Donald, Victoria
Encyclopedia
Donald is a town in Victoria, Australia
, located on the Richardson River, at the junction of Sunraysia Highway
and Borung Highway
, in the Shire of Buloke. The town is named after William Donald, a Scottish pastoralist who was the first settler in the area in 1844. At the 2006 census
Donald had a population of 1,697.
The earliest township was known as Richardson Bridge until surveyed as Donald in 1866.
The Donald Post Office opened on 1 August 1870 replacing that of nearby Mount Jeffcott which had operated since 1860. The town grew steadily boosted by the closer settlement
of the surrounding countryside and the arrival of the railway in 1882.
Donald has a local newspaper called the Buloke Times which is published each Tuesday and Friday.
On 26 September 2006, Donald was the scene of the Borung Highway collision in which seven people died.
Donald has been the victim of floods three times in the last year, with the most severe in January 2011. Major floods also occurred in August 1909
, 1918, 1956, 1975 and 1992.
weekend. It has an annual show on the Friday and Saturday of the 2nd week of October, and hosts Off Road Racing Australia's annual event the Donald 500 in April.
Donald has a field hockey
club, an Australian Rules Football
club called the Donald Royal Blues and a netball
club named the Donald Netball Club, all competing in the North Central Football League
, the region's major sport league. The horse racing club, the Wimmera Racing Club, schedules around six race meetings a year at Donald including the Donald Cup meeting in November.
Golfers play at the Donald Golf Club on Golf Links Road.
An attraction in the township is the Bullock's Head Tree, a tree which has a growth on it in the shape of a head of a bullock. Waterskiing and camping facilities are available at the nearby Lake Batyo Catyo
.
is currently closed.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, located on the Richardson River, at the junction of Sunraysia Highway
Sunraysia Highway
The Sunraysia Highway , is a important north-south route in western Victoria. The highway extends north a length of 331 km from the Western Highway near Ballarat to the Calder Highway near Ouyen....
and Borung Highway
Borung Highway
The Borung Highway is a 140 kilometre rural highway in western Victoria running in a west-east direction from Dimboola in the west to Charlton in the east...
, in the Shire of Buloke. The town is named after William Donald, a Scottish pastoralist who was the first settler in the area in 1844. At the 2006 census
Census in Australia
The Australian census is administered once every five years by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The most recent census was conducted on 9 August 2011; the next will be conducted in 2016. Prior to the introduction of regular censuses in 1961, they had also been run in 1901, 1911, 1921, 1933,...
Donald had a population of 1,697.
The earliest township was known as Richardson Bridge until surveyed as Donald in 1866.
The Donald Post Office opened on 1 August 1870 replacing that of nearby Mount Jeffcott which had operated since 1860. The town grew steadily boosted by the closer settlement
Selection (Australian history)
Selection referred to "free selection before survey" of crown land in some Australian colonies under land legislation introduced in the 1860s. These acts were similar to the United States Homestead Act and were intended to encourage closer settlement, based on intensive agriculture, such as...
of the surrounding countryside and the arrival of the railway in 1882.
Donald has a local newspaper called the Buloke Times which is published each Tuesday and Friday.
On 26 September 2006, Donald was the scene of the Borung Highway collision in which seven people died.
Donald has been the victim of floods three times in the last year, with the most severe in January 2011. Major floods also occurred in August 1909
1909 Western Victorian floods
The 1909 Western Victorian floods consisted of widespread flooding on rivers of the western half of the State of Victoria during the middle of August that year.-Meteorological background:...
, 1918, 1956, 1975 and 1992.
Sports and activities
The town hosts a 3 day lawn tennis championship on Labour DayLabour Day
Labour Day or Labor Day is an annual holiday to celebrate the economic and social achievements of workers. Labour Day has its origins in the labour union movement, specifically the eight-hour day movement, which advocated eight hours for work, eight hours for recreation, and eight hours for...
weekend. It has an annual show on the Friday and Saturday of the 2nd week of October, and hosts Off Road Racing Australia's annual event the Donald 500 in April.
Donald has a field hockey
Field hockey
Field Hockey, or Hockey, is a team sport in which a team of players attempts to score goals by hitting, pushing or flicking a ball into an opposing team's goal using sticks...
club, an Australian Rules Football
Australian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
club called the Donald Royal Blues and a netball
Netball
Netball is a ball sport played between two teams of seven players. Its development, derived from early versions of basketball, began in England in the 1890s. By 1960 international playing rules had been standardised for the game, and the International Federation of Netball and Women's Basketball ...
club named the Donald Netball Club, all competing in the North Central Football League
North Central Football League
The North Central Football League is an Australian rules football league based in North Central Victoria, Australia.The League was formed in 1930...
, the region's major sport league. The horse racing club, the Wimmera Racing Club, schedules around six race meetings a year at Donald including the Donald Cup meeting in November.
Golfers play at the Donald Golf Club on Golf Links Road.
Attractions
Recently the township bid on one of three faux fish used in the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth games ceremony, and was successful.An attraction in the township is the Bullock's Head Tree, a tree which has a growth on it in the shape of a head of a bullock. Waterskiing and camping facilities are available at the nearby Lake Batyo Catyo
Lake Batyo Catyo (Victoria)
Lake Batyo Catyo is a freshwater lake located 26km west of the town of St Arnaud in North Central Victoria, Australia.In normal conditions the lake surface area covers 230 hectares to an average depth of 2.5 metres...
.
Transport
The Mildura railway line has freight services on it which pass through Donald. Donald railway stationDonald railway station, Victoria
Donald is a closed railway station on the Mildura railway line in Donald, Victoria, Australia. It is 294 km from Southern Cross station. The station contains a freight yard....
is currently closed.