Located 104 kilometres south east of Cloncurry, McKinlay was named after the McKinlay River which was discovered and named by the explorer John McKinlay. McKinlay had arrived in New South Wales in 1836 and by 1861 had become such an adept bushman that he was chosen to lead the South Australian Burke Relief Expedition to search for the missing Burke and Wills.

Like many of its counterparts along the track, this little town, established more than 100 years ago, was a staging post for Cobb & Co. coaches and a social gathering point for the graziers whose vast properties surround it.

McKinlay is home to the Walkabout Creek Hotel, as was featured in the original Crocodile Dundee movie. It is a subtle combination of the outback and the sophisticated.