'Generates activity for everybody': Massive economic boost in store for Albany

It was falling in love with his now-wife that prompted architect Michael Roberts to move from Melbourne to Albany 25 years ago, but it didn’t take long for him to fall in love with his adopted city and the lifestyle it allowed him.

Not only has Roberts raised a family in a supportive community and indulged his love of surfing at beautiful white-sand beaches. He says he is also able to pursue a diversity of design projects he couldn’t dream of in Melbourne.

Waterfront renewal

Most recently Roberts, a partner at Roberts Gardiner Architects, has been working with clients looking to invest in LandCorp’s Middleton Beach Precinct, a 1.3-hectare site fronting the beach that will eventually host a hotel alongside retail, commercial and residential tenants.

Roberts says the project will revive the beachfront just as the city’s new entertainment centre revived the waterfront when it opened in 2010. Roberts Gardiner worked with Cox Howlett & Bailey Woodland on the award-winning centre, which delivered international standard entertainment, performance and convention facilities overlooking Princess Royal Harbour.

He then worked on the Due South tavern next door, which boasts a beef ageing program, a charcuterie and a kitchen that mills its own flour.

Roberts is also designing an Aboriginal language and cultural centre and says the ongoing development in Albany is a boon for locals.

“There are great economic benefits,” he says. “In the short term there’s jobs for tradies and builders and in the long term, there’s employment in hospitality projects and retail. Of course, the tourism dollar generates activity for everybody.”

A safe haven

Mason Realty principal Rob Mason says the building activity in Albany will breathe new life into “an already great area”, reconnecting the community to the waterfront, a place that has long supported the city and fostered its growth.

“The waterways down here are exceptional,” he says. “We’ve got some of the best beaches in Australia, two natural harbours, a couple of great rivers and mountain ranges.

“WA is fairly flat and faces west, but here you can get out of the wind because we’ve got beaches that face in most directions and a really interesting coastline that is great for surfing and fishing.”

Mason moved from Perth with his family six years ago: “Albany was really the only place we seriously considered because it’s a big enough centre to have all the important facilities like good schooling, tertiary education, a new hospital, and enough people and businesses to make life interesting.”

Top home in the area

Middleton Beach is host to Albany’s most exclusive real estate and this Dane Richardson-designed residence is no exception, winning the 2008 WA Design Excellence award.

Claiming views over the beach and beyond to King George Sound, the home comes with a heated pool and finishes in marble, Tasmanian Oak, glass and stainless steel.

For sale for about $2 million, the listing is shared between Rob Mason of Mason Realty, and Neil McAllister of WA Sotheby’s International Realty.