Exploring McKinlay Walkabout Creek Outback Queensland Australia

The Walkabout Creek Hotel, is in Middleton Street, (Landsborough Highway) McKinlay QLD. It was once the Shire Hall. The Hotel was originally known as the Federal Hotel. It was built in 1900 and licensed in 1901. Up until the time that the Crododile Dundee movie was filmed there, the pub was known as the Federal McKinlay Hotel. The new owners have maintained the rustic feel and atmosphere of the hotel and it is now a tourist attraction. The Walkabout Creek Hotel, as it was renamed, is famous for being the pub in the Paul Hogan movie "Crocodile Dundee". 

The pub and other buildings in the town of McKinlay featured in the iconic Australian movie Crocodile Dundee. If you like the outback and want to drink a pot of beer at the same bar as Paul Hogan, and if you enjoy a bit of history, then head to the pub that has it all. The Walkabout Creek Hotel, a great outback pub, has plenty of history on show, with parts of the original sets still located within the pub. Anybody who saw the movie Crocodile Dundee will enjoy the experience of visiting the pub. There is lots of memorabilia on the walls, and as you'll see in some of the photos in this article, the walls are plastered with interesting tidbits. This lovely outback pub has a lot of interesting history to share, especially regarding the movie Crocodile Dundee.

Head to outback Queensland, and get to know the Walkabout Creek Hotel, famous for being featured in the Crocodile Dundee movie, which was an Australian blockbuster movie in 1986. The Federal Hotel was a pub full of charm and nostalgia, which made the pub and the town the perfect location for the iconic Australian movie. The new owners Debbie and Frank Wust have maintained the rustic feel and atmosphere of the hotel. It is a popular tourist attraction that hosts many travellers. Debbie and Frank maintained the rough and tumble feel of the original hotel, and they are committed to promoting the hotel as the town's one big tourist attraction. It is a combination of the outback and sophisticated. Come for the lure of the movie back drop, enjoy a cold beer or even stay the night.

The Walkabout Creek Hotel has 18 single rooms and a caravan park which provides 30 powered and unpowered sites, plus two residential houses. Everything is there for an enjoyable stay. Air conditioning in the rooms, delicious pub meals and ice cold beer. Try a famous Dundee Burger at the Hotel and remember to check out the toilet doors.

About McKinley / McKinlay History

McKinlay was established in 1888 as a staging post for the Cobb and Co. coaches. It also became a gathering point for the graziers from the surrounding properties. It is located 1,595 km north west of Brisbane, 228 km South East of Mount Isa and 108 km South East of Cloncurry. According to the ABS census, the population in 2011 was 417. McKinlay is in the remote North West of Queensland. McKinlay town is in the McKinlay Shire local government area. It is on the Landsborough Highway.

The town of McKinlay was named for the nearby McKinlay River. The McKinlay River was named for the Scottish born explorer John McKinlay who discovered the river when he passed through the area in 1861. John McKinlay was travelling from Adelaide to the Gulf of Carpentaria when he discovered the river and the McKinlay district. In 1872 Gold was discovered in the area. A letter receiving office was opened in 1883. In 1888 the town was surveyed and allotments of land were sold.

Mackinlay Post Office was opened on 1st April 1894, and it was renamed McKinlay in 1909. The Shire of McKinlay offices were located in the town of McKinlay. In 1930 the Shire offices were relocated to Julia Creek. McKinlay today is described as "nothing more than a couple of stores, a few houses and a pub". McKinlay is best known for the Walkabout Creek Hotel, which featured in the movie Crocodile Dundee. The McKinlay pub is a major tourism draw for the town, bringing in tourists keen to see the hotel where Crocodile Dundee was filmed. McKinlay has Australia'a smallest public library, a park and a small museum. To the North of McKinlay is Maronan Station, where you can look for gemstones and garnets. The BHP Cannington mine is 85 km west of McKinlay. It is the worlds largest silver and lead mine and was established in 1997. The Cannington mine was the official supplier of silver to the Sydney Olympics and Para-Olympic games, and also supplied the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

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