Port Albert

Port Albert is a historic coastal fishing village in the Wellington Shire of Gippsland, Victoria, located on Corner Inlet near Nooramunga Marine and Coastal Park. Established in 1841 as Victoria's first port, it served as a vital transport and supply hub for early Gippsland. Today it is notable for its well-preserved heritage buildings, working fishing harbour, maritime museum, and waterfront setting, offering a quiet heritage and nature-based visitor experience.

Visitors can expect a small, quiet historic seaport with a working fishing harbour, timber wharf and jetty, heritage-listed buildings along Wharf Street and surrounds, and views over Corner Inlet and the islands of Nooramunga Marine and Coastal Park. The town centre has the Port Albert Maritime Museum, cafes, galleries and accommodation. Visitors can walk the foreshore, view fishing boats, visit the museum, fish from the jetty, and use boat ramps for boating and kayaking in sheltered inlet waters.

Port Albert was established in 1841 and is recognised as Victoria's first port. It served as the main entry point for people, livestock and supplies into Gippsland before road and rail links were developed, supporting early pastoral settlement and timber and fishing industries. Many original buildings from the 1840s-1860s remain, including heritage-listed hotels and commercial buildings along the waterfront.

The town retains a strong maritime and fishing culture as a working fishing port for Corner Inlet. Its heritage buildings, maritime museum and waterfront reflect Gippsland's early colonial settlement and seafaring history, and it serves as a community hub for local fishing, boating and heritage tourism.