Great Southern region of Western Australia
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Regions of Western Australia
Regionalisations of Western Australia are systems by which Western Australia is divided into distinct geographic regions. The most commonly known regionalisation is the governmental division of the state into regions for economic development purposes, of which there are nine.Other regionalisations...
. It is a section of the larger South Coast of Western Australia
South Coast Western Australia
South Coast Western Australia comprises the coastline in the state of Western Australia from Cape Leeuwin to Eucla. This is a distance of approximately 1,000 miles or 1,600 km, fronting the Great Australian Bight and the Southern Ocean.-Components:...
and neighbouring agricultural regions.
It officially comprises the local government areas
Local Government Areas of Western Australia
The Australian state of Western Australia is divided into 141 local government areas...
of Albany
City of Albany
The City of Albany is a Local Government Area in the Great Southern region of Western Australia, about SSE of Perth, the capital of Western Australia. It covers an area of , including the Greater Albany metropolitan area and the Port of Albany, as well as the surrounding agricultural district and...
, Broomehill-Tambellup
Shire of Broomehill-Tambellup
The Shire of Broomehill-Tambellup is a new Local Government Area in the Great Southern region of Western Australia, south-southeast of the state capital, Perth. The Shire covers an area of , and its seat of government is the town of Tambellup...
, Cranbrook
Shire of Cranbrook
The Shire of Cranbrook is a Local Government Area in the Great Southern region of Western Australia, about north of Albany and about south-southeast of the state capital, Perth. The Shire covers an area of , and its seat of government is the town of Cranbrook.-History:The Cranbrook Road Board was...
, Denmark
Shire of Denmark
The Shire of Denmark is a Local Government Area in the Great Southern region of Western Australia, about west of Albany and about south-southeast of the state capital, Perth. The Shire covers an area of , and its seat of government is the town of Denmark....
, Gnowangerup
Shire of Gnowangerup
The Shire of Gnowangerup is a Local Government Area in the Great Southern region of Western Australia, about north of Albany and about southeast of the capital, Perth. The Shire covers an area of , and its seat of government is the town of Gnowangerup....
, Jerramungup
Shire of Jerramungup
The Shire of Jerramungup is a relatively new Local Government Area in the Great Southern region of Western Australia, about northeast of Albany and about southeast of the state capital, Perth...
, Katanning
Shire of Katanning
The Shire of Katanning is a Local Government Area in the Great Southern region of Western Australia, about north of Albany and about southeast of the state capital, Perth. The Shire covers an area of , and its seat of government is the town of Katanning....
, Kent, Kojonup
Shire of Kojonup
The Shire of Kojonup is a Local Government Area in the Great Southern region of Western Australia, about southeast of the state capital, Perth, along Albany Highway. The Shire covers an area of and its seat of government is the town of Kojonup.-History:...
, Plantagenet and Woodanilling
Shire of Woodanilling
The Shire of Woodanilling is a Local Government Area in the Great Southern region of Western Australia, about south of Wagin and about south-southeast of the state capital, Perth. The Shire covers an area of , and its seat of government is the town of Woodanilling.-History:The Woodanilling Road...
.
The Great Southern has an area of 39007 square kilometres (15,060.7 sq mi) and a population of about 54,000. Its administrative centre is the historic port of Albany
Albany, Western Australia
Albany is a port city in the Great Southern region of Western Australia, some 418 km SE of Perth, the state capital. As of 2009, Albany's population was estimated at 33,600, making it the 6th-largest city in the state....
. The region has a Mediterranean climate
Mediterranean climate
A Mediterranean climate is the climate typical of most of the lands in the Mediterranean Basin, and is a particular variety of subtropical climate...
, with hot, dry summers and cool, wet winters. The economy of the Great Southern is dominated by livestock
Livestock
Livestock refers to one or more domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to produce commodities such as food, fiber and labor. The term "livestock" as used in this article does not include poultry or farmed fish; however the inclusion of these, especially poultry, within the meaning...
farming and crop
Crop (agriculture)
A crop is a non-animal species or variety that is grown to be harvested as food, livestock fodder, fuel or for any other economic purpose. Major world crops include maize , wheat, rice, soybeans, hay, potatoes and cotton. While the term "crop" most commonly refers to plants, it can also include...
-growing. It has some of the most productive cereal grain and pastoral
Pasture
Pasture is land used for grazing. Pasture lands in the narrow sense are enclosed tracts of farmland, grazed by domesticated livestock, such as horses, cattle, sheep or swine. The vegetation of tended pasture, forage, consists mainly of grasses, with an interspersion of legumes and other forbs...
land in the state, and is a major producer of wool
Wool
Wool is the textile fiber obtained from sheep and certain other animals, including cashmere from goats, mohair from goats, qiviut from muskoxen, vicuña, alpaca, camel from animals in the camel family, and angora from rabbits....
and lamb
Lamb (food)
Lamb, mutton, and hogget are the meat of domestic sheep. The meat of a sheep in its first year is lamb; that of a juvenile sheep older than 1 year is hogget; and the meat of an adult sheep is mutton....
. Albany is a major fishing
Fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
centre. The Great Southern coast, which has milder summer weather than areas on the west coast proper, is also a popular destination for holidaymakers, tourists
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
, anglers
Angling
Angling is a method of fishing by means of an "angle" . The hook is usually attached to a fishing line and the line is often attached to a fishing rod. Fishing rods are usually fitted with a fishing reel that functions as a mechanism for storing, retrieving and paying out the line. The hook itself...
and surfers
Surfing
Surfing' is a surface water sport in which the surfer rides a surfboard on the crest and face of a wave which is carrying the surfer towards the shore...
. Albany is home to the Kalgan River
Kalgan River
The Kalgan River is a river in the Great Southern region of Western Australia.The mouth of the river is found at coordinates 34°57'3.13"S 117°58'41.41"E.- Geography :The river is long and, along with the King River, drains into Oyster Harbour...
which is associated with riverboats, from 1918 to 1935 with the Silver Star which lowered its funnel to get under a bridge, and today with the Kalgan Queen which lowers its roof to pass beneath the same bridge.
Noongar
The Noongar are an indigenous Australian people who live in the south-west corner of Western Australia from Geraldton on the west coast to Esperance on the south coast...
people have inhabited the region for tens of thousands of years. European
European ethnic groups
The ethnic groups in Europe are the various ethnic groups that reside in the nations of Europe. European ethnology is the field of anthropology focusing on Europe....
settlement began with the establishment of a temporary British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
military base, commanded by Major Edmund Lockyer
Edmund Lockyer
Edmund Lockyer, – 10 June 1860) was a British soldier and explorer of Australia.Born in Plymouth, Devon, Lockyer was son of Thomas Lockyer, a sailmaker, and his wife Ann, née Grose. Lockyer began his army career as an ensign in the 19th Regiment in June 1803, was promoted lieutenant in early 1805...
, at King George Sound
King George Sound
King George Sound is the name of a sound on the south coast of Western Australia. Located at , it is the site of the city of Albany.The sound covers an area of and varies in depth from to ....
(Albany) on Christmas Day, 1826. Albany is consequently regarded as the oldest European settlement in Western Australia.