I have just been out to Boulia in far western Queensland for the weekend as part of the Australia Day Ambassador program.  Ambassadors are sent from Brisbane to many regional areas around the state to share friendship and experiences and give their view of what it is to be Australian.  I have been to some wonderful places including Thursday Island, Muttaburra and Aramac and Burketown to mention just a few and was delighted to be allocated Boulia where I have not been before.

We talk about people living in the “bush” if they live in the country although a cousin of mine says the bush doesn’t start until you are west of Roma.  Well Boulia is certainly in the bush with Longreach and Winton to the east, Mt Isa and Cloncurry to the north, Bedourie and Birdsville to the south and the Northern Territory border to the west.  This is the real outback.

Situated on the Burke River, the town is a small community of about 230 people with 600 living in the shire.  The streets of Boulia are wide, well kept and show flashes of green where the artesian water is used to keep the grass alive in the summer heat that regularly reaches into the mid 40s.  Mayor Rick Britton and his fellow councillors oversee the running of the shire.

I flew to Mt Isa and then drove about 4 hours to Boulia along a sealed road where cattle and road trains have right of way.  Small termite nests of dark red earth dotted the landscape south of Mt Isa and once I had passed the southern ranges of the Barkly Tableland the country spread out in a flat expanse dotted with rocky outcrops, small trees and tufts of barely alive grass.

Boulia has one pub, a local store, fuel station, primary school and police station and a motel as well as a large modern sporting facility where the Australia Day ceremony was held.  The day began with a breakfast and was followed by an address from the Mayor and speech from me and Citizens Awards with about 60 people attending.

The QCWA has an active branch in Boulia with 13 members who keep an ear to the ground when people need help and also raise money for a bursary for a student entering secondary school.  Once children have completed primary school they have to move away for the remainder of their education, the nearest high school being Mt Isa but the closest boarding schools are in Charters Towers.

Boulia has the now famous camel races each year as well as a popular rodeo and campdraft that draws riders from far away.  A well maintained museum, historic buildings and stories of the mysterious Min Min Lights and dinosaur bones are also part of the makeup of Boulia.

Cattle grazing is the sole industry of the region and it seemed that the herds were quite mixed with pure Brahman and crosses including Santa Gertrudus, Angus, Droughtmaster and Hereford.  The best option on the menu at the Australian Hotel is definitely the well flavoured rump steak.

The drought has bitten hard into this part of the country and many graziers have sold off stock but those with cattle left are doing it tough.  The remaining cattle are very lean and even the goanna I saw was travelling very slowly in the extreme heat.

I didn’t venture far from the township so only saw a tiny part of the Boulia Shire but I thoroughly enjoyed my visit.  Thanks to everyone in Boulia for your warm hospitality.  Late in the afternoon of Australia Day big storms clouds gathered and the region received some much needed rain, albeit in the form of scattered showers and storms but it was lovely to see pools of water on the roadside as I drove back to Mt Isa on Monday morning.  Even better was the sight of cattle hungrily drinking.