Donald George Mackay

Donald George Mackay CBE (born June 29, 1870 in Yass , New South Wales , Australia , † September 17, 1958 in the area of Sutherland Shire near Sydney , ibid) was an important explorer in Australia and was one of the first to visit the Australian continent circled by bike.

Early life

Donald Mackay was the son of Scottish parents; his father was called Alexander Mackay, owner of a ranching station in Australia, and his mother was Annie, nee Mackenzie.

He was taught at Wallendbeen Public School and Oaklands School in Mittagong . After his father died, he inherited and was therefore able to have a livelihood that enabled him to travel the world in the years 1890–1899 and try his hand at prospecting for gold in western New South Wales.

In July 1899, he and Alec and Frank White left Brisbane to cycle around Australia. Alec gave up. Donald Mackay and Frank White arrived back in Brisbane in March 1900 after 240 days. They had covered a distance of around 17,700 km in record time.

On April 16, he married Amy Isabel Little.

Voyages of discovery

In 1908 Mackay led and financed an expedition to Papua New Guinea to explore the Purari River . He then sailed the Pacific on a yacht and came to New Zealand and the Dutch East Indies .

In 1926 Mackay financed and accompanied the first of Herbert Basedow's numerous expeditions and reached the Petermann Ranges and in 1928 the Arnhem Land . In 1930, 1933, 1935 and 1937 Mackay oversaw the exploration of Central Australia , which was explored by aircraft on behalf of the Commonwealth. During the initial exploration, an airplane discovered a large lake that was later named Lake Mackay after it by the government . In addition, aircraft landed at Uluṟu for the first time on June 17, 1930 as part of the reconnaissance .

personality

Donald Mackay was criticized in the British press in July 1933 for his dealings with the Aborigines . He was awarded the Order of the British Empire in 1934 (OBE) and 1937 (CBE) .

Mackay was physically strong and muscular, and known for his generosity and leadership skills. Mackay was called "the last Australian explorer" (German: "the last explorer of Australia") in old age. He died at the age of 88.

Web links

• powerhousemuseum.com : Picture of Donald Mackay with his racing bike and a map of his cycling route around Australia

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b c} adb.anu.edu.au : David Carment: Mackay, Donald George (1870–1958) , in English, accessed November 14, 2012
2. ↑ australiangeographic.com.au ( Memento of the original from September 22, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. : David Corke: Aviation: The adventures of Love Bird and Diamond Bird , March 22, 2010, in English, accessed November 14, 2012