Winter Holiday July 2012: WINTON TO BOULIA

We set off for Boulia on Wednesday but as we are only driving about 150km per day we decided to stopover for one night at Middleton Hotel which is a free camp.   We stopped at the Hotel, had a look around and decided to move on to the next rest stop at Mackunda Creek Rest Area.    We stayed there one night and moved on to have a look at Cawnpore Lookout which is a few kms from Mackunda Creek Rest Area.
This lookout was recommended to us in Winton and it did not disappoint.   It showed a mountain range in the middle of vast flat country with wonderful colours.
After leaving the lookout we went on to Boulia and stayed in a free camp that was behind the racecourse beside the Burke River.  This camp was very good with plenty of room beside the river but had no facilities.   Boulia is a small town but very tidy, it is the town with the Min Min lights and a famous camel race, unfortunately it was over before we got here.    We went to a presentation at the Information Centre about the Min Min lights, this was very well presented (It cost the local council 2 million dollars to set up).   You went from section to section in the dark, with each section telling of sightings of the lights and theories of what causes them by figures set up in a bar, an old house, beside a campfire and in an old truck.   These lights come randomly and look like a bright ball of light about the height of the tree tops.  The lights seem to follow you and can never be caught up with or photographed.   There are many theories; eg. Phosphorous light from the movement of the earth's crust, emu feathers with phosphorous dust on them, lights from outer space and one oldtimer reckons it is an emu with a torch up his bum.   I am not sure if these lights are just a good story or actual fact.
We enjoyed our stay there.
On Saturday we left to make our way towards Mt. Isa.