and scenery in Australia. It is connected to Perth by a well-maintained highway and has daily plane and bus services both to and from the city.

aerial view of Albany

“My love for the ocean and the intricate processes in the natural environment led me to choose a Marine Biology major in the Bachelor of Science degree. UWA Albany has a great family feel to it. Dynamic tutors, helpful staff and a close community of friendly students mean you are supported every step of the way.”

Ross
Undergraduate student

Our campus

Situated in the centre of Albany, our campus can be found on the café strip, close to shops and other amenities. Within the campus, expert academics and modern teaching facilities combine with small class sizes to provide you with a unique learning and research environment.

Accommodation Tour our campus

Our region

Albany has some of the most beautiful and diverse scenery in the world, from stunning coastlines to rugged granite outcrops. Enrich your experience by exploring this amazing natural environment through walking tracks and bike trails, and immerse yourself in the cultural and historic heritage of the region. You can also enjoy the delights of the many boutique wineries, gourmet delicacies and fresh food producers.

Read more about the amazing south coast

Community

UWA Albany works with the Great Southern community to strengthen local connections.

Children's University

UWA has joined with Edith Cowan University to deliver the Children’s University Australasia program in WA. This partnership will work with schools across WA, including Albany, and aims to nurture children's aspirations, self-belief, curiosity and love of learning from an early age.

Read more about the Children's University

Friends of UWA Albany

The Friends of UWA Albany was established in 1999 and is a support group of about 100 community members, including many UWA alumni, who wish to support the students and activities of the UWA Albany campus.

Read more about Friends of UWA Albany

Public lectures

The popular UWA Albany Lecture series presents talks throughout the year. Experts share their knowledge with the community on a wide variety of topics, including health, music and environmental issues.

Public lecture recordings 2021

2021: Public Lecture: 'It's about Time' with Professor Michael Tobar
Speaker: Professor Michael Tobar
Date: 17/08/2021

