Donnybrook is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 32 km north of Melbourne’s Central Business District, located within the City of Whittlesea. It is bounded to the west by Merri Creek and in the east by Darebin Creek.
The area around Donnybrook was originally known to European settlers as ‘Rocky Waterholes’, the name of a nearby cattle run and natural feature near Merri Creek.
The City of Whittlesea’s rural north includes the suburbs of Eden Park, the northern part of Donnybrook, Humevale and Woodstock, the northern part of Wollert, the non-urban part of Whittlesea, the City of Whittlesea parts of Beveridge and Kinglake West, and most of the City of Whittlesea part of Yan Yean.
The area around Donnybrook was originally known to European settlers as ‘Rocky Waterholes’, the name of a nearby cattle run and natural feature near Merri Creek. In 1853 it was renamed Donnybrook, probably after the Donnybrook Parish in the County of Dublin, Ireland.
Settled in 1840, the surrounding area had a number of large cattle and sheep runs. Donnybrook’s proximity to the Sydney Road saw it establish itself as an important coach stop, particularly during the gold rush. However, it went into decline after the opening of the railway line in 1872.
In 1874 Donnybrook was essentially split in half with the original part of the town, located on the Sydney Road, renamed Kalkallo and the newer part of the town, located near the railway line, remaining as Donnybrook.
Dairying became an important economic mainstay until World War II, after which cattle grazing took over.
Donnybrook’s mineral springs, reported to have been used by early settlers, were formally recognised by the Victorian Geological Survey in 1912.
The Donnybrook area has a number of future development initiatives. These include:
Properties for sale in Donnybrook – realestate.com.au & domain.com.au
