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.
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. At the 2016 census, it had a population of 1,498.
History
The town is named after William Donald, a Scottish pastoralist who was the first settler in the area in 1844. At the 2011 census, Donald had a population of 1,693. 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.Sir Albert Dunstan, Premier of Victoria 1935-43, was born in Donald in July 1882.
On 26 September 2006, Donald was the scene of the Borung Highway collision in which seven people died.Donald is occasionally affected by floods. Major floods have occurred in August 1909, 1918, 1956, 1975, 1992 and January 2011. The area also suffered a major drought period in the 1990s and 2000s, significantly impacting the community which primarily relies on crop farming to survive.
Weather
Things to do
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. Though this was badly damaged in a storm, with the top of the tree falling down, it was re-erected using a metal pole and concrete. Waterskiing and camping facilities are available at the nearby Lake Batyo Catyo.