As it winds across the inland plains of Australia, the Murray River signifies the natural boundary between the states of Victoria and New South Wales. One city on the north bank is Albury, which creates a cross-river conurbation with its twin, Wodonga, on the Victoria side. Albury grew up as a transport centre, at the point where people frequently changed trains travelling between Sydney and Melbourne. Below are the top 10 things to do in Albury!

These days the city gives you an astonishing natural beauty, abundant greenery, and lots of opportunities for fun in the open-air. The culture at a city museum and art museum, both redeveloped since the 2000s. The Murray River is a constant draw mainly for the parks and wetlands on its banks. It also attracts people for the epic Lake Hume, a reservoir created upstream 100 years ago.

Top 10 things to do in Albury in 2024

Below is the list of top 10 things to do in Albury with your family!

Albury Botanic Gardens
Murray Art Museum
Monument Hill
Lake Hume and the Hume Dam
Wonga Wetlands
Noreuil Park
Yindyamarra Sculpture Walk
Albury Library Museum
Oddies Creek Park
Albury Swim Centre

Also read: Best Places to Visit During Your Trip to Western Australia

1. Albury Botanic Gardens

Topping the list of the top 10 things to do in Albury is the Albury Botanic Gardens. The city’s charming botanic gardens have been around since 1877 when the Mayor of Albury planted an English elm. In soft beds and groves of specimen trees, there are more than 1,000 plant species at Albury Botanic Gardens. The biggest feather in the gardens’ cap is the accumulation of rainforest species and you can discover these on the Rainforest Walk. It leads you past a host of beautiful trees and ferns like a bleeding heart, Australian teak, native quince, weeping lily pilly, firewheel tree, water gum and Illawarra flame tree, on a relaxed 40-minute stroll.

2. Murray Art Museum

Albury’s Murray Art museum holds the spot of top 10 things to do in Albury. After a multimillion-dollar service, Albury’s regional art gallery reopened in 2015 as a glossy contemporary art experience. Even the building is a work of art, with a facade designed as a 24-hour “art skin”, for kinetic art, projections and lighting. All of these are attached to the original venue, at what used to be Albury’s town hall, built-in 1907. As for exhibitions, Murray Art Museum also combines travelling exhibits with art that gives a sense of place and identity for Albury and its original people.

3. Monument Hill

The west end of Albury’s main street, Dean Street, ends with a hill. You can see this place crowned with a memorial to mark the First World War in 1924. This white monument by architect Louis Harrison can also be seen across Albury. A few decades later, the Memorial Bowl joined to honour those who served in the Second World War. Furthermore, you can hike up the wooded hillside from the city centre, and at this elevation, you will be amazed by an all-encompassing view of the region. History-lovers should definitely include this place in their list of top 10 things to do in Albury.

Monument Hill, Albury — **Credits – Wikimedia**

Also read: Top-Rated Hikes in Australia – Scale the best of the hiking regions

4. Lake Hume and the Hume Dam

People can see the Murray River dammed a few kilometres east of Albury to form the enormous Lake Hume. Estimates show that it holds more than five times the volume of Sydney Harbour. The dam itself, built between 1919 and 1935, is a landmark in its own right, at 51 metres high and 1,615 metres long. You can also go camping on the lakeshore. If you get hold of a Victorian state fishing licence, then you can sight plentiful freshwater fish in the lake.

5. Wonga Wetlands

In the West of Albury, there is a system of billabongs and lagoons spread over 80 hectares on the Murray River floodplain. The Wonga Wetlands is actually a work in progress. This place is being recovered from former grazing land using treated wastewater from Albury. Approximately 160 bird species have been counted in this habitat, which also grows scar trees and river red gums dating back six centuries. You can choose any three walking trails to help you encounter the Wonga Wetland, and you can also marvel at its wildlife through six bird hides.

6. Noreuil Park

Albury’s best-loved riverside park, Noreuil Park, is located within a kilometre of Albury’s central business district. A place to go for warm afternoons in the summer. The calm Murray River is perfect for a whole host of activities, from swimming to paddle boarding, canoeing and kayaking. You can also jog, cycle or wander along the foreshore, under the canopy of mature trees. Furthermore, there are lots of picnic tables or grassy spots where you can also throw down a blanket and idle away a few hours. The River Deck is located on the water’s edge and has a terrace beneath leafy elms and plane trees where you can actually watch the river drifting by.

Also read: Luna Park Sydney: Adventure Rides and Attractions in Sydney

7. Yindyamarra Sculpture Walk

The Wagirra Trail takes travellers along the Murray River from the south of Albury out to the Murray Wetlands. It connects with a network of other footpaths along the route. It’s a beautiful way to get out into the nature around Albury, two metres wide and weaving through quiet riverside parks. Recently, the five-kilometre range between Kremur Street and Wonga Wetlands has been improved with sculptures by local Aboriginal artists.

8. Albury Library Museum

In 2007, Albury’s city library and museum were put under one majestic modern roof, in an award-winning building designed by the renowned firm, Ashton Raggatt McDougall. For people from out of town, the Albury Library Museum holds both a 21st-century landmark and a place to tap into Albury’s story. The constant exhibition, Crossing Place looks at the settlement of this land, by the indigenous Wiradjuri people and eventually Europeans, calling on artefacts, audio recordings, photography and footage.

Interesting Read: Australian Museum In Sydney: Learn about Australia’s History

Albury Library Museum — **Credits – Wikimedia**

9. Oddies Creek Park

Cross the Murray River from Victoria via the Lincoln Causeway and you will be at this well-appointed park. It stands still with grassy spaces and tall, mature gum trees. Oddies Creek Park needs to be on your top 10 things to do in Albury if you have children, thanks to a massive adventure playspace especially that attracts more than 1,00,000 people each year. The main structure stands five metres tall and has ramps to accommodate wheelchair users. There is also a 30-metre flying fox, swings, slides of all sizes, a climbing net and a sandpit.

10. Albury Swim Centre

Last place in the top 10 things to do in Albury is the Albury Swim Centre. Right on the Murray River in Hovell Tree Park lies Albury’s outdoor swimming centre. Generally, open from September to April. This is the top place for residents and visitors to take it easy and cool off on a hot summer’s day. The main pool is Olympic sized (50 metres), with eight lanes, complemented by a heated 25-metre pool, a pool for babies and toddlers with shade sails, as well as a giant water slide. You can see the pools surrounded by grassy space with ample shade and picnic facilities. You can also grab snacks and cold drinks at the kiosk, or bring your own food and drink for a barbecue and enjoy with your family.

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