Boulia () is an

outback The Outback is a remote, vast, sparsely populated area of Australia. The Outback is more remote than Australian bush, the bush. While often envisaged as being arid, the Outback regions extend from the northern to southern Australian coastli ...

town and

locality Locality may refer to: * Locality, a historical named location or place in Canada * Locality (association), an association of community regeneration organizations in England * Locality (linguistics) * Locality (settlement) * Suburbs and localitie ...

in the

Shire of Boulia The Shire of Boulia is a Local government in Australia, local government area in Central West Queensland, bordering the Northern Territory. Its administrative centre is in the town of Boulia, Queensland, Boulia.It covers an area of , and has exi ...

Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

, Australia. In the , the locality of Boulia had a population of 314 people. Boulia is the administrative centre of the Boulia Shire, population approximately 600, which covers an area of . The area is best known for sightings of the

Min Min light The Min Min light is a light phenomenon that has often been reported in outback Australia. History Stories about the lights can be found in several Aboriginal Australians, Aboriginal Australian cultures predating the History of Australia (17 ...

s, mysterious shimmering lights that appear at night. The lights are said to be caused by atmospheric refraction that occurs when cold air is trapped below warmer air, a phenomenon known as Fata Morgana.

Geography

Boulia is in the

Central West Queensland Central West Queensland (abbreviated CWQ) is a remote region in the Australian state of Queensland which covers 396,650.2 km2. The region lies to the north of South West Queensland and south of the Gulf Country. It has a population of appr ...

and is located approximately by road south of

Mount Isa Mount Isa ( ) is a city in the Gulf Country region of Queensland, Australia. It came into existence because of the vast mineral deposits found in the area. Mount Isa Mines (MIM) is one of the most productive mines in world history, based on co ...

. Boulia is at the crossroads of a number of outback routes, including the Boulia Mount Isa Road (which goes north-west towards

), the Selwyn Road (which goes north-east to Selwyn), the Winton Road, which goes east toward Winton), and the Boulia Bedourie Road (which goes south-west to

Bedourie Bedourie is a town and a Suburbs and localities (Australia), locality in the Shire of Diamantina, Queensland, Australia. It is on the Queensland borders, border with the Northern Territory. In the , the locality of Bedourie had a population of 1 ...

). The

Donohue Highway The Donohue Highway is a mostly unpaved outback track that leads through the northern foothills of the Simpson Desert in Queensland to Tobermorey Homestead, Northern Territory near the Northern Territory/Queensland border in Australia. The roa ...

coming from the

Northern Territory The Northern Territory (abbreviated as NT; known formally as the Northern Territory of Australia and informally as the Territory) is an states and territories of Australia, Australian internal territory in the central and central-northern regi ...

joins the Boulia Mount Isa Road just outside of Boulia, which together with the Winton Road forms part of the

Outback Way The Outback Highway or Outback Way is a series of roads and dirt tracks linking Laverton, Western Australia and Winton, Queensland. At , it crosses Central Australia (colloquially known as the Outback), passing through Western Australia, the N ...

billed as "Australia's Longest Shortcut", a gravel-and-bitumen road which runs between Laverton in

Western Australia Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...

and Winton in Queensland. Boulia is in the

Channel Country The Channel Country is a region of outback Australia mostly in the state of Queensland but also in parts of South Australia, Northern Territory and New South Wales. The name comes from the numerous Braided river, intertwined rivulets that cro ...

. All watercourses in this area are part of the Lake Eyre drainage basin, and most will dry up before their water reaches

Lake Eyre Lake Eyre ( ), officially known as Kati Thanda–Lake Eyre, is an endorheic lake in the east-central part of the Far North (South Australia), Far North region of South Australia, some 700 km (435 mi) north of Adelaide. It is the larg ...

