McKinlay

McKinlay is an outback town and locality in McKinlay Shire, Queensland, Australia.

McKinlay is an outback town and locality in McKinlay Shire, Queensland, Australia. At the 2016 census, McKinlay had a population of 178.

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 2011 census, McKinlay had a population of 417 people.

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 85 kilometres (53 mi) west of McKinlay.