McKinlay is an

outback The Outback is a remote, vast, sparsely populated area of Australia. The Outback is more remote than Australian bush, the bush. While often envisaged as being arid, the Outback regions extend from the northern to southern Australian coastli ...

town and

locality Locality may refer to: * Locality, a historical named location or place in Canada * Locality (association), an association of community regeneration organizations in England * Locality (linguistics) * Locality (settlement) * Suburbs and localitie ...

in McKinlay Shire,

Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

, Australia. In the , the locality of McKinlay had a population of 162 people.

Geography

McKinlay is in the

Gulf Country The Gulf Country or North West Queensland is the region of woodland and savanna grassland surrounding the Gulf of Carpentaria in north western Queensland and eastern Northern Territory on the north coast of Australia. The region is also ca ...

in the remote north-west of Queensland, north west of the state capital

Brisbane Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...

and south east of the regional centre of

Mount Isa Mount Isa ( ) is a city in the Gulf Country region of Queensland, Australia. It came into existence because of the vast mineral deposits found in the area. Mount Isa Mines (MIM) is one of the most productive mines in world history, based on co ...

. The town is located slightly north of the centre of the locality. The

Landsborough Highway Landsborough Highway is a highway in western Queensland, Australia, running in the northwest–southeast direction from Morven to Cloncurry. The Landsborough Highway runs through vast tracts of land that was once occupied by William Landsboro ...

enters the locality from the east (

Kynuna Kynuna is an outback town in the Shire of McKinlay and a locality split between the Shire of McKinlay and the Shire of Winton in Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Kynuna had a population of 52 people. Geography Kynuna is on the b ...

), passes through the town along Kirby Street, and exits to the north-west ( Kuridala /

Cloncurry Cloncurry is a rural town and locality in the Shire of Cloncurry, Queensland, Australia. It is informally known by local people as The Curry. Cloncurry is the administrative centre of the Shire of Cloncurry. Cloncurry is known as the ''Friendl ...

). The McKinlay River enters the locality from the south-west ( Selwyn), flows immediately north-west of the town, exiting the locality to the north ( Julia Creek) where it becomes a tributary of the Gilliart River, ultimately becoming a tributary of the

Flinders River The Flinders River is the longest river in Queensland, Australia, at approximately . It was named in honour of the explorer Matthew Flinders. The catchment is sparsely populated and mostly undeveloped. The Flinders rises on the western slopes o ...

which flows into the

Gulf of Carpentaria The Gulf of Carpentaria is a sea off the northern coast of Australia. It is enclosed on three sides by northern Australia and bounded on the north by the eastern Arafura Sea, which separates Australia and New Guinea. The northern boundary ...

History

McKinlay is named for the nearby McKinlay River—itself named for the Scottish explorer

John McKinlay John McKinlay (26 August 1819 – 31 December 1872)
,

Gold was discovered in the area in 1872. A letter receiving office was opened in 1883. Mackinlay Post Office opened on 1 April 1894 and was renamed McKinlay in 1909. The town was surveyed and allotments sold in 1888. Mackinlay State School opened on 5 July 1897. In 1934, the spelling of the name was changed to McKinlay State School. It closed in 1953 but reopened in January 1957. It closed permanently on 5 December 1986. It was on a site bounded by Poole Street, Wylde Street, and Kirby Street. The school building remains on the site as a community facility; it faces Wylde Street (). The offices of the Shire of McKinlay were located in the town until 1930 when they were relocated to Julia Creek. St Mary the Virgin's Anglican Church was officially opened and dedicated by

Bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

John Feetham on Sunday 8 August 1937. The church building had been relocated from

where it had been previously used as a Roman Catholic church. It has now closed in McKinlay. Our Lady of the Way Catholic Church was in Middleton Street. It opened in 1961, after being relocated from Julia Creek, where it had been St Abigail's Catholic Church. It has now closed in McKinlay.

Demographics

In the , the locality of McKinlay had a population of 417 people. In the , the locality of McKinlay had a population of 178 people. In the , the locality of McKinlay had a population of 162 people.

Economy

South 32 Cannington mine, Australia's largest silver and lead mine, is west of McKinlay.

Education

There are no schools in McKinlay.

Amenities

McKinlay has a park and a small museum. The Crafty Old School House (the former McKinlay State School) in Wylde Street is used for community events and can hired for private events. The school's tennis courts are also available for use. Young man reading in the McKinlay Library Queensland

Young man reading in the McKinlay Library Queensland

The McKinlay Shire Council operates a public library at Middleton Street; it is claimed to be Queensland's smallest public library. It also serves as the town's Visitor Information Centre. The McKinlay branch of the

Queensland Country Women's Association The Queensland Country Women's Association (QCWA) is the Queensland chapter of the Country Women's Association in Australia. The association seeks to serve the interests of women and children in rural areas in Australia through a network of loca ...

has its rooms at 22 Middleton Street. Regular services by the

Uniting Church in Australia The Uniting Church in Australia (UCA) is a united church in Australia. The church was founded on 22 June 1977 when most Wiktionary:congregation, congregations of the Methodist Church of Australasia, about two-thirds of the Presbyterian Church o ...

are held in the QCWA rooms. These are provided by the McKay Patrol, an aerial service of the

that operates out of

. Supported by other denominations, the McKay Patrol operates a Cessna 182Q aeroplane to provide spiritual and practical help to people living in remote areas in the north-west of Queensland and the eastern Tablelands of the

Northern Territory The Northern Territory (abbreviated as NT; known formally as the Northern Territory of Australia and informally as the Territory) is an states and territories of Australia, Australian internal territory in the central and central-northern regi ...

, an area of approximately with a population of less than 10,000 people.

Attractions

The town is best known for the Walkabout Creek Hotel, featured in the movie ''

Crocodile Dundee ''Crocodile Dundee'' is a 1986 action comedy film set in the Australian Outback and in New York City. It stars Paul Hogan as the weathered Mick Dundee and American actress Linda Kozlowski as reporter Sue Charlton. Inspired by the true-life ex ...

''. The pub operates from the former McKinlay Shire Hall It has become a major tourism draw for the town and, when put up for sale in 2010, attracted worldwide interest.

References

External links

Town map of Mckinlay, 1969
{{authority control Towns in Queensland 1888 establishments in Australia Populated places established in 1888 Shire of Mckinlay Localities in Queensland