McKinlay, Queensland

McKinlay is in the Gulf Country in the remote north-west of Queensland, {{convert|1595|km|mi}} north west of the state capital Brisbane and {{convert|228|km|mi}} south east of the regional centre of Mount Isa.

The town is located slightly north of the centre of the locality. The Landsborough Highway enters the locality from the east (Kynuna), passes through the town along Kirby Street, and exits to the north-west (Kuridala / Cloncurry).{{Queensland Globe|access-date=30 August 2022}}

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 which flows into the Gulf of Carpentaria.

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.{{cite news | url=http://www.theage.com.au/news/Queensland/McKinlay/2005/02/17/1108500203553.html | title=McKinlay | work=The Age | date=8 February 2004 | accessdate=12 April 2012 | archive-date=18 October 2007 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071018060058/http://www.theage.com.au/news/Queensland/McKinlay/2005/02/17/1108500203553.html | url-status=live }}

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.{{Cite web |last=Premier Postal History |title=Post Office List |url=https://www.premierpostal.com/cgi-bin/wsProd.sh/Viewpocdwrapper.p?SortBy=QLD&country= |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140515223132/http://www.premierpostal.com/cgi-bin/wsProd.sh/Viewpocdwrapper.p?SortBy=QLD&country= |archive-date=15 May 2014 |accessdate=10 May 2014 |publisher=Premier Postal Auctions}}

The town was surveyed and allotments sold in 1888.

File:McKinlay State School, circa 1994.jpg

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.{{Citation |author1=Queensland Family History Society |title=Queensland schools past and present |publication-date=2010 |edition=Version 1.01 |publisher=Queensland Family History Society |isbn=978-1-921171-26-0}} It was on a {{Convert|10|acre|adj=on}} 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 ({{Coord|-21.2736|141.2902|type:edu_region:AU-QLD|name=McKinlay State School (former)}}).{{Cite web |date=1969 |title=Town of Mckinlay |url=https://gisservices.information.qld.gov.au/arcgis/rest/directories/historicalscans/cad_scans/cad-map-town-mckinlay-1969.jpg |access-date=30 August 2022 |publisher=Queensland Government |type=Map}}{{Cite web |last= |title=Venues and Meeting Rooms |url=https://www.mckinlay.qld.gov.au/meeting-rooms/venue-hire-1 |access-date=2022-08-30 |website=McKinlay Shire Council |language=en}}

The offices of the Shire of McKinlay were located in the town until 1930 when they were relocated to Julia Creek.{{cite web | url=http://www.mckinlay.qld.gov.au/web/guest/visitors/mckinlay_history.shtml | title=McKinlay History | publisher=Shire of McKinlay | accessdate=12 April 2012 | archive-date=28 April 2012 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120428090411/http://www.mckinlay.qld.gov.au/web/guest/visitors/mckinlay_history.shtml | url-status=live }}

St Mary the Virgin's Anglican Church was officially opened and dedicated by Bishop John Feetham on Sunday 8 August 1937. The church building had been relocated from Kynuna where it had been previously used as a Roman Catholic church. It has now closed in McKinlay.{{Cite web |last=Blake |first=Thom |title=St Mary's Anglican Church |url=https://www.thomblake.com.au/qc_new/view_p.php?id=5235 |access-date=2022-08-30 |website=Queensland religious places database}}{{cite news |date=3 July 1937 |title=Mckinlay Notes. |page=2 |newspaper=Cloncurry Advocate |location=Queensland, Australia |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article170078511 |accessdate=30 August 2022 |via=National Library of Australia}}{{cite news |date=12 July 1937 |title=Anglican Synod |volume=LIX |page=4 |newspaper=Townsville Daily Bulletin |issue=166 |location=Queensland, Australia |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article61998947 |accessdate=30 August 2022 |via=National Library of Australia}}

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.{{Cite web |last=Blake |first=Thom |title=Our Lady of the Way Catholic Church |url=https://www.thomblake.com.au/qc_new/view_p.php?id=3909 |access-date=2022-08-30 |website=Queensland religious places database}}

In the {{CensusAU|2011}}, the locality of McKinlay had a population of 417 people.{{Census 2011 AUS|id=SSC31031 |name=McKinlay (State Suburb) |accessdate=1 August 2013 |quick=on}}

In the {{CensusAU|2016}}, the locality of McKinlay had a population of 178 people.{{Census 2016 AUS|id=SSC31810|name=McKinlay (SSC)|access-date=20 October 2018|quick=on}}

In the {{CensusAU|2021}}, the locality of McKinlay had a population of 162 people.{{Census 2021 AUS|id=SAL31794|name=McKinlay (SAL)|access-date=28 February 2023|quick=on}}

South 32 Cannington mine, Australia's largest silver and lead mine, is {{convert|85|km|mi}} west of McKinlay.

