HISTORY

Gold was discovered in Donnybrook in 1897 by Richard Hunter, which sparked a mini gold rush. At the time, Perth was suffering a depression so the lure of gold drew many idle souls south to try their luck. Many claims were pegged, and shafts sunk, with much excitement and fanfare following the discovery. The new gold field was hospitable, flush with resources and touted as a major find. But alas, this was not to be. The gold was patchy and somewhat difficult to mine using 1900s technology; and by 1903 the rush was over. Records show 26kg of gold was won in those heady years.

But really, this was just the start of Donnybrook’s golden run. Gold had built infrastructure and the workforce, and many of the unemployed miners decided to stay and work in the agricultural industry. This gave the region’s farms a much-needed boost and agriculture boomed; the town grew and prospered.

Two brothers began working the Hunter Venture mine in the 1930s and recovered a further 27kg of gold, and small-scale alluvial mining occurred sporadically until the late 1940s.

Then in 1997, 100 years after gold was discovered, an inspired landowner created the Old Goldfield Orchard; rebuilding the Hunter Venture headframe and Mt Cara Adit portal, as well as building a tearoom and museum. Times change, and in 2016 the property was sold. Time, ever restless, becomes today and now brings new opportunity to revive Donnybrook Gold once more.

Come and visit and join the new gold rush, and you too can be part of history.