. Boulia lies on the Burke River, which was named after the explorer

Robert O'Hara Burke Robert O'Hara Burke (6 May 1821c. 28 June 1861) was an Irish soldier and police officer who achieved fame as an Australian explorer. He was the leader of the ill-fated Burke and Wills expedition, which was the first expedition to cross Australi ...

who passed through the area with the

Burke and Wills expedition The Burke and Wills expedition (originally called the Victorian Exploring Expedition) was an exploration expedition organised by the Royal Society of Victoria (RSV) in Australia in 1860–61. The exploration party initially consisted of ninet ...

in 1860. The river flows from the north-east to the south-east through the locality. Although it is contrary to the locality boundary principles of the

Queensland Government The Queensland Government is the state government of Queensland, Australia, a Parliament, parliamentary constitutional monarchy. Government is formed by the party or coalition that has gained a majority in the Queensland Legislative Assembly, ...

, the locality of Boulia is an "island" entirely surrounded by the locality of Wills. Extensive grazing of

beef cattle Beef cattle are cattle raised for meat production (as distinguished from dairy cattle, used for milk (production)). The meat of mature or almost mature cattle is mostly known as beef. In beef production there are three main stages: cow-calf opera ...

on native vegetation is the predominant industry. Boulia is at the heart of the

of western Queensland where, during rain events, channels running between the rivers and creeks of the region fill with water and spread that water over expansive areas. When it does rain heavily, the

Mitchell grass ''Astrebla'' is a small genus of xerophytic (adapted to survive in an environment with little liquid water) grasses found only in Australia. They are the dominant grass across much of the continent. They are commonly known as Mitchell grass aft ...

plains respond magnificently and result in the Channel country around Boulia, being among the finest beef producing country in Australia. The town has a grid layout with 6 roads running east–west and 5 running north–south. Herbert Street is the main street where most of the civic and commercial premises are located.

History

The town was named by surveyor Frederick Arthur Hartnell in 1882 and was derived from the name of the waterhole near the township called "bool-yo" in the

Pitta Pitta language Pitta Pitta (also known under several other spellings) is an extinct language, extinct Australian Aboriginal languages, Australian Aboriginal language. It was spoken around Boulia, Queensland. Status In 1979, Barry J. Blake reported that Pitt ...

. The township was gazetted in 1879. Boulia Post Office opened on 1 July 1879. Boulia Provisional School opened on 7 October 1889. It became Boulia State School on 1 January 1909. In December 1937, the school building of the closed state school in Selwyn was relocated to be used as a school building in Boulia. The Good Shepherd Catholic Church was built in 1955. In 2019, the Boulia Outback Chapel was established in the former Anglican church building. It is part of the Baptist Church. In 2019, the Boulia Outback Chapel was established in the former Anglican church building. It is part of the Baptist Church.

Demographics

In the , the town of Boulia had a population of 205. In the , the locality of Boulia had a population of 230. In the , the locality of Boulia had a population of 301 people. In the , the locality of Boulia had a population of 314 people.

Climate

Boulia experiences a

hot desert climate The desert climate or arid climate (in the Köppen climate classification ''BWh'' and ''BWk'') is a dry climate sub-type in which there is a severe excess of evaporation over precipitation. The typically bald, rocky, or sandy surfaces in desert ...

( Köppen: BWh), with very hot, occasionally rainy summers, and very mild, dry winters with cool nights and rare frosts. Average maxima vary from in July to in December. Average annual rainfall is very low: , occurring within 24.1 rainfall days. Rainfall is extraordinarily erratic, as while only fell in 1905; was recorded in January 1974 alone. The town is very sunny, averaging 186.4 clear days and only 43.6 cloudy days annually. Extreme temperatures have ranged from on 31 August 1906 to on 7 February 1915.

Events

The town hosts the Boulia Camel Races, the longest camel race (running a 1500m cup final) on the Australian

camel racing Camel racing is a racing sport in which jockeys riding on camels compete against each other to finish a set number of laps around a circular racetrack. It is most popular in Western Asia, North Africa, the Horn of Africa, Pakistan, Mongolia ...

circuit. Each year at Easter, the Boulia Racecourse reserve plays host to a rodeo, campdrafting, and horse racing event which is a social highlight for the district. During August drag races are held at the Boulia Airport which attracts an enthusiastic crowd.

