McKinlay, Queensland

McKinlay is a town and locality in McKinlay Shire, Queensland, Australia.[2][3] At the 2016 census, McKinlay had a population of 178.[1]

McKinlay
Queensland
The Landsborough Highway through McKinlay in 1962.
McKinlay
Coordinates21.2713°S 141.2902°E / -21.2713; 141.2902
Population178 (2016 census)[1]
 • Density0.01866/km2 (0.04834/sq mi)
Established1888
Postcode(s)4823
Area9,537.9 km2 (3,682.6 sq mi)
Location
LGA(s)McKinlay Shire
State electorate(s)Traeger
Federal Division(s)Kennedy
Localities around McKinlay:
Cloncurry Julia Creek Kynuna
Kuridala McKinlay Kynuna
Selwyn Middleton Middleton

Geography

McKinlay is in the remote north west of Queensland and on the Landsborough Highway 1,595 kilometres (991 mi) north west of the state capital Brisbane and 228 kilometres (142 mi) 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.[4]

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.[5]

Mackinlay Post Office opened on 1 April 1894 and was renamed McKinlay in 1909.[6]

The offices of the Shire of McKinlay were located in the town until 1930 when they were relocated to Julia Creek.[5]

In 2011 census, McKinlay had a population of 417 people.[7]

Today
Walkabout Creek Hotel, 2013

McKinlay today is described as "nothing more than a roadhouse, a few houses and a pub."[4] The town is best known for the Walkabout Creek Hotel, featured in the movie Crocodile Dundee.[4] The McKinlay pub has become a major tourism draw for the town and when put up for sale in 2010 attracted worldwide interest.[8]

BHP Cannington mine, Australia's largest silver and lead mine, is 85 kilometres (53 mi) west of McKinlay.[5]

Facilities
Public library, smallest in Queensland, McKinlay, 2004

McKinlay has a park and a small museum.

Inside McKinlay library

The McKinlay Shire Council operates a public library at Middleton Street; it is claimed to be Queensland's smallest public library.[9][10]

The McKinlay branch of the Queensland Country Women's Association has its rooms at 22 Middleton Street.[11]

References
  1. Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "McKinlay (SSC)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 26 December 2018.
  2. "McKinlay – town (entry 21413)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 26 June 2017.
  3. "McKinlay – locality (entry 42265)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 26 June 2017.
  4. "McKinlay". The Age. 8 February 2004. Retrieved 12 April 2012.
  5. "McKinlay History". Shire of McKinlay. Retrieved 12 April 2012.
  6. Premier Postal History. "Post Office List". Premier Postal Auctions. Retrieved 10 May 2014.
  7. Australian Bureau of Statistics (31 October 2012). "McKinlay (State Suburb)". 2011 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 1 August 2013.
  8. "Crocodile Dundee Pub up for sale". Australian Geographic. 21 October 2010. Retrieved 26 December 2018.
  9. "McKinlay Library". Public Libraries Connect. State Library of Queensland. 24 April 2014. Retrieved 22 January 2018.
  10. "Libraries". McKinlay Shire Council. Archived from the original on 26 December 2018. Retrieved 26 December 2016.
  11. "Branch locations". Queensland Country Women's Association. Archived from the original on 26 December 2018. Retrieved 26 December 2018.

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