[4] The name was approved in 1942 by the Nomenclature Committee for a private sub-division in the cadastral unit of the Hundred of Caroline.

[3][2] Donovans consists of land adjoining the border with the state of Victoria which includes a loop of the Glenelg River.

It was described in 1926 by the newspaper, The Register, as follows:[11]With his customary zeal our guide secured a number of motor vehicles to convey us to a point on the Glenelg River called Donovan's...

The cliffs in many places rise sheer out of the water to a considerable height and at other spots the trees and foliage complete a charming spectacle.

The owner of the property has a motor launch [and] the stuffed carcass of the original 'Tantanoola Tiger', which caused a great stir in these parts some years ago and was shot by Mr. Tom Donovan, was on show and was an object of much curiosity...The majority land use within the locality is agriculture which includes the above-mentioned conservation park while the settlement is zoned for residential use.