Facilities

Boulia has a range of public facilities open to the community. These include a public library, public hall, sports complex, racecourse, the Min Min encounter tourist centre, museum, visitor information centre, and camel races. The Boulia Shire Council operates a public library at 18 Burke Street. An 18-hole golf course with sand greens is located on the Boulia Winton Road. Greens fees are not charged for the use of this course and a clubhouse with bar facilities is available. Boulia has Australia's first

three-dimensional In geometry, a three-dimensional space (3D space, 3-space or, rarely, tri-dimensional space) is a mathematical space in which three values (''coordinates'') are required to determine the position (geometry), position of a point (geometry), poi ...

zebra crossing A zebra crossing (British English) or a marked crosswalk (American English) is a pedestrian crossing marked with white stripes (zebra markings). Normally, pedestrians are afforded precedence over vehicular traffic, although the significance o ...

which is based on an

optical illusion In visual perception, an optical illusion (also called a visual illusion) is an illusion caused by the visual system and characterized by a visual perception, percept that arguably appears to differ from reality. Illusions come in a wide varie ...

. It is to improve road safety and also to be a tourist attraction. It was introduced in 2018 after Boulia Shire Council mayor Rick Britton saw similar crossings in Iceland, Malaysia, India, New Zealand and the United States on social media. The Boulia branch of the

Queensland Country Women's Association The Queensland Country Women's Association (QCWA) is the Queensland chapter of the Country Women's Association in Australia. The association seeks to serve the interests of women and children in rural areas in Australia through a network of loca ...

has its rooms at 61 Moonah Street. Boulia Outback Chapel is at 49 Moonah Street (). The Good Shepherd Catholic Church is at 33 Moonah Street ().

Education

Boulia State School is a government primary (Early Childhood-6) school for boys and girls at Templeton Street (). In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 27 students with 4 teachers and 4 non-teaching staff (3 full-time equivalent). There are no secondary schools in Boulia. The nearest secondary schools are in

and Winton, but these are too distant for a daily commute. The

Spinifex State College Spinifex State College is a public, co-educational, day and boarding school located in Mount Isa, Queensland. It first opened in 2003. History Prior to 2003 Mount Isa was serviced by two state secondary schools. Mount Isa State High School and ...

offers boarding facilities. Other boarding schools or

distance education Distance education, also known as distance learning, is the education of students who may not always be physically present at school, or where the learner and the teacher are separated in both time and distance; today, it usually involves online ...

would be options for secondary schooling.

Mars

The name Boulia is used as a name for a

crater A crater is a landform consisting of a hole or depression (geology), depression on a planetary surface, usually caused either by an object hitting the surface, or by geological activity on the planet. A crater has classically been described ...

on the planet

Mars Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun. It is also known as the "Red Planet", because of its orange-red appearance. Mars is a desert-like rocky planet with a tenuous carbon dioxide () atmosphere. At the average surface level the atmosph ...

, specifically commemorating the town.

Heritage listings

Boulia has a number of

heritage-listed This list is of heritage registers, inventories of cultural properties, natural and human-made, tangible and intangible, movable and immovable, that are deemed to be of sufficient heritage value to be separately identified and recorded. In ma ...

sites, including: * Pituri Street:

Boulia Stone House Boulia Stone House is a heritage-listed detached house at Pituri Street, Boulia, Shire of Boulia, Queensland, Australia. It forms part of the site of the Boulia Heritage Complex. It was built circa 1881 to 1885, by stonemasons from Armidale. ...

References

External links

Shire website

University of Queensland: Queensland Places: Boulia and Boulia Shire

Town map of Boulia, 1974
{{authority control Towns in Queensland Shire of Boulia 1879 establishments in Australia Populated places established in 1879 Localities in Queensland