Outback Towns and Drives
Find a Town
Find a drive Itinerary
ABOUT Boulia
There are a lot of bush yarns and legends in this Outback country, but the people of Boulia reckon the pick of the bunch are the ones about the mysterious Queensland icon, the Min Min Light. Here is a yarn about the Light they would like to share with you.
It was shortly after the Min Min Hotel was destroyed by fire around 1912 when a stockman had one of the first experiences with the Min Min Light: “About 10 pm I was riding to Boulia and passed close to the Min Min graveyard. The night was somewhat cloudy. 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”.
To preserve the history and myths surrounding the Min Min Light, the Boulia Shire Council created the Min Min Encounter Complex. You can be a part of the 45-minute show introducing you to characters like Gunna and Bluey who have seen the light!
As Boulia was also a part of Australia’s inland sea more than 100 million years ago, you will be amazed by the extensive marine fossil display and the array of historical artefacts from early settlers, including machinery, saddlery and hospital instruments. This can all be discovered at the Boulia Stonehouse Museum.
Boulia is also home to some great Outback Events including The Boulia Camel Races which are held annually on the third weekend of July. Attractions include fireworks, bands, magicians, markets and of course the marvellous camels.
Places to stay near Boulia
Diamantina National Park camping
177 kmEnjoy spectacular sunsets and abundant bird life from river bank or beside the creek when camping in Diamantina ‘under the shade of a coolibah tree’.
MoreDiscovery Parks – Argylla, Mount Isa
244 kmThe park is perfect for the stop over, take a dip in the pool or just relax poolside reading a book.
MoreIsa Hotel
244 kmThe Isa Hotel is the place for you to meet, socialise and be entertained, in a town where people are the defining feature.
MoreRedearth Boutique Hotel
244 kmRedearth Boutique Hotel brings a premium accommodation experience to the heart of Mount Isa.
MoreNightcap at Barkly Hotel
245 kmGuests love Nightcap’s laid-back approach to quality accommodation and convenient location just six kilometres from the Mt Isa airport.
MoreSunset Tourist Park
246 kmNestled alongside a spring fed creek, Sunset Tourist Park is conveniently located close to the town centre with shops, cafes and a great bakery.
MoreDiscovery Parks – Mount Isa
246 kmSet by the banks of the beautiful Leichhardt River, the holiday park Discovery Parks. Mount Isa is an excellent base to explore.
MoreAbacus Motel
247 kmOffering outstanding accommodation for corporate guests and travellers, the Abacus Motel Mount Isa is situated close to the airport (4-minute drive).
MoreAAOK Moondarra Caravan Park
249 kmAOK Moondarra Caravan Park provides quality accommodation to the travelling public and caravanners for long or short term stays in Mount Isa.
MoreCoppermine Creek Freedom Camp
250 kmCloncurry Shire Council’s Coppermine Creek Freedom Camp is an excellent low-cost, no-frills accommodation option for RV’s of all sizes.
MoreOasis Hotel Motel Cloncurry
250 kmEstablished in 1978, the Oasis Hotel is a Cloncurry fixture and a hub for the community to come together and enjoy each other’s company.
MoreLeichhardt Hotel
250 kmLocated in North West Queensland, the Leichhardt Hotel Motel Cloncurry is an outback hotel motel, truly local and has been here for over 50 years.
MoreCloncurry Caravan Park Oasis
250 kmCloncurry Caravan Park Oasis is situated on the Overlanders Way (Flinders Highway) close to the Town Centre.
MoreDiscovery Parks – Cloncurry
250 kmBurke and Wills found beauty in Cloncurry on their journey through in 1861; now, take your turn when you stay with Discovery Parks – Cloncurry.
MoreThings to see and do near Boulia
Boulia Golf Club delivers a one-of-a-kind outback golfing experience, where vast horizons, red earth, and a warm local welcome set the tone.
Boulia Golf Club
3 km
Show creators have brought many bush characters to life, displayed in their own environment, to tell you their stories about the mysterious Min Min lights.
Min Min Encounter
3 km
The Min Min Encounter is a unique theatrical experience incorporating animatronics, fibre optics and loads of other high tech wizardry.
Min Min Encounter & Visitor Information Centre
3 km
Even when travelling through Queensland’s Outback, a state of the art sports and aquatic centre is only as far away as the sign to Boulia.
Boulia Sports and Aquatic Centre
3 km
When Boulia storekeeper James Edward Jones built his home in 1888, little did he know that it would become one of Western Queensland’s major attractions.
Boulia Heritage Complex
3 km
Boulia has an unique collection of fossils from the Cretaceous Era when Boulia was part of the inland Eromanga Sea.
Boulia Marine Reptile Fossil Display
140 km
Experience the rich Indigenous and settler histories, replenishing waters and shimmering mirages, and stunning desert-like vistas of this unique park.
Diamantina National Park
153 km
One of the first buildings built in Bedourie, the Mud Hut was erected in the early 1880s with mud collected from Eyre Creek.
Pise House (Mud Hut)
170 km
Bedourie Outback Golf Course is a picturesque desert nine hole course with many challenges to suit beginners to the advanced players.
Bedourie Outback Golf Course
170 km
Ease your tired travelling muscles in the 22-person therapeutic spa with crystal-clear water immersing you from Bedourie’s artesian bore.
Bedourie Artesian Spa and Aquatic Centre
171 km
While at Boulia why not try these Tours
North West Tours
193 kmNorth West Tours specialise in small group tours around Mount Isa and beyond.
MoreBig Red Tours
263 kmLuxurious outback hospitality – relax in their quality 4WD coach and enjoy their hospitality with a professional local tour guide.
MoreDingo Trax – Birdsville and Outback Queensland
263 kmThe desert 4×4 tag along tours take in the best of the Australian outback.
MoreElite Aviation Services Pty Ltd
349 kmBased in Winton, Queensland, Elite Aviation Services offers helicopter and plane scenic flights and charters over the spectacular landscape around Winton and the Diamantina River.
MoreRed Dirt Tours Pty Ltd
349 kmRed Dirt Tours is your Winton touring specialist and offers a number of tours to the spectacular natural and man-made attractions of the Winton region.
MoreYagurli Tours
437 kmYagurli Tours is an Indigenous owned business operated by the Gangalidda and Garawa Peoples.
MoreBalloon Aloft Burketown (Moungibi)
438 kmBalloon Aloft is partnering with Yagurli Tours for a hot air balloon experience with a difference this June to September.
MoreOutback Aussie Tours – Extended Tours
446 kmExplore Outback Queensland and beyond with Outback Aussie Tours, a multi-award winning touring company and Savannah Guides accredited operator.
MoreNorthern Heli-Co
475 kmNorthern Heli-Co provides unforgettable scenic flights, heli fishing experiences, custom charter options and aerial photography throughout the Gulf of Carpentaria and Cape York areas.
MoreKerry D Charters
476 kmKerry D Fishing Charters is a family-owned and operated tour company based in Karumba, Queensland, offering unique and professional fishing experiences.
MoreSheehan Events
483 kmSheehan Events is an Australian event management company specialising in premium outback events and bespoke air tours across regional Australia.
MoreOutback Pioneers
484 kmOutback Pioneers’ award-winning outback tours and experiences, based in Longreach, is all about holidays and experiences that bring the pioneer past to life.
More