CYCLE

There are several cycling options in the beautiful forest around Donnelly River Village. The Pool Road Loop to the north east of the Village is nearly 14 km. The Yanmah Loop to the south east is about 17 km. There is a shorter 4.8 km loop near Wheatley Dam. Tap the map button then the map markers for more information.

 

The Munda Biddi Trail also runs through Donnelly River Village. The trail section around the village has some of the most fun singletrack of the entire 1045 km Munda Biddi Trail. You can easily ride out and back on the Trail from the Village, creating your own half or full day trip. Please refer to the Munda Biddi Trail description in this App for much more information.

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WALK TRACKS 

All of the tracks around The Village are well maintained and go through a variety of forests types. You'll walk through a lot of Karri forest. The most famous walking track running through The Village is the Bibbulmun Track. This 1000 km track goes from Perth to Albany on the south coast. You can walk a section of the Bibbulmun starting in the village.

 

Three other short walk tracks are shown on the map. One goes to a huge Karri tree - the King Karri. This track, the dark green line on the map, is 3 km return from the Village and takes 1 hour. Another walk is a scenic route via the King Karri Track to Wheatley Dam (brown line). This pretty dam is THE place to go swimming if you're in the Village. This walk trail is 4 km return and takes 1.5 hours. Tap the map markers for more information about Wheatley Dam and King Karri.

 

The map shows a third 4.8 km walking track. It's the red line. Tap the marker at the top of this track for more information.

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DONNELLY RIVER VILLAGE HERITAGE TRAIL - 3km

Donnelly River Village is a heritage listed 1950s timber mill town nestled deep in the heart of the southwest Karri Forests. Now dedicated to providing holiday accommodation, Donnelly offers lots of space for the kids to run around and meet the native animals, with peace and relaxation for the grown-ups too. A heritage trail through and around the village explores the history of Donnelly River Village. Tap the map button then the markers on the map for information about various points of interest along the trail. One of the attractions on the Heritage Trail is the original school. The museum is now located within this building. Borrow the key to the museum from the General Store and spend some time readinga bout life in a remote 1950s timber mill town, the characters in the community including the famous emu named Bill, and how timber was harvested and processed 70 years ago.

 

“The Mill itself is a highlight of the Heritage Trail. Donnelly River Mill is rare, as it is the only remaining substantially intact example of a steam driven saw dust fuelled timber mill in Australia and is of exceptional cultural heritage and educational significance to the State of Western Australia."

 

Register of Heritage Places July 2004. The mill operated from 1950 to 1978. It was powered by sawdust fired steam driven engines and is the only remaining example of its kind in Australia. The Robe steam engine was considered the "Rolls Royce" of steam engines and is still located in the mill. In 1958 a King Karri was cut down and transported to Kings Park as part of the National Tree week celebration. At the time of closure Bunnings Pty Ltd handed the mill to the State government "for the benefit of the people' with the machinery and workings deliberately left intact for this purpose. Since then, the government has commissioned studies to evaluate options for the mill but currently the mill is in a state of decline

 

The mill and village are both heritage listed and a not-for-profit group, Save Donnelly Mill Inc 2018, has been established with the mission of conserving the mill so that it can become a static museum for the benefit of the public, the local community and tourism in the wider south west of Western Australia.

 

The mill is currently fenced-off and closed to the public. You may view the mill from outside the fence. Search "Donnelly" in this App for more information about the town, and activities such as biking, mountain biking and swimming at the nearby Wheatley Dam.