Community - History of Donald

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.

Donald has been a victim of several floods in recent years, with the most severe in January 2011. Major floods also occurred in August 1909, 1918, 1956, 1975 and 1992.

Contrarily, the area suffered a major drought period in the 1990s and 2000s, significantly impacting the community which primarily relies on crop farming to survive.