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THE RELIEF EXPEDITIONS AND ATTEMPTS TOWARDS PERTH.
15.1.JOHN MCKINLAY.
John McKinlay was born at Sandbank, on the Clyde, in 1819.

He first came to the colony of New South Wales in 1836, and joined his uncle, a prosperous grazier, under whose guidance he soon became a good bushman with an ardent love of bush life.

He took up several runs near the South Australian border, and thenceforth became associated with that province.
In 1861 he was appointed leader of the South Australian relief party and started from Adelaide on October 26th.

On arriving at Blanche Water, he heard a vague rumour from the blacks that white men and camels had been seen at a distant inland water; but put little faith in the story.