Donald, Victoria

Donald Victoria
Main street passing through Donald
Donald
Population:	1,697 (2006) [1]
Postcode:	3480
Elevation:	114 m (374 ft)
Location:	282 km (175 mi) from Melbourne 144 km (89 mi) from Bendigo 90 km (56 mi) from Horsham
LGA:	Shire of Buloke
State District:	Swan Hill
Federal Division:	Mallee
Mean max temp Mean min temp Annual rainfall 21.3 °C 70 °F 8.8 °C 48 °F 366.7 mm 14.4 in

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 ^[2] 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.^[3]

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.^[4]

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.

Sports and activities

The town hosts a 3 day lawn tennis championship on Labour Day 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.^[5]

Golfers play at the Donald Golf Club on Golf Links Road.^[6]

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.

Transport

The Mildura railway line has freight services on it which pass through Donald. Donald railway station is currently closed.

References

1. ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (25 October 2007). "Donald (State Suburb)". 2006 Census QuickStats. http://www.censusdata.abs.gov.au/ABSNavigation/prenav/LocationSearch?collection=Census&period=2006&areacode=SSC25493&producttype=QuickStats&breadcrumb=PL&action=401. Retrieved 2007-10-01. 
2. ^ Premier Postal History, Post Office List, https://www.premierpostal.com/cgi-bin/wsProd.sh/Viewpocdwrapper.p?SortBy=VIC&country=, retrieved 2008-04-11 
3. ^ Donald the heart of Victoria, History of Donald, http://www.donald.org.au/, retrieved 2008-05-30 
4. ^ Country crash claims seven lives
5. ^ Country Racing Victoria, Wimmera Racing at Donald, http://www.countryracing.com.au/index.php?option=com_club_info&club=72&Itemid=80, retrieved 2009-05-07 ^{[dead link]}
6. ^ Golf Select, Donald, http://www.golfselect.com.au/armchair/courseView.aspx?course_id=963, retrieved 2009-05-11 

Coordinates: 36°22′S 142°59′E / 36.367°S 142.983°E / -36.367; 142.983