Boulia – Home of the Min Min Lights

Boulia is a remote western Queensland town situated 240km from the NT border. It is the last Queensland town on the Outback Highway, Australia’s longest shortcut from Cairns to Perth. The Boulia shire has an overall population of 480 people and is 61,000 square kilometres.

Boulia is famous for the Min Min light. The Min Min Light is a strange spectral light that can appear, hover, disappear and reappear with an eerie power all of its own. The Min Min Encounter is a theatrical experience at the Information centre in town and lasts about 45 minutes. It includes animatronics, fibre optics and other high tech wizardry. Nina at the information centre is friendly, helpful and full of local knowledge. Theres a lot to see here there’s the Fossil Museum with a look into the prehistoric past of the region, when it was an inland sea and has one of the best preserved skeletons of a Plesiosaur, an ocean dweller from the Cretaceous period 100 million years ago, the Heritage listed Stone House Museum built in 1888 from stone and rubble filled walls, the Corroboree Tree, a Waddi tree which is only found in 3 locations in Australia it is a very rare wood which is hard and dense and very difficult to burn it is the last recognised corroboree tree of the Pitta Pitta tribe, the painted water tank and the spectacular outback vistas of native flaura and fauna. In July each year they have the iconic Boulia Camel Races.The Police Barracks Waterhole is a permanent hole with yellow belly fish and red claw.

Boulia is the gateway to the Diamantina National Park, home to abundant bird life including rain bird, black faced cuckoo, lorikeets, brolgas and plain turkey/bustards. There were brolgas in the main street in Boulia.

I called in here and stayed at the local caravan park with its lovely green grass and shady trees on the river bank of the Burke River. I sang at the Australian Hotel for a fundraiser for Pink Ribbon raising money for women’s cancer. It was a fantastic night and a lot of money was raised. The people here are friendly and welcoming and I have been invited back again. The pub offers accomodation and fantastic meals. I  will definatley be coming back to Boulia.