Donnybrook stone
Encyclopedia
Donnybrook stone is a fine to medium-grained feldspathic
and kaolinitic
sandstone
found near the town of Donnybrook, Western Australia
. It originates from the early Cretaceous
(144-132 MYA) and features shale
partings and colour variations which range from white to beige and pink.
Donnybrook stone is used as dimension stone
in the building industry and is both a commercial name as well as a stratigraphic name.
Many public and private buildings in Western Australia feature Donnybrook stone. These include the facade and portico to the Parliament House
building in West Perth, the General Post Office
in Perth, the entry portal to the Fremantle Railway Station and the Police Courts building in Beaufort Street, Perth, the latter of which is constructed entirely of Donnybrook stone.
was found in Donnybrook in the mid-1890s and was being mined there in late 1898.
There were up to eight quarries producing Donnybrook stone in and around the town in the 1930s. Most of these have since closed, however, in 1981 the Goldfields Quarry on the Upper Capel Road re-opened and now produces material for floor tiles and facing slabs. Several of the closed quarries are on the Donnybrook-Balingup
Road.
Feldspar
Feldspars are a group of rock-forming tectosilicate minerals which make up as much as 60% of the Earth's crust....
and kaolinitic
Kaolinite
Kaolinite is a clay mineral, part of the group of industrial minerals, with the chemical composition Al2Si2O54. It is a layered silicate mineral, with one tetrahedral sheet linked through oxygen atoms to one octahedral sheet of alumina octahedra...
sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
found near the town of Donnybrook, Western Australia
Donnybrook, Western Australia
-Tourism:Donnybrook has many town icons bearing the apple. On the main street, apple-shaped lights line the entrance of the Old Railway Station. These lights have recently been restored. Atop the east Donnybrook hill is a high tower with an apple at the top...
. It originates from the early Cretaceous
Cretaceous
The Cretaceous , derived from the Latin "creta" , usually abbreviated K for its German translation Kreide , is a geologic period and system from circa to million years ago. In the geologic timescale, the Cretaceous follows the Jurassic period and is followed by the Paleogene period of the...
(144-132 MYA) and features shale
Shale
Shale is a fine-grained, clastic sedimentary rock composed of mud that is a mix of flakes of clay minerals and tiny fragments of other minerals, especially quartz and calcite. The ratio of clay to other minerals is variable. Shale is characterized by breaks along thin laminae or parallel layering...
partings and colour variations which range from white to beige and pink.
Donnybrook stone is used as dimension stone
Dimension stone
Dimension stone is natural stone or rock that has been selected and fabricated to specific sizes or shapes. Color, texture and pattern, and surface finish of the stone are also normal requirements...
in the building industry and is both a commercial name as well as a stratigraphic name.
Many public and private buildings in Western Australia feature Donnybrook stone. These include the facade and portico to the Parliament House
Parliament House, Perth
Parliament House, Perth is located on Harvest Terrace in Perth, Western Australia. An important building of the Government of Western Australia, it is the home of the Parliament of Western Australia, including the Western Australian Legislative Council and Western Australian Legislative Assembly...
building in West Perth, the General Post Office
General Post Office, Perth
The General Post Office is a heritage landmark building in Perth, Western Australia. Located on the western side of Forrest Place in the city's central business district, its imposing stone facade is in the Beaux-Arts style. The building was completed in 1923 after almost a decade of construction,...
in Perth, the entry portal to the Fremantle Railway Station and the Police Courts building in Beaufort Street, Perth, the latter of which is constructed entirely of Donnybrook stone.
History
GoldGold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
was found in Donnybrook in the mid-1890s and was being mined there in late 1898.
There were up to eight quarries producing Donnybrook stone in and around the town in the 1930s. Most of these have since closed, however, in 1981 the Goldfields Quarry on the Upper Capel Road re-opened and now produces material for floor tiles and facing slabs. Several of the closed quarries are on the Donnybrook-Balingup
Balingup, Western Australia
Balingup is a town located in the South West of Western Australia, south of the state capital, Perth, and southeast of the town of Donnybrook.The town takes its name from Balingup Pool, located on the Balingup Brook which flows through the town...
Road.
Further reading
- Fetherston, J.M. 2007 Dimension stone in Western Australia. Volume 1: Industry review and dimension stones of the southwest region. Geological Survey of Western Australia. Mineral Resources Bulletin 23 181p
- Freeman, M.J. , Donaldson, M.J. 2004 Major mineral deposits of southwestern Western Australia - a field guide Geological Survey of Western Australia. Record 2004/17 38p