Donald George Mackay
| Donald George Mackay | |
|---|---|
| Born |
29 June 1870 Yass, New South Wales, Australia |
| Died | 17 September 1958 (aged 88) Sutherland Shire Hospital, Sydney, Australia |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Occupation | Outdoorsman, explorer, cyclist |
Donald George Mackay CBE (29 June 1870 – 17 September 1958) was an Australian outdoorsman, long-distance cyclist, and explorer who conducted several expeditions to the remotest areas of the Australian continent.
Donald George Mackay was born on 29 June 1870 at Yass, New South Wales, son of Alexander Mackay, owner of Wallendbeen station, and his wife Annie. Mackay was educated at Wallendbeen Public School and at Oaklands School, Mittagong. After a brief engineering apprenticeship he worked for his father until the latter's death in 1890. During 1890-99 Mackay travelled extensively abroad, and later prospected for gold in western New South Wales.
In July 1899 Mackay belatedly joined brothers Alex and Frank White to become the first men to travel around the continent of Australia on a bicycle. Mackay’s 24-in. frame, 29 lb. DUX bicycle was especially strengthened to carry Mackay’s weight plus his gear, which included two water cans, a set of tools and bicycle parts, a camera, waterproof rain cloak, diary, food bag, and revolver.
Though Frank White had to abandon the attempt due to mechanical problems, Alex White and Donald Mackay successfully completed the circuit of the Australian continent and returned to Brisbane in March 1900. Though he came in third behind Alex White and Arthur Richardson, he set a record-breaking time of 240 days after an 11,500 mile (17,703 km) ride. On 27 June, Mackay was given a silver presentation trophy valued at 26 guineas (£27 6s) by the Dunlop Tyre Company "in recognition of his meritorious cycle ride around Australia."
Mackay married Amy Isabel Little on 16 April 1902 at Homebush, Sydney. Their home at Port Hacking was on an estuary, facilitating the couple's love of fishing and sailing. Mackay led and financed an expedition to Papua in 1908 to investigate the headwaters of the Purari River. During the following decade he sailed a yacht in the South Pacific, visiting New Zealand and the Dutch East Indies.
In 1926 Mackay financed and accompanied the first of several expeditions to Australia's Northern Territory. During the first expedition, which utilized camel transport, Mackay accompanied anthropologist Dr Herbert Basedow to the Petermann Ranges. In 1928 they explored Arnhem Land.
...
Wikipedia