Said to be named after a village in England, United Kingdom, Albury developed as a major transport link between New South Wales and Victoria and was proclaimed a city in 1946.

[11] In 1851, with the separation of Victoria from New South Wales, and the border falling on the Murray River, Albury found itself a frontier town.

The two states could not initially agree which should be the transfer point so they had an expensive and attractive iron lattice bridge sent from Scotland which accommodated both gauges.

The Royal Commission on Sites for the Seat of Government of the Commonwealth report of 1903 recommended Albury (along with Tumut) as the preferred candidate for the national capital,[13] though the proposal met staunch opposition from residents.

After signalling by Morse code A-L-B-U-R-Y to the lost aircrew by using the entire town's public lighting system, the "Uiver" was guided in to land safely.

The makeshift runway at the racecourse was illuminated by the headlights of cars belonging to local residents who had responded to a special news bulletin on ABC radio station 2CO.

[16][17] Albury and Wodonga played a military role in World War II with the establishment of ordnance bases at Bandiana and Bonegilla.

In 1973, Albury-Wodonga was selected as the primary focus of the Whitlam federal government's scheme to redirect the uncontrolled growth of Australia's large coastal cities (Sydney and Melbourne in particular) by encouraging decentralisation.

Grand plans were made to turn Albury-Wodonga into a major inland city and large areas of the surrounding farmland were compulsorily purchased by the government.

The city enjoys a high amount of sunshine, getting around 108 days of clear skies annually (with the majority in summer and early autumn).

Following the first convention in Canberra to form the Liberal Party of Australia, delegates, including Sir Robert Menzies, met for a second conference in Albury at Mate's Department Store between 14 and 16 December 1944.

The delegates agreed on the structure of the party organisation, adopted a provisional constitution and appointed a federal executive until one could be formally elected.

In the same block are the Post Office, Police Station and Courthouse, and St Matthew's Anglican Church (which was rebuilt after being destroyed by fire in 1990).

East Albury lies east of the railway line/freeway from the CBD and houses now cover the eastern hill alongside the Albury Base Hospital, while the flat land directly north of it is covered by parkland, housing and light industry, and a retail park including Harvey Norman and Spotlight franchises, as well as the city airport.

North Albury was covered by orchards and vineyards in the first half of the 20th century, and a swamp existed where James Fallon High School now stands.

[38][39] Several threatened species can be found in Albury, including the Sloane's froglet, Regent Honeyeater, and Squirrel Glider (Petaurus norfolcensis).

The city centre bypass includes the new Spirit of Progress Bridge over the Murray River, and cost $518 million, the most expensive road project built in rural Australia at that time.

Originally, New South Wales and Victoria had different track gauges, which meant that all travellers in either direction had to change trains at Albury.

At the frontier between NSW and Victoria our multitude of passengers were routed out of their snug beds by lantern light in the morning in the biting cold to change cars.

The airport, 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) east of the city centre, has scheduled daily flights to Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane through commercial carriers.

The opening of the Hume Freeway bypass on 4 March 2007,[49] has greatly eased previous traffic congestion on the Lincoln Causeway, allowing vastly better flow between Albury and Wodonga.

The region surrounding Albury provides a variety of tourist attractions, including the wine region centred on Rutherglen, the historic goldfield towns of Beechworth and Yackandandah, boating, fishing and canoe hire on the many rivers and lakes, including Lake Hume, the forests and mountains of the Great Dividing Range and slightly further afield the snowfields Falls Creek and Mount Hotham.

Wonga Wetlands, 2.5 kilometres (1.6 mi) west of the city and adjacent to the River Murray is a key feature of Albury's use of treated wastewater and consists of a series of lagoons and billabongs.

The Albury-Wodonga campus of La Trobe University is also a large and growing educational institution with several thousand undergraduates and postgraduates in its two colleges.

Degrees in Business, Arts, Science, Bioscience, Nursing, and various Allied Health disciplines, are available.Riverina Institute of TAFE operates a campus in Albury.

Of the three main commercial networks, Seven airs a half-hour local news bulletin at 6 pm each weeknight, produced from a newsroom in the city but broadcast from studios in Canberra.

The Albury/Wodonga market underwent significant change in 2005 when Macquarie Southern Cross Media bought 105.7 The River from RG Capital, and 2AY and Star FM from DMG Radio Australia.

[64] The dance music station Raw FM airs on 107.9 Despite being located in New South Wales, Albury is a stronghold of Australian rules.

[66] Albury has produced many great rugby league players, with the two most famous exports being former Canberra and Penrith flyer Adrian Purtell and Australian fullback Dylan Edwards.

WNBA MVP winner Lauren Jackson, NRL Player Adrian Purtell, and test cricketer Steve Rixon are among other champion sports people from the area.