Historic WA pub visited by a US president hits the market
The Albany Hotel is one of Western Australia’s oldest inns – and its historic guest book features a cheeky message from Herbert Hoover, a young engineer who went on to be a US president. Set to change hands for the first time in 36 years, the watering hole could be yours for $2.95 million.
The heritage-listed two-storey pub at 244 York Street, Albany, was built in 1852, with records stretching back to the site’s first liquor licence in 1836.
“It is one of the oldest still existing licensed hotels in Albany and one of the first built,” West Australia’s Heritage Council says.
The Albany Hotel – featuring original brick fireplaces, pressed tin and timber bars, al fresco dining and accommodation – sits on a 957-square-metre site along the booming city’s main commercial strip, just a short walk from the port city’s waterfront and marina precinct.
Echoing its humble beginnings hosting passengers docked in the harbour where West Australia’s first European colonisation occurred, the city’s harbour regularly hosts cruise ships touring Australia’s southern coast.
The pub is uniquely owned and marketed by Russell Poliwka of First Western Realty, who has held it since 1990 and believes “the potential is exponential”.
It also comes with an optional adjoining 310-square-metre rear block available for $450,000, presenting potential for expansion or redevelopment.
“It’s structurally sound but requires a purchaser with the capability to restore it to its former glory,” Poliwka says.
Inside the pub, there are hospitality and bar spaces galore, TAB facilities, a commercial kitchen, practical storage and a cool room.
Outdoor areas include a verandah overlooking York Street and a covered rear al fresco bar, with potential for more laneway seating, subject to council approval.
Upstairs, the building includes 10 guest rooms, each with a hand basin and access to shared bathroom facilities, as well as a guest lounge and a covered verandah overlooking York Street.
The property also contains the manager’s living quarters with a private lounge, kitchen, bedroom and bathroom. It also features offices, storage rooms and a garage.
Leased until mid-2026, the pub will be sold with vacant possession, allowing investors to restore and reposition one of Albany’s longest-running hospitality landmarks.
“The current tenant’s lease expires at the end of June and will not be renewed,” he adds.
The listing comes as the port city experiences one of the strongest property booms among Australia’s regional markets, fuelled by high demand from people leaving cities and a severe shortage of homes and land supply.
Located about an hour from Perth by air and 4.5 hours by road, Albany – home to about 38,000 people – has recorded the highest home price growth in regional Australia over the past year.
Recent Domain Insight suburb data supports the strength of Albany’s property market, with the median house price reaching about $935,000 in 2025, up roughly 38.5 per cent over the previous year.
It also reveals 64 per cent of homes in Albany are owner-occupied, with 36 per cent rented, while the city – at least until recently – has an older demographic profile with an average age above 60.
Albany itself predates Perth as Western Australia’s first permanent European settlement, established at the harbour of King George Sound in 1826, and quickly developed inns and hotels to serve travellers arriving by ship when the port was an important stop for vessels travelling between Europe and Australia’s eastern colonies.
“Arguably this was the first licensed inn or hotel in Western Australia,” Poliwka says.
Originally known as the Horse and Groom Inn, it was later renamed the Albany Hotel in 1892, according to the Albany Historical Society.
The venue has had many licensees and also traded under several other names, including the Freemasons Hotel and the Old Stone Jug, evolving with the times with renovations to its original style of two wings linked by a covered verandah and a lace iron balcony.
A guest book dating from around 1900 contains an entry attributed to Herbert Hoover – then working in Australia as a mining engineer, decades before becoming the 31st president of the United States in 1929 – who wrote: “Not dead, but sleeping.”
Albany – known for agriculture and timber products – is also a key tourism gateway for Western Australia’s Great Southern region, attracting around 740,000 overnight visitors each year.
“Since its earliest days, Albany has offered first class accommodation for visitors, reflecting the town’s welcoming spirit and its growing importance as a port and settlement,” the Albany Historical Society says.
York Street has long been its civic heart, linking the harbour to the town centre and supporting a cluster of early hotels and inns, and featuring a town square.
By 1837, alongside the Albany Hotel, three other hotels in Albany serviced thirsty patrons, becoming “key social hubs that shaped the town’s character while welcoming travellers from across the region,” according to the historic society. By 1899, saloon bars could stay open until midnight, reflecting “the town’s vibrant social life”.
