Level 3 Mortlock Wing State Library of South Australia North Terrace Adelaide SA 5000

McKinlay’s Whisky Flask

Known as the "knight-errant of explorers", and standing 193cm (6 feet, 4 inches) tall, Scotsman John McKinlay (1819-72) was an adventurer and pastoralist. He led the South Australian Burke Relief Expedition and was the second European man to cross the continent from south to north.

John McKinlay (1819-72) was an explorer whose expeditions took him through parts of South Australia, Queensland, and the Northern Territory. He was also involved in the search for Burke and Wills. Through his journeys, McKinlay made a major contribution to colonial understanding of Australia's geography. This is reputedly his whisky flask, the contents of which no doubt sustained him on his journeys.

Privacy