Boulia is a small Outback Queensland town where you’ll find friendly locals ready to share legendary tales, plenty of settler and Indigenous history, some 100-million-year-old marine reptile fossils, and the mysterious Min Min Lights that follow travellers…
A mere stone’s throw from the Queensland/Northern Territory border, Boulia may only have a population of around 440 folks, but it has no shortage of things to see and do, and out there it’s all about vast open space and fresh country air.
The Min Min Light – a mysterious phenomenon
For more than a hundred years, locals and visitors have reported seeing glowing, floating balls of light hovering in the night sky above Boulia. The Indigenous people of the ancient Kimberley region believe these colourful lights are the spirits of Elders looking after Country.
At the Min Min Encounter Centre on the main street of Boulia, discover the legends and myths surrounding these mysterious, mesmerising lights, along with the stories of those that have seen them, during a 45-minute self-guided tour and animatronic show.
The legend goes that shortly after the Min Min Hotel was destroyed by a fire in 1912, a stockman had one of the first experiences with the Min Min Light. “It was about 10pm and I was riding to Boulia and passed close to the Min Min graveyard,” he said. “The night was somewhat cloudy and all of a sudden I saw a strange glow right in the middle of the cemetery.
“It got bigger until it was the size of a large watermelon. I couldn’t believe my eyes as I watched it hovering over the graveyard. I broke into a cold sweat as it started coming toward me – it was too much for my nerves. I dug the spurs into my horse and headed for Boulia as fast as I could go. Every time I looked back the light seemed to be following me. It only disappeared out of Boulia.”
With fibre optic light shows and other effects, visitors are swept up in the ongoing mystery and reminded that you don’t go looking for the Min Min, the Min Min goes looking for you.
Step back in time at the Boulia Heritage Complex
Back in 1888 when Boulia resident James Edwards Jones built his home, he couldn’t have guessed that one day his stone cottage would become a major attraction. You can check out the house inside the Boulia Heritage Complex which is also home to plenty of farm machinery, Indigenous artefacts, early pioneering history and collections of fossils.
Step further back in time – more than a hundred million years – and Boulia lay below a vast inland sea called the Eromanga Sea, which was inhabited by marine reptiles such as the long-necked Plesiosaur, the Kronosaurus and the Ichthyosaur.
At the Marine Reptile Fossil Display, the fossilised remains of these ancient beasts are on display, including the world’s oldest turtle. The display also boasts a Plesiosaur fossil which is 80 percent complete, making it one of the most intact fossils in the world.
The Pitta Pitta people are the Traditional Owners of the land in Boulia, and their culture is explored through artefacts and images throughout the complex, as well as medical and farming machinery from early pioneers.
The iconic Boulia Camel Races
The Boulia Camel Races is the richest and longest camel race in Australia. Held in mid-July, with a prize pool of $45,000, it attracts more than 3,000 people, and is widely known as the “Melbourne Cup of Camel Races.”
Things look a little different to horse racing: jockeys don’t steer the camels because there are no reins for them to hold on to. Instead, they sit on small saddles behind the camel’s hump and the camels steer themselves down the track.
The Cup Final is an intense 1,200 metre race, making it the longest camel race in Australia. Cheer on your favourite camel and get amongst the action for a day you won’t forget.
For a truly amazing experience, you can watch the races from above by booking a ride in an R44 helicopter with Outback from Above. The experienced team will take you across Boulia for panoramic views of the outback scenery, while commentating on the racing action below.
The three-day event also includes camel rides for visitors, the Truck Pull Race (where teams of five haul a truck to the finish line), and the Great Australian Blow Up Race, where racers adorn inflatable suits and have a lot of fun making a spectacle of themselves.
Live music, food and drink vendors, and amusement rides for little ones keep the good vibes flowing.
Explore Diamantina National Park
Covering 507,000 hectares, Diamantina National Park is a haven of sparkling waterholes, wetlands, sand dunes and grass plains that you can reach by taking the Diamantina-Bedourie Loop.
There are a number of self-guided scenic drives around the park, which will get you up close and personal with many rare and threatened species, as well as birdlife such as the rainbird, blackfaced cuckoo, lorikeet, and brolga.
Stretch your legs and take the easy 400-metre loop Warracoota Ruins walking track and explore several stone-walled structures at the top of a ridge built by early pioneers – the purpose of which is still a mystery.
Or head to the Diamantina Homestead, which was once home to more than 12,000 head of cattle and twenty stockman, who would camp under the stars with nothing but their swags for weeks at a time.
Windmills to bring water from the Artesian Basin
For visitors heading into Boulia, the iconic windmill is often the very first thing they see. One of the tallest structures in town, the windmill represents a vital part of rural Australian history, because for over a century, windmills have been used to raise water from the Great Artesian Basin – the largest and deepest artesian basin in the world.
Stretching over 1.7 million square kilometres, with depths ranging from 100 metres to 3,000 metres, the Great Artesian Basin provides the only reliable source of freshwater through much of arid inland Australia, and the Boulia windmill helps to keep the water flowing.
The Black Stump and Corroboree Tree
The Aussie saying ‘beyond the black stump’ refers to an extremely remote or isolated place. So Boulia locals introduced the iconic ‘red stump’, which is located on the median strip between the Australian Hotel Motel and the Waddi Tree Souvenir Store.
The Corroboree Tree is another interesting landmark in Boulia, and it is the last recognised Corroboree Tree of the Pitta Pitta tribe. The distinctive Waddi tree can only be found in the Boulia/Diamantina Shires, and can live for 200 years. It is one of Australia’s rarest plants, featuring spiky, needle-like leaves and abnormally hard wood that is said to be impossible to burn.
On your way out of town, stop by the Tropic of Capricorn marker. This iconic landmark, situated in a remote, flat plain, marks the crossing of the Tropic of Capricorn, which is the southernmost point on Earth where the sun can be directly overhead.
If you enjoyed this feature on Boulia, you might enjoy our story on another great outback town – Broken Hill.
See the map below for details on how to travel to Boulia and book your flight HERE