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There are no schools in McKinlay.

File:McKinlay Shire Council Library in McKinlay, Queensland, 2004.jpg

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.{{Cite web |last= |title=Sporting Facilities |url=https://www.mckinlay.qld.gov.au/sporting/sporting-facilities |access-date=2022-08-30 |website=McKinlay Shire Council |language=en}}

File:Young man reading in the McKinlay Library Queensland.jpg

The McKinlay Shire Council operates a public library at Middleton Street; it is claimed to be Queensland's smallest public library.{{Cite web|url=http://www.plconnect.slq.qld.gov.au/networking/directory-of-public-libraries/branches/mckinlay/mckinlay_library|title=McKinlay Library|date=24 April 2014|website=Public Libraries Connect|publisher=State Library of Queensland|access-date=22 January 2018|archive-date=23 January 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180123072131/http://www.plconnect.slq.qld.gov.au/networking/directory-of-public-libraries/branches/mckinlay/mckinlay_library|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.mckinlay.qld.gov.au/community/libraries.shtml|title=Libraries|publisher=McKinlay Shire Council|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181226030509/https://www.mckinlay.qld.gov.au/community/libraries.shtml|archive-date=26 December 2018|url-status=live|access-date=26 December 2016}} It also serves as the town's Visitor Information Centre.{{Cite web |title=McKinlay |url=https://atthecreek.com.au/things-to-do/mckinlay/ |access-date=2022-08-30 |website=At the Creek |language=en-AU}}

The McKinlay branch of the Queensland Country Women's Association has its rooms at 22 Middleton Street.{{Cite web|url=http://www.qcwa.org.au/branch-locations/|title=Branch locations|website=Queensland Country Women's Association|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181226010724/http://www.qcwa.org.au/branch-locations/|archive-date=26 December 2018|url-status=dead|access-date=26 December 2018}}

Regular services by the Uniting Church in Australia are held in the QCWA rooms. These are provided by the McKay Patrol, an aerial service of the Uniting Church in Australia that operates out of Cloncurry. 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, an area of approximately {{Convert|625,000|km2}} with a population of less than 10,000 people.{{cite web|title=Find a Church|url=https://ucaqld.com.au/find-a-church/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201024234524/https://ucaqld.com.au/find-a-church/|archive-date=24 October 2020|access-date=22 November 2020|website=Uniting Church in Australia, Queensland Synod}}{{Cite web|title=About the McKay Patrol|url=http://www.ucanq.com.au/mckaypatrol/about.php|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200311193146/http://www.ucanq.com.au/mckaypatrol/about.php|archive-date=11 March 2020|access-date=12 September 2021|website=McKay Patrol}}{{Cite web|title=About MJZ|url=http://www.ucanq.com.au/mckaypatrol/mjz.php|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200311193959/http://www.ucanq.com.au/mckaypatrol/mjz.php|archive-date=11 March 2020|access-date=12 September 2021|website=McKay Patrol}}

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File:Walkabout Creek Hotel in McKinlay.jpg

The town is best known for the Walkabout Creek Hotel, featured in the movie Crocodile Dundee. 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.{{cite web |date=21 October 2010 |title=Crocodile Dundee Pub up for sale |url=http://www.australiangeographic.com.au/blogs/ag-blog/2010/10/crocodile-dundee-pub-up-for-sale/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180426183100/http://www.australiangeographic.com.au/blogs/ag-blog/2010/10/crocodile-dundee-pub-up-for-sale |archive-date=26 April 2018 |accessdate=26 December 2018 |work=Australian Geographic}}

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{{commons category|McKinlay, Queensland}}

• [https://gisservices.information.qld.gov.au/arcgis/rest/directories/historicalscans/cad_scans/cad-map-town-mckinlay-1969.jpg Town map of Mckinlay, 1969]

{{Shire of Mckinlay}}

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Category:Towns in Queensland

Category:1888 establishments in Australia

Category:Populated places established in 1888

Category:Shire of Mckinlay

Category:Localities in Queensland