Western Australia — King George Sound & Princess Royal Harbour (1859)

The Admiralty chart that founded Albany as Australia’s first western port

Long before Fremantle or Perth, King George Sound was Western Australia’s gateway to the world. Sheltered, deep and perfectly positioned on the Southern Ocean, it became the colony’s first great harbour — and this magnificent 1859 British Admiralty chart is the document that made it usable.

Compiled from the surveys of Matthew Flinders (1802), Dumont d’Urville (1826), John Lort Stokes (1848) and Henry Denham (1858), and engraved by J. & C. Walker, this chart represents more than half a century of exploration distilled into a single, authoritative sheet.

This is not a decorative map.
It is the blueprint of Western Australia’s maritime birth.

⚓ What This Chart Shows

This beautifully engraved Admiralty chart reveals Albany’s great harbour system in operational detail.

• King George Sound — the great natural roadstead of southern WA

• Princess Royal Harbour — the inner sheltered port

• Approaches, channels and anchorages

• Hundreds of bathymetric soundings showing safe depth and hazards

• Coastal relief shown by hachures and spot heights

• Two coastal profile views for visual navigation

• Greenwich prime meridian — true Admiralty standard

This was the chart trusted by the ships that connected Western Australia to the British Empire.

🧭 Why This Chart Works

Most harbour maps show shorelines.
This shows how ships actually used them.

• Based on surveys by four of history’s greatest hydrographers

• True British Admiralty production — the gold standard of navigation

• Extraordinary technical detail — soundings, channels and anchorages

• Historic authority — used by naval and merchant vessels

• Museum-grade engraving by J. & C. Walker

This is the chart that made Albany a safe, working port.

✨ Premium Finishes

Every King George Sound & Princess Royal Harbour (1859) Admiralty Chart is printed in Australia using archival methods to preserve every fine engraved line and depth figure.

📐 Size

1000 mm (W) × 670 mm (H)
A commanding panoramic wall format that faithfully reproduces the authority and detail of the original Admiralty sheet.

🎯 Ideal For

• Maritime and naval history collectors

• Yacht clubs and sailing institutions

• Museums and libraries

• Architects and heritage interiors

• Anyone fascinated by Western Australia’s maritime story

🤝 Our Commitment

• Printed in Australia with professional colour management

• Archival pigment inks for long-term stability

• Premium laminates and canvas for durability

• Natural timber hang rails for elegant presentation

• Hand-checked and carefully packed before dispatch

Albany was Western Australia’s first window to the world.
Choose your finish and bring the chart that made it possible onto your wall.