McKinlay, Queensland


McKinlay is a town and locality in McKinlay Shire, Queensland, Australia. At the, McKinlay had a population of 178.

Geography

McKinlay is in the remote north west of Queensland and on the Landsborough Highway north west of the state capital Brisbane and south east of the regional centre of Mount Isa.

History

McKinlay is named for the nearby McKinlay River—itself named for the Scottish explorer John McKinlay who was the first European to discover the river in 1861.
Gold was discovered in the area in 1872 and a letter receiving office was opened in 1883. The town was surveyed and allotments sold in 1888.
Mackinlay Post Office opened on 1 April 1894 and was renamed McKinlay in 1909.
The offices of the Shire of McKinlay were located in the town until 1930 when they were relocated to Julia Creek.
In, McKinlay had a population of 417 people.

Today

McKinlay today is described as "nothing more than a roadhouse, a few houses and a pub." The town is best known for the Walkabout Creek Hotel, featured in the movie Crocodile Dundee. The McKinlay pub has become a major tourism draw for the town and when put up for sale in 2010 attracted worldwide interest.
BHP Cannington mine, Australia's largest silver and lead mine, is west of McKinlay.

Facilities

McKinlay has a park and a small museum.
The McKinlay Shire Council operates a public library at Middleton Street; it is claimed to be Queensland's smallest public library.
The McKinlay branch of the Queensland Country Women's Association has its rooms at 22 Middleton Street.