Public lecture recordings pre-2021

2020: History, potential and challenges of wave energy
Speaker: Dr Adi Kurniawan
Date: 29/07/2020
2019: History of palliative care and Albany Community Hospice 1989 to present
Speaker: Dr Kirsten Auret
Date: 21/11/2019; Global Perspectives on the Challenges of Biodiversity Conservation in a Changing World
Speaker: Dr Peggy Fiedler, Prof Stephen Hopper AC, Lynette Knapp, Dr Alison Lullfitz, Dr Luiza de Paula, Dr Stefan Poremski
Date: 12/11/2019; Aboriginal tourism as a welcome rest stop on the grade 4 path to reconciliation
Speaker: Dr Peter Twigg
Date: 11/07/2019; UWA Conservatorium Guitar Studio performance
Speaker: UWA School of Music
Date: 29/05/2019; UWA Albany Public Lecture: Biological fusion: When people, art and science come together
Speaker: Alison Lullfitz PhD & Ellen Hickman PhD
Date: 09/05/2019; TEDxUWA Salon: Beyond Green
Speaker: TEDxUWA Salon
Date: 23/04/2019
2018: The Past, Present and Future of wave energy technology - Dr Mark Skene
Speaker: Dr Mark Skene
Date: 22/11/2018; Supported Decision-Making for people living with Dementia - Dr Craig Sinclair
Speaker: Dr Craig Sinclair
Date: 01/11/2018; Classical Violin And Beyond - A Journey Off The Page
Speaker: Rupert Guenther
Date: 18/10/2018; The Guns Fell Silent: Explaining The Great War's End, Nov 1918
Speaker: Dr Andrew Webster
Date: 19/09/2018; Friends of UWA Albany Sandwich Seminar
Speaker: Friends of UWA Albany
Date: 30/08/2018; If it takes a whole villiage to raise a child, what does this mean for Albany in 2018?
Speaker: Dr Kim Clark
Date: 07/09/2018; Can you die of a broken heart?
Speaker: Dr Nikki Stamp
Date: 10/08/2018; Opus Australia: Australian classical music composition past and present
Speaker: Burhan Guner
Date: 19/07/2018; Tell Them We Are Rising with guest Speaker Alrick Brown
Speaker: Alrick Brown
Date: 07/03/2018
2017: 1000 YEARS OF CHORAL MUSIC with guest speaker Dr Nicholas Bannan and the Winthrop Singers
Speaker: Dr Nicolas Bannan
Date: 30/11/2017; The Global Family: From Genes and Genealogies
Speaker: Yann Toussaint
Date: 08/11/2017; Rural Mental Health: Social Farming in Ireland
Speaker: Dr Diedre O'Connor
Date: 27/10/2017; Cape Crusaders: Investigating Cape Naturaliste’s Surfing Subculture
Speaker: Dr Rob Holt
Date: 18/10/2017; The Cello King Louis XVI heard before he lost his head
Speaker: Michael Goldshlager
Date: 10/08/2017; Asylum in Germany and Australia – A Biographical Approach
Speaker: Dr Michaela Kottig
Date: 24/07/2017; Improving end of life care in rural Western Australia through community and clinical partnerships
Speaker: Dr Kirsten Auret
Date: 23/05/2017; What do you actually know about malaria? And what does it mean for Albany?
Speaker: Dr Peter Speldewinde
Date: 12/04/2017; Coming to Terms: Colonial Images of King George Sound
Speaker: Melissa Harpley
Date: 29/03/2017
2016: Hysteria, Freud and Somatisation
Speaker: Prof Geoff Riley AM
Date: 21/10/2016; Longing for the past: Social Media & Lost Heritage
Speaker: Prof Jenny Gregory
Date: 10/10/2016; Eucalyptus - Aboriginal and Science Perspectives
Speaker: Dr Stephen Hopper
Date: 13/07/2016; The Universe Has Spoken
Speaker: Professor David Blair
Date: 10/06/2016; Geometric Visions: An Analytical and Anecdotal History
Speaker: Duncan Moon
Date: 05/05/2016; Tolkein the Fascist? The Ideology behind Middle-earth
Speaker: Professor Rob Stuart
Date: 14/04/2016; Rammed earth and climate change: an engineering perspective
Speaker: Professor Daniela Ciancio
Date: 17/02/2016
2015: The long entanglement: 500 years of peace, war and trade between Venice and Islam.
Speaker: Andrea di Robilant
Date: 03/03/2015; Phosphorus-Acquisition Strategies and Species richness on nutrient impoverished soils
Speaker: Hans Lambers
Date: 25/03/2015; Rebuilding Life with Mental Health Challenges: From therapy to education
Speaker: Rachel E. Perkins
Date: 08/05/2015; Ennobled Underground: The Subterranean Vision in Neo-Romantic Art, Literature and Film in the Struggle against Nazism
Speaker: Giles Watson
Date: 04/06/2015; Science Priorities for Western Australia
Speaker: Peter Klinken
Date: 22/07/2015; Hell Sounds, Birdsongs and Zeppelins: Emotions, Memory and the Soundscape of the Great War
Speaker: Joy Damousi
Date: 18/08/2015; Unmaking the Gondwanan rainforest creation myth: our ancient sclerophyll flora
Speaker: Dr Greg Jordan
Date: 01/09/2015; Leonarda Cianciulli: a serial killer in Fascist Italy
Speaker: Giuseppe Finaldi
Date: 11/09/2015; A Good Night's Sleep
Speaker: Peter Eastwood
Date: 24/11/2015

Our history

UWA Albany first accepted students in 1999. Growing from undergraduate teaching in Arts and Science, the campus now offers a range of learning options for undergraduate and postgraduate students, and has vibrant and active research centres. The campus occupies the heritage-listed old Post Office and Railway Station. In 2012, a state-of-the-art Science Building was added.

Timeline

1999 Feb: Establishment of the UWA Albany Centre in the Old Headmaster’s House, Collie Street. Community lobbying in the 1990s to establish a university presence in Albany resulted in UWA Albany.
1999: The community support group Friends of UWA Albany and a community reference group UWA Albany Foundation are established.
2001 August: Major refurbishment of the Old Post Office Building on Stirling Terrace in preparation of the UWA Albany Centre relocating.
2001: Centre for Excellence in Natural Resource Management established.

2002 Feb: Academic procession down York Street to mark the grand opening of the UWA Albany Centre – Saturday 23 February 2002.
2002: Rural Clinical School of Western Australia established in Albany.
2002 Dec: The Centre wins an Australian Award for University Teaching for its innovative and practical approach to delivering higher education in the region.

2006: The first full Bachelor of Science degree is available in Albany – in Restoration Ecology.
2008: Establishment of Uni Smart Start Program in collaboration with the UWA School of Indigenous Studies.
2009: UWA Albany’s 10th anniversary.
2012: Purpose-built UWA Albany Science Building completed, expanding the opportunities for science and medical research and education in the region.

2017: Establishment of UWA Wave Energy Research Centre (WERC).
2019: Old Railway Station building named UWA Great Southern Marine Research Facility (GSMRF), incorporating WERC research, teaching and learning, and community outreach.
2019 Oct: UWA Albany celebrates 20 years.

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