28th April 2025
Leaving home with only a vague plan for the journey ahead feels unfamiliar to me. I know our general direction is west — as far west as we can go. But that’s where the uncertainty begins. Severe weather has brought the worst flooding the Queensland outback has seen since colonisation. Many of the roads we hoped to travel are now closed, with warnings of ‘long-term’ flooding ahead.
Nevertheless we’ve set off!
We left home under perfect skies – briefly wondering why we’d abandon paradise. But when adventure calls …
We drove through lush, green rolling hills. It took a few hours to arrive at our first camp for the trip. Our destination was Koehler Park in the foothills of the Bunya Mountains.
As usual we toasted the adventure with champagne.
I’ll keep it brief describing this first stage of our journey, as we’re passing through country we’ve explored before. However the difference this time is striking. The land, brown last time, now shows many shades of green after the rains.
29th April – 5th May
The Native Wells outside Yuleba are a remarkable example of ingenuity. In a region prone to long dry spells, the local Indigenous people carefully selected a spot where rainwater naturally flowed over rock. They would build fires on the rock, heating it until it was extremely hot, then douse it with cold water. The sudden temperature change caused the rock to crack. Once cracked they chiseled out wells, creating natural reservoirs that held precious pools of fresh water.
At Mitchell we did the 5km Yumba Walk. This walk took us through the area where the aboriginal people had to live when excluded from the township. Our history isn’t pretty. Nevertheless they made the most of it and today the walk has sculptures and informational signs about their way of life.
No trip to Mitchell is complete without a soak in the Artesian Spa. Such a treat!
Now we come to our first decision point. Our preference was to go via Bedourie to Boulia, but that road is closed. So we head towards Winton. Still uncertainty ahead as the Donahue H’way remains closed.
At Augathella we stopped at Meat-ant Park. Meat ants reputably will reduce a carcass to just bones over several weeks. Steve better not stand there too long.
A significant landmark in Longreach. We’ll be more or less following this to Alice Springs.
The Federal Election is on the 3rd May. We came across this very remote polling booth in a roadside rest area.
Thankfully, the Donahue Highway has just opened. This saves us from a detour of an extra 2 or 3 days.
Winton is the birthplace of Waltzing Matilda, written by Banjo Paterson. A sidewalk piano, complete with painted sheet music, invites anyone to sit down and play their own rendition.
And just in case you’re a little unsure exactly where we are … here’s a guidepost.
Please note there’s heaps to see and do in Longreach and Winton, but we’ve been here before and our goal is still ahead of us. If you come this way take several days in both towns to experience the fun.
Leaving Winton for Boulia we follow the Min Min Byway toward Boulia. In 2022, when we last attempted this adventure, we were thwarted by flooding on this road. Above you’ll see the ‘road condition’ sign in the background. Today it’s open with caution that parts of the road are again flooded.
The drive was magnificent with the country looking so green. When it’s drought conditions in this country fissures in the ground open breaking the roots of trees, hence it’s mostly grasslands.
This dilapidated hut is a set from the movie Goldstone, not one I’m familiar with, but wow, what a setting!
Tonight we’re camping opposite the Middleton Hotel, which is about halfway between Winton and Boulia. We enjoyed a chat with the publican – it’s a way of life out here that is pretty tough. We were the only customers all day.
The Middleton Hotel – I think we’re many years too late to get fuel from this bowser.
The Donahue Highway passing Cawnpore Lookout.
One of the most intriguing mysteries of outback Queensland can be found near Boulia — the legendary Min Min Lights. These mysterious orbs of white or blue light are said to appear without warning, hovering just above the ground and eerily following travellers whether they’re on foot, horseback, or driving through the night.
For generations, those who’ve witnessed the Min Min Lights describe an unsettling feeling of apprehension, a quiet sense of being watched. In Aboriginal culture, these lights are believed to be spirits — the souls of departed elders keeping a watchful eye over the land and its people.
While the lights have never caused harm, their presence continues to spark fascination and a touch of fear. Over the years, scientists have put forward various theories to explain them — everything from natural gases to refracted light phenomena — yet none have been definitively proven. The Min Min Lights remain a mystery that science can’t quite unravel.
Sadly, on our visit to Boulia, the elusive lights didn’t choose to reveal themselves to us.
The Min Min Experience is a tourist attraction, the encounters of locals with the Min Min lights told by animated figures. It’s an excellent attraction and I highly recommend it.
100 million years ago Boulia was under the Eromanga Sea. Ferocious marine reptiles ruled the seas and the bones of many of these ancient dinosaurs have been found in this district. Above are the fossilized remains of a long-necked plesiosaur, shown beneath its illustrated reconstruction.
This display is part of the Stonehouse museum where we spent an interesting hour or so.
A quirky zebra crossing which has Steve a bit unbalanced.
At long last we are finally about to travel the Donahue Highway.
About 400km along this road we enter the Northern Territory and the Donahue Highway becomes the Plenty Highway – and yes, that ‘Highway’ (below) is just a gravel road.
