BOULIA Qld and THE BURKE RIVER BUSH CAMP

  The spectacular views of the Cawnpore remain as a treasured memory as we continue our outback Qld adventure and continue along the Kennedy towards Boulia. The Jump Up country disappears as quickly as it had materialized and the route returns to a monotonous straightness across the desolation of the treeless plains of the Channel Country.
  Minuscule Boulia, another outpost that has more interest for the visitor than it's smallness at first suggests, affords a welcome venue where the vehicles can be refueled, some supplies can purchased from the little Supermarket, and clothes washed at the Laundromat. The intention also, is to seek out the nearby Burke River where there is said to be a free camp in a bush setting that may satisfy our overnight needs.
  The are a couple of versions to the story of how Boulia was named. The name is said to be derived from the name of the waterhole in the Burke River, which was so called by the Pitta Pitta tribe, according to the survey office. Another source says that the Aboriginals gave the original name for the waterhole as Bulzoo Bulzoo or Boolya. However the survey map shows a Bullu Bullu waterhole in the Hamilton River on the Winton - Boulia road about 35 kms from the Boulia waterhole.
  Burke and Wills traveled through the area in around 1860 and camped, I believe, near where we will be staying by the river.  Although the town was established by a Shopkeeper, Ernest Henry in 1876, Boulia officially began with a proclamation signed by Cr. Kennedy on 31st July 1879 and was gazetted on the 2nd August setting aside a reserve for township purpose on the Boulia waterhole, in the Burke River, Gregory North district, under the name of "Boulia".
  Despite it's history, Boulia  is most famous for sightings of the "Min Min" lights, mysterious shimmering lights that appear at night. The lights are said to be caused by atmospheric refraction that occurs when cold air is trapped below warmer air, a phenomenon known as Fata Morgana. causing remote lights or objects to appear closer, and in a less recognizable form. "The light's existence as a phenomenon has been confirmed, though there remains debate over its source. Various explanations have been put forward, ranging from optical illusions and piezoelectric effect to luminescent animals."
 The lights are named after a small settlement of Min Min, located between the outback towns of Boulia and Winton, where the light was discovered by a stockman in 1918.
  Stories about the lights can be found in Aboriginal myths pre-dating western settlement of the region and have since become part of wider Australian folklore.  Local Aboriginals insist that the number of sightings increased as more Europeans came to the area.  According to folklore, the lights sometimes follow or approached people and then have disappeared, only to reappear later on. It is said that anyone who chases the lights and catches them will never return to tell the tale.
  Boulia with a population of only 230 (2011) is a hot, dry place with summer temperatures often up to 50c and averages in the mid to high 40's. Average rainfall of only around 250mm.
  And so to the Burke River campsite that was found about 5 kms out of town, where the four Motorhomes squeezed into a tiny clearing, right on the banks of the river. We enjoyed the picturesque quietness and the varied birdlife so much that we eventually stayed for 2 nights.

The delightful bush camp at Burke River