Donald

History

The town is named after William Donald, a Scottish pastoralist who was the first settler in the area in 1844. At the , Donald had a population of 1,472. 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.

Most-observed species

• Australian Magpie

  Gymnorhina tibicen (Latham, 1802) · Aves
  175
• Eurasian Coot

  Fulica atra Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  153
• Red-rumped Parrot

  Psephotus haematonotus (Gould, 1838) · Aves
  149
• White-plumed Honeyeater

  Ptilotula penicillata (Gould, 1837) · Aves
  145
• Pacific Black Duck

  Anas superciliosa J.F.Gmelin, 1789 · Aves
  141
• Magpie-lark

  Grallina cyanoleuca (Latham, 1802) · Aves
  136
• Willie-wagtail

  Rhipidura leucophrys (Latham, 1802) · Aves
  130
• Long-billed Corella

  Cacatua tenuirostris (Kuhl, 1820) · Aves
  124

Most recent

• M 2.7 — 2007-12-09
  38 km SE of Charlton, Australia
• M 2.9 — 2002-04-19
  45 km N of Charlton, Australia