The drive to Cloncurry took us through the town of McKinlay. Not much there really except that it has the Walkabout Creek pub that was used as the set in Crocodile Dundee and of course contains memorabila.
Cloncurry itself is situated on the Flinders Highway, adjacent to the Cloncurry River, the town of course taking its name from the river.
The first Europeans to traverse the area were Burke and Wills in 1861 on their epic, and ultimately fatal, transcontinental expedition. Burke named the River after his cousin Lady Elizabeth Cloncurry.
John Flynn was the driving force behind the formation of two major support services in the outback of Australia. The Australian Inland Mission (A.I.M.) and the Flying Doctor Service. The first ever flight of the Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia took place from Cloncurry on May 15, 1928, using a de Havilland DH.50 aircraft hired from the then small airline, Qantas. A small but excellent museum is devoted to detailing his achievements.
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