Originally named after Queen Victoria’s husband, the Alberton township was originally two separate communities, Victoria and Alberton. The town’s creation was closely related to the development of nearby Port Albert, Victoria’s first established harbour town. Alberton quickly became the administrative centre of Gippsland in the 1840s. Alberton’s Hawthorn Bank is one of Victoria’s few remaining wattle and daub structures.

The town cemetery was established by sealers who used to bury their dead on the riverbanks in the 1830s. 10 km north-west is a blue gum forest, crisscrossed by signposted walking tracks, for those keen on bushwalking.

Alberton is served by a local public primary school, the Alberton Primary School (built in 1858) and the Victoria Hotel (built in 1890). It is located just a short 7km from Yarram and is a main stopping point for those travelling on the recently extended Great Southern Rail Trail.