Donnybrook, Western Australia facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Donnybrook Western Australia
The state heritage listed Donnybrook Post Office
Donnybrook Location in Western Australia
Established	1894
Postcode(s)	6239
Elevation	63 m (207 ft)
Area	[convert: needs a number]
Location	38 km (24 mi) from Bunbury
LGA(s)	Shire of Donnybrook-Balingup
State electorate(s)	Collie-Preston
Federal Division(s)	Forrest
Mean max temp Mean min temp Annual rainfall 23.1 °C 74 °F 9.8 °C 50 °F 973.1 mm 38.3 in
Localities around Donnybrook: Argyle Crooked Brook Beelerup Argyle Donnybrook Beelerup Paynedale Paynedale Upper Capel

Donnybrook is a lively town in Western Australia. It's located about 210 kilometres (130 mi) south of Perth, between the towns of Boyanup and Kirup. Donnybrook is famous for its delicious apples and is known as the "Apple Capital" of Western Australia. You'll also find many beautiful English Oak trees here. A super fun place to visit is the Apple Fun Park, a huge outdoor playground right in the middle of town!

History of Donnybrook

Donnybrook is on the traditional lands of the Noongar people, who have lived there for thousands of years. European settlers, like George Nash, arrived around 1842. They named the area "Donnybrook" after a town in Ireland that was their home. The town of Donnybrook was officially created in 1894.

The Donnybrook Gold Rush

In 1897, a man named Richard Hunter found gold about 6 kilometres south of Donnybrook. This discovery caused a small "gold rush"! A new company was even started in London to mine the gold. The government made plans for a new town called "Goldtown" because so many miners were coming. In 1901, over 200 gold miners were living in camps there. However, the gold didn't last long, and the main mine closed in 1903. People did try to find gold again during the Great Depression and later in the 1980s and 2000s.

Geography and Climate

Donnybrook has a special kind of weather called a Mediterranean climate. This means it usually has dry, warm summers and mild, wet winters. Even though summers are often dry, sometimes there can be heavy rainstorms. Donnybrook enjoys about 94 clear, sunny days each year.

What Donnybrook Makes

Donnybrook is most famous for its apple industry. The first Granny Smith apple tree was planted here in 1900. After World War I, apple orchards grew even bigger.

Apples are picked between March and May, and you can see beautiful apple blossoms in October. Besides apples, Donnybrook also produces timber, beef, dairy products, and wine grapes (called viticulture). Many young travellers, known as backpackers, come to Donnybrook to help pick fruit from November to June. Some apple orchards are now growing avocado trees instead.

Fun Things to See and Do

Donnybrook has many cool attractions that celebrate its apple heritage. You'll spot apple-shaped lights along the main street, especially near the Old Railway Station. These lights have recently been fixed up and look great!

The Big Apple

Apple decorations along Donnybrook's main street

On a hill east of Donnybrook, there's a 20-metre-high (66 ft) tower with a giant apple on top! This huge apple is part of The Big Apple Farmstay. From the top, guests can see amazing views of Donnybrook and the areas around it. This Lady Williams big apple is made of fibreglass and is 7.5 metres (25 ft) tall with a diameter of 6.5 metres (21 ft). It's one of Australia's famous "Big Things" that people love to visit.

Donnybrook Apple Festival

Finalists in the 1954 Apple Queen competition from Donnybrook, Manjimup and Bridgetown

Every year during Easter, Donnybrook hosts its exciting Apple Festival! People gather at Egan Park to celebrate the apple harvest. The festival has lots of fun things to do, like farm displays, a sideshow alley with games, a Saturday evening concert with fireworks, and a lively street parade. During the parade, the local Catholic Church even blesses a special "holy apple" to wish for good harvests in the future.

For a while, the Apple Festival had a friendly mascot named Donny Applebrook. Created in 1997, Donny was a giant green apple who helped promote the festival.

Apple Fun Park Playground

The Apple Fun Park is a huge outdoor playground right in the centre of Donnybrook. It opened in 2008, just in time for the Apple Festival that year. This amazing park has a fruit theme and offers tons of play equipment for kids. You'll find an 8-metre-high (26 ft) tower, swing sets, trampolines, many slides, and even a flying fox! There's also an exercise area for adults and a shaded picnic spot with public barbecues.

When it first opened, the Apple Fun Park was the biggest free-entry playground in Australia! It attracts up to 50,000 visitors every year and has brought a lot of money into the local area. Its success has even inspired other towns to build similar playgrounds.

In April 2021, the park closed for a while to get a big upgrade. Many of the old play structures were replaced because they had reached the end of their life. The park reopened in October 2021 with a new, bigger design, better lighting, more shade, and exciting new play equipment. Some of the original favourite pieces were kept too!

Australia's Largest English Oak

Donnybrook is home to the biggest known English Oak tree in Australia! This impressive tree is thought to have been planted in 1893 and is a special landmark in the town. There's even a time capsule buried under this historic tree.

Railway Connections

Donnybrook was once an important railway hub. The Donnybrook–Katanning railway line connected Donnybrook to several other communities, including Mumballup, Noggerup, Boyup Brook, Kojonup, and Katanning.