Thursday, 9 October 2014

Boulia, Bedouree and Birdsville

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

Ichthyosaur skull





 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??

 Town edge - nothing to be seen

Emu and her chicks at school crossing!  Someone forgot to tell her that it's school holidays!

Main street in Boulia


 Football ground - very dry!

Neil near the Burke River, apparently Burke and Wills filled up their water containers here.
 Bridge over Burke River

Main Street Saturday morning  - no cars or people



Cattle - what can they find to eat!


 
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 .


Cows crossing - they looked so thin,  so sad to see.



Tropic of  Capricorn!
 
End of paved road and now back on corrugations






 
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.

The Bedourie Pub built in the 1800s and still in use.


Road to Birdsville - all corrugations
 
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.

Main road into town centre
 
The famous Birdsville Pub - we had dinner here one night and enjoyed a delicious roast lamb.

We enjoyed the famous kangaroo and claret and camel pies!
 
This is the telephone directory for Birdsville - one A4 sheet of paper!



 

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