Taking it to the edge: Land: Donald McKay: Northern Territory

MacKay explored the south-western corner of the Northern Territory in 1926 with Herbert Basedow.  Equipped with 25 camels and three Aboriginal guides, it was their intention to examine the remaining blank spaces on the map of the region, and also to verify various sightings made at a distance by previous explorers in the area. They left Charlotte Waters 27 May, and returned to Oodnadatta on 27 August 1926. Severe drought conditions and shortage of food for the camels meant some areas were not covered as well as had been hoped, but good results were achieved in the plotting of some ambiguous and confusing sightings by various other explorers.

In 1928 MacKay explored areas of Arnhem Land, but he is best known for his aerial survey of Central Australia in the 1930s.  In four expeditions in 1930, 1933, 1935 and 1937 over one million square miles of territory was surveyed from the Overland Telegraph Line west to Meekathara and Marble Bar, the Victoria River in the north and the railway in the south.  For the first time the extent of Lake Amadeus was plotted - prior to MacKay's aerial surveys, it had been thought much larger.  MacKay's expedition proved the possibilities and usefulness of aircraft for this work, and he was able to correct existing maps and make new ones.