Mill History Fast Facts

Donnelly River Mill History Fast Facts

• 1909 to 1912 site operated as Wheatley Mill.                                                             
• 1948 site was pegged and the first log was cut in the mill on 13th September 1950.                                                                                                                               
• 1951 on the 24th April the Bunning Bros Mill was officially opened by the acting Premier, A.F. Watts.                                                                                     
• The mill produced timber for export, housing, the railways, the mining industry, and the apple export industry in the form of fruit cases.                            
• The mill was powered by sawdust fired steam driven engines and is the only remaining example of its kind in Australia.                                                      
• The Robey steam engine was considered the “Rolls Royce” of steam engines and is still located in the mill.                                                                     
• The saws and conveyors in the mill were run by a complex network of subfloor pulleys and drive belts.                                                                                 
• 1958 a King Karri was cut down and transported to Kings Park as part of  the National Tree week celebration.                                                                           
• 1978 on the 30th June the Mill was officially closed.                                              
• The Donnelly Mill and Village are both on the WA Heritage list.                             
• A museum dedicated to preserving the social history of the village & mill  curated by The Friends of Donnelly Village Inc (FODV) is located at the Donnelly River School.  View their website here.