Western Australia has one of the longest whale watching seasons in the world and Albany has the perfect waters for the nursing and migrating whales between late May and early October. You can see these gentle giants the Humpback, Southern Right and on rare occasions the Blue whales make their annual migration passing through Albany as they travel between warmer waters and the cooler ones around Antarctica. Did you know that the Humpback whale usually ranges from 12 to 16 metres in length and weighs approximately 80,000 pounds, that’s 36,287 kilograms and can live for 80 to 90 years. The Humpback is also one of the most acrobatic mammals and frequently breaches by leaping belly-up out of the water, then arching backward and returning to the surface with a loud slapping sound. They are also the most vocal of all the whales and make a variety of sounds including snores, cries and moans and string these together to make songs that can last anywhere from 5 to 35 minutes.

The Western Australia Pitcher Plant also known as the Albany Pitcher Plant and the fly catcher, grows in the southwest of Western Australia. You will find the plant around Albany in damp sandy or swampy ground and can reach a height of about 20 centimetres. Unlike most other pitcher plants this specie grows leaves in addition to its pitfall traps. The plants diet is insects such as ants and flies and catches their victims with their mouth like trap, swallowing them before drowning them using an enzyme. The opening of the pitcher has a number of smooth, dark red rings that produces a nectar that attracts the ants and then prevents them from escaping. If the flying insects try to escape the hairy red and white striped lid closes and the fly becomes exhausted, dies and then slowly dissolves in the enzyme.

The Great White Shark is the world's largest known predatory fish and is the only known surviving specie of the Carcharodon group. The Great White Shark can live to be 40 to 70 years old, can grow to over 6 metres long and can weigh over 1,800 kilograms. The Great White Shark population has decreased in numbers due to hunting for their fins and teeth. Did you know that the Great White Shark has 300 teeth and does not chew its food but rips their prey into bite sized pieces which are swallowed whole. The shark’s heavy torpedo shaped body allows it to cruise for long periods of time. In 1974, the largest Great White Shark was caught in Albany, weighing a whopping 1,450 kilograms.

The Dibbler is an endangered small nocturnal marsupial with brownish grey fur and speckled with white. It has distinctive white ring around their eyes and a hairy tail. Dibblers are most active at dawn and dusk and are very alert, spending much of their time on the ground but often climb bushes to lick the nectar from flowers and also feeds on ground dwelling insects and other invertebrates but also eats small lizards, birds and mammals. Did you know that the Dibbler was thought to be extinct, but in 1967 a pair was collected by chance from Cheyne Beach near Albany. The Dibbler was widespread throughout coastal areas across much of southwest of Western Australia and also on the Eyre Peninsula in South Australia. These tiny, cute marsupials grow up to 10 to 16 centimetres long with a 7.5 to 12 centimetre tail and can weigh 40 to 125 grams. Their breeding season is from March to April and the female dibblers can give birth to as many as eight babies.

The Tingle Trees in the southwest of Western Australia are one of the tallest trees found in the state and grow in the Walpole-Nornalup National Park about 120 kilometres from Albany. The Tingle Tree is part of the eucalyptus group and can live for more than 400 years and grows up to heights of 75 metres. The tallest Tingle Tree known as the ‘Giant Tingle Tree’ stands tall at 52 metres and is the largest circumference eucalypt known in the world. The word “tingle” is believed to be similar to the Aboriginal name for this specie and grows on the land of the Bibbulmun people. As shown in the photo the Giant Tingle Tree base has been hollowed by fire over many years and you can walk through the tree.

The Western Ground Parrot is the rarest bird in Western Australia and are critically endangered and on the brink of extinction. It is believed that only 100 to 150 wild birds remain in the wild. This ground dwelling parrot lives deep within patches of long unburnt coastal scrubland on the south coast of Western Australia at Cape Arid National Park and Nuytsland Nature Reserve, west of Esperance. While it is rarely seen, the birds can be heard calling to one another shortly after dusk and before dawn. As part of the conservation efforts to save the bird, a small number of birds have been moved from Cape Arid National Park to a conservation east of Albany to establish an insurance population. Did you know that Perth Zoo has created a specialised home for a very small number of Western Ground Parrots with custom designed enclosures, where they can be cared for and monitored 24-7 through CCTV.