We had heard about the hot artesian spa included in the swimming pool complex in Bedourie 166 km north of Birdsville and decided as this was on the way we would head there. We arrived about 5'sh only to discover the pool was closed, so drooped into the pub to get the opening times, to be told the pool was actually closed for renovations. Under normal circumstances the keys are available from the Diamantina Shire Council office and use of the 25m pool and 22 person spa is free. The bore feeding the spa was drilled in 1905 and is 400 metres deep.

As we were in the pub we decided to have a counter meal and given the main reason for staying was not available, to cover a bit more ground.  After a pretty standard pub meal we pushed on up the track until the eyes dictated it was time to turn in, so we headed up an unused looking farm track, which wound its way around a bit until we came into a lovely grove of trees with a clearing. We hit the sack, only to wake in the morning surprised to discover we were practically back onto the road, but given we were the only traffic, it mattered little. 

We arrived at the next stop Boulia just as the museum was opening and spent some time looking through the displays. The museum is situated in an old stone house which is heritage listed by the National Trust. We debated hanging around to nightfall so we could claim we had an encounter with a Min Min light but decided maybe we were crazy enough. No one has ever proven the existence of an actual Min Min light but like UFOs there are plenty of believers and anecdotal evidence. The first recorded event was after a stockman in 1918 was leaving Hamilton (where the Min Min Hotel had recently burned down) and heading to Boulia, when he noticed mysterious lights tracking him. Since this time there have been other sightings and accusations that the lights can cause people to disappear.  

Boulias other main claims to fame are the annual camel races held on the third weekend in July and also in October 1990 a night parrot (long thought to be extinct) was spotted dead on the side of the road by a member of the Australian Museum who just happened to be passing. A true min min coincidence it would seem.