Alison Hartman Gardens
The late Alison Hartman was the Principal at Albany Primary School between 1935 and 1967. The Gardens are named in her honour for her 50-year contribution to the education of children.
Centrally located on York Street, next to the City of Albany Library, the Gardens were originally part of the adjacent Albany Primary School, now the Albany District Education Centre.
The gardens are a picturesque collection of lawns, gardens, and large timber and steel sculptures
To the south, the impressive Norfolk Island pine tree dates back to 1890s and is decorated as Albany's Christmas Tree during the festive season.
The Statue of Mokare, at the front of the gardens, is dedicated to the aboriginal man who helped early settlers maintain a peaceful coexistence with the local Noongar people. This was erected in 1997 as part of a reconciliation project by the Albany community.
A Peace Pole at the rear of the gardens was erected in 2011 as part of the Harmony Day celebrations. It features the message "May Peace prevail on Earth" in six languages.
A series of community sculptures set amongst a granite outcrop were placed in 1989, acknowledging the importance of shipping and agriculture in the early development of the town. The large, century-old timbers are from the original town Jetty and show both the effects of weathering by wind and tide, and the hand of man. The steel and timber constructs are representative of the Jetty, ships loading cranes and other agricultural machinery and are intended to remind us of the history of the region.
Today the gardens are a picturesque collection of lawns, gardens, and large timber and steel sculptures and a pleasant and popular place to relax in the centre of Albany.
Article updated 27/09/2016.