McKinlay, Queensland
McKinlay is an outback town and locality in McKinlay Shire, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of McKinlay had a population of 178 people. Geography McKinlay is in the Gulf Country in the remote north-west of Queensland, north west of the state capital Brisbane and 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). 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. 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. 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