John McKinlay (1819-1872), Australian explorer. In 1836, McKinlay emigrated from Scotland to the colony of Adelaide in South Australia. In 1861, the Burke and Wills Expedition from Melbourne, to cross Australia from south to north, had gone missing. The South Australian government appointed McKinlay to lead a relief expedition. They failed to find them and another rescue party would later find the only survivor. McKinlay's expedition carried on to Port Dennison (present-day Bowen) on the north-eastern shore of Australia, returning to Adelaide by ship. This was celebrated as the first south-north crossing of Australia without loss of life.