William Hixon McDonald (junior)

William Hixon McDonald (junior) (1840-1898) was an Australian miner, political candidate and pioneer of Corindhap, Victoria.

His father, William Hixon McDonald (senior), was a soldier with the 2nd/51st King’s Own Light Infantry Regiment and had been stationed in Van Diemen's Land since 1838.

[1] After his father purchased a discharge from the army, the family crossed the Bass Strait to settle on the mainland at Freshwater Creek in the Parish of Duneed, south of Geelong in 1847.

During the Victorian goldrush, the McDonalds moved to Corindhap, where both father and son tried their luck at the Break o'Day diggings.

They were among the first and most successful miners of the region, unearthing, with other partners in 1877, one of the biggest nuggets of the district, dubbed the ‘Christmas Gift’ and weighing 175 ounces.