McKINLAY 287 



lost men had been found, and there was no further reason why 

 he should linger. Therefore, as his rations would not suffice to 

 carry him back to Adelaide, he made for PORT DENISON, then the 

 northmost known harbour on the east coast. 



Retracing his steps up the Leichhardt, he crossed to the right 

 bank about 6 miles north of the site of the present FLORAVILLE 

 TELEGRAPH OFFICE. Thence, on an eastward course, differing little 

 from Gregory's (1856) and Walker's (December, 1861), he came, 

 on $th June (Camp 12), to a large, broad creek, or mass of creeks, 

 or river the Flinders. His I4th Camp (jth-nth June) was on 

 the NORMAN RIVER (which he named), opposite Gregory's camp 

 of loth September, 1856, and Walker's camp (No. 48) of 24th 

 November, 1861. From the Flinders, he travelled, mainly E. by 

 S., crossing the range (sandstone on- granite) dividing tributaries 

 of Belmore Creek from tributaries of the Gilbert River. (SEE 

 MAP L.) 



[The modern Croydon township is on Belmore Creek, about 

 10 miles north of McKinlay's track, and is the centre of the 

 goldfield which was opened in January, 1886, in consequence of 

 the discovery of payable gold by W. C. Brown, the owner of 

 Croydon Downs cattle station, and the brothers T. and R. Aldridge. 

 In 1887, the population was about 6,ooo. l ~\ 



The range which McKinlay crossed south-east of Croydon was 

 named by him the GREGORY RANGE. It has since proved fairly 

 rich in reef GOLD and stream TIN. McKinlay was under the 

 erroneous impression that the waters draining the south-western 

 side of the range represented the principal head of the Flinders. 

 Turning to the south-east, he struck the GILBERT RIVER, which he 

 provisionally called Stuart Creek, being unaware of the name it 

 already bore. He followed the Gilbert to the south-east till the 

 PERCY RIVER fell in, and traced the latter north-eastward to its 

 source (PERCYVILLE, now a gold and copper- mining centre). (SEE 

 MAP P.) From the head of the Percy River, McKinlay appears 

 to have kept the same north-easterly course, crossing the COPPER- 

 FIELD RIVER near the modern mining township of KIDSTON, and 

 the EINASLEIGH RIVER south of the now " old " (but then non- 

 existent) CARPENTARIA DOWNS station. Then, crossing the " GREAT 

 DIVIDING RANGE " (here unimportant) between the Gulf and 

 Pacific Waters, he got on the head of the DRY RIVER, and followed 

 it, and the BURDEKIN RIVER, into which it flows, down to the 

 junction of the BELYANDO RIVER, practically on Gregory's tracks. 

 (SEE MAPS O AND Q.) All the way down the Burdekin, dray tracks 



1 Geological Observations in the North of Queensland, 1886-7. By Robert L. Jack, 

 Government Geologist. Brisbane. By Authority, 1887. 



Report on the Croydon Goldfield. By William H. Rands, Assistant Government 

 Geologist. Brisbane. By Authority, 1896. 



Some Croydon Gold Mines. By B. Dunstan, Acting Government Geologist. Brisbane. 

 By Authority, 1905. 



