John McKinlay (1819 - 1872), explorer, was born at Sandbank on the River Clyde, Scotland. He emigrated to Sydney when 17 years of age.

In 1861 he was asked by the South Australian government to organize an expedition to search for the Burke and Wills party about whose fate there was then much anxiety. McKinlay received a grant of �1000 from the government and a gold watch from the Royal Geographical Society of England.

In September 1865 he was sent to explore the Northern Territory and to report on the best sites for settlement. It was an exceptionally rainy season and while on the Alligator River the expedition was surrounded by flood waters. With great resource McKinlay, having killed his horses, constructed a raft with their hides and made a perilous journey to the coast.

References

• Dictionary of Australian Biography