Historical Walking Tour of Albury
Looking for things to do in Albury? Start with its history. Albury boomed in the 1850s and 1860s as a border post and steamer port on the Murray, and the oldest hotel and the townhouses known as The Carriageway survive from those years. The railway arrived in 1881 and made Albury the end of the NSW line until 1962, with a break of gauge at the Victorian border. In 1934 a Dutch airliner, the Uiver, made an emergency landing here during the MacRobertson air race. This self-guided walk links 8 historic places, from Bonegilla House to the grand railway station, each with a short audio story in the Sitesy app.
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What is Albury known for?
Albury is known as a Murray River border town that boomed in the 1850s and 1860s as a border post and steamer port. Its railway precinct is one of the major railway precincts in NSW, with one of the state's most prominent station buildings, built when the line reached the border in 1881 and rivalry with Victoria shaped the colonies' railways. The town is also known for the Uiver, the Dutch airliner whose emergency landing here in the 1934 MacRobertson air race became a lasting link between Australia and the Netherlands.
The route: 8 historic places in Albury
Start at Bonegilla House, Kiewa Street. Tap a stop to see it on the map.
Pins are numbered in walking order; lines join them directly, not along streets. Walking directions in Google Maps
- 1
Bonegilla House
The register calls this a good example of mid-Victorian architecture and part of a corner group, and records improvements made to the house in 1873. The name comes from a cattle run formed in 1835 by William Wyse, and Bonegilla is variously said to mean the big waterhole, deep water or the big cattle camp. Records for the house are thin, so the listing recommends further research. SHR 00617.
Source: NSW State Heritage Inventory
- 2
The Uiver Collection
This collection of ephemera records the 1934 flight of the Uiver, the KLM Douglas DC-2 that entered the MacRobertson air race from London to Melbourne. Its emergency landing at Albury and its success in the race helped air travel develop in Australia, and the first commercial passenger flight between Europe and Australia led to the first migration agreement Australia made with a foreign country, signed with the Netherlands in 1939. The register lists the collection as State significant. SHR 01995.
Source: NSW State Heritage Inventory
- 3
Albury Post Office
An electric telegraph station was built here in 1860, and the original part of the present building went up on the same site in 1878. In 1904 it was merged with the telegraph office through large extensions along Kiewa Street, and the clocktower was added in the 1920s. The register links it with Colonial Architect James Barnet, who designed many NSW post offices, and values it as an imposing country post office in the Victorian Free Classical style at the entrance to the civic precinct. SHR 01311.
Source: NSW State Heritage Inventory
- 4
New Albury Hotel
Built in 1939 to a design by W.H. Merritt, an architect and engineer from Melbourne, at an estimated cost of 25,000 pounds, this hotel was first called the Hotel Albury. The register rates it an excellent example of the International style, derived from Bauhaus teaching, which is rare in country towns. At five storeys it was the first high-rise building in Albury and is regarded as the town's most successful cream brick building. SHR 00629.
Source: NSW State Heritage Inventory
- 5
Elm Court
James Higgins built Elm Court as a coach building and harness workshop, with a residence on the upper floor, and opened for business in 1888. The register dates the building to c.1880 and says the business added substantially to Albury's economy. It is an example of the early coach industry in the town, valued for its silhouette and for having been reused several times. SHR 00140.
Source: NSW State Heritage Inventory
- 6
The Carriageway
A pair of substantial two-storey brick townhouses with a central carriageway, built around 1860 during Albury's boom as a border post and steamer port. It has been used as an inn or hostel and as a private home. The register calls it one of the oldest mid-Victorian residential buildings left in Albury and a rare example of compact urban housing surviving in a distant inland town. Heritage protection began in 1978 when it was offered for sale at auction. SHR 00040.
Source: NSW State Heritage Inventory
- 7
Commercial Hotel & Cottage
The hotel is believed to have been built around 1854 and is thought to be the oldest surviving public hotel in Albury. The register notes an 1880s verandah and a 1912 accommodation wing designed by an architect, and describes the hotel as an early commercial response to the railway and a good example of a late colonial country hotel. SHR 00538.
Source: NSW State Heritage Inventory
- 8
Albury Railway Station and yard group
Also known as Albury Railway Station
The register ranks the precinct as one of the major railway precincts in NSW, with one of the state's most prominent station buildings. Albury was the terminus of the Main Southern Line from 1881 until 1962, and the break of gauge here meant passengers and goods were transferred near the Victorian border. The grand station reflects colonial rivalry over the wool trade, and the yard served the war effort in World War II. The 1880s barracks is one of the oldest in NSW. SHR 01073.
Source: NSW State Heritage Inventory
The Uiver lands at Albury, 1934
The Uiver was a KLM Douglas DC-2, named after the Dutch word for stork, and one of the most unusual entries in the 1934 MacRobertson air race from London to Melbourne. It carried four crew and three passengers, and KLM wanted to show it could run a twice-weekly air service to Australia. The aircraft's emergency landing at Albury and its success in the race helped air travel develop in Australia. The register notes that the story led to a lasting relationship between the two countries, ending in Australia's first migration agreement with a foreign country, signed with the Netherlands in 1939.
Source: NSW State Heritage Inventory
Rails at the border
The railway reached Albury on 3 February 1881 and the station opened on 1 March 1881. It was the end of the Main Southern Line until 1962. Rivalry between New South Wales and Victoria over the Riverina wool trade pushed both colonies to build rail to the border, and the break of gauge here meant passengers and goods changed trains near the state line. The line crossed the Murray on 14 June 1883. In World War II the transhipment area moved military supplies and personnel, and the 1880s railway barracks is one of the oldest in NSW.
Source: NSW State Heritage Inventory
How the walk works
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Tap Start this walk free. The walk opens in the Sitesy app in your browser, with the route and every stop ready.
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Each stop's story plays as you arrive, with directions to the next one. Pause for a coffee whenever you like.
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Before you go
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Questions
What are the best things to do in Albury's town centre?
Walk Dean, Kiewa and Smollett Streets. This tour links 8 historic places, including the Albury Post Office, the New Albury Hotel, The Carriageway and the railway station.
What is the history of Albury in brief?
Albury boomed in the 1850s and 1860s as a border post and steamer port. The telegraph arrived in 1860 and the railway in 1881, when Albury became the end of the NSW line, with a break of gauge at the Victorian border, until 1962.
What is Albury known for?
Albury is known as a border town on the Murray, for its grand railway station, and for the 1934 landing of the Dutch airliner Uiver during the MacRobertson air race, which helped lead to Australia's first migration agreement with a foreign country, signed with the Netherlands in 1939.
What was the Uiver?
The Uiver was a KLM Douglas DC-2 entered in the 1934 MacRobertson air race from London to Melbourne. It made an emergency landing at Albury, and its success in the race helped air travel develop in Australia.
How long does the Albury walking tour take?
About 65 minutes over roughly 2.2 km, including time to stop and listen at each place.
Do I need mobile data?
No. Load the tour in the Sitesy app before you go and it's saved for offline use.
Is the Albury walking tour free?
Yes. Open it in the Sitesy app and every stop on this walk is free to hear, with no account needed. Free listeners also get 5 stories a day about wherever they are and 1 custom walk a week. The Trip pass (A$7.99 for 7 days) and Sitesy Plus (A$8.99 a month) unlock unlimited stories and walks.
Page last updated 21 October 2026.