As the part for the car fridge arrived we were able to leave Mount Isa on 26 September. We headed to Boulia. 300 kms south of Mount Isa. Boulia encompasses over 61,000 square kilometres of ever changing scenery, and at one time in history was part of an inland sea...
The road to Boulia, quite dry, lots of kites on the roads.
We visited "The Stonehouse" in Boulia, built in 1888 for the store keeper James Edward Jones, the house was home to the Jones family up until the early 1970s, the house was then acquired by the Boulia Sire Council.
The Stonehouse also has a Marine Reptile Fossil exhibit (over 100 million years ago Boulia was part of an Inland Sea) These fossils were all found in and around Boulia
The Min Min Light is a strange spectral light that can appear, hover, disappear and reappear with an eerie will of its own. Neil and I attended a sound and light show explaining about the Min Min Encounter - speaking to locals at the pub during dinner some stated that they had actually seen it. There were many explanations, fact or fiction??
Bridge over Burke River
Waddi Trees - rare ancient species, they grow in only three locations in Boulia and Birdsville. The wood is one of the hardest timbers in the world. When the wood dries it is virtually impossible to drill .
Tropic of Capricorn!
Treeless plains! Apparently farmers and government are working together to maintain the natural vegetation with removal of introduced species of trees.
Bedourie - population: 120 people, 95,000 square kilometres, perched on a sand dune and surrounded by Eyre Creek. In the 1880s it was a major watering and rest stop for drovers moving cattle from the Northern Territory and north-west Qld to the customs collection point in Birdsville.
We had lunch here at the Bedourie Road House and chatted with a local who also had seen the Min Min Light.
Artesian Bore - water that comes to the surface is 85 degrees C.
This ruin was once home to "Kidman" the famous cattle barron. Below is the view from one of the windows. He abandoned this place after loosing nearly all his stock due to draught.
We finally arrived in Birdsville and setup our tent.
The famous Birdsville Pub - we had dinner here one night and enjoyed a delicious roast lamb.
This is the telephone directory for Birdsville - one A4 sheet of paper!
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