In 1877 Ernest Henry had established a small settlement on the bank of the Burke River and by 1882 the land was surveyed and the township of Boulia began to slowly take shape.
We checked out the Stonehouse Museum, which took us through a journey of what life was like in Boulia in the late 1800’s. The Stonehouse was built by James Edward Jones in 1888 (although this is contentious, as Jones did not purchase the property until 1897) and has an endless display of antiques that formed Boulia's history over the years. The building stayed in the Jones family until 1978 when it was purchased by the Boulia Shire Council.
Around this part of the country, there are many stories told by locals about the Min Min lights. As popular as it is to the locals, the tourists are curious to know what the fuss with all the signs and posters of ‘min min lights’ are all about, there is even a 'Min Min Encounter Tourist Centre' which fills you in on the local knowledge. Unfortunately, we never saw them through the night when we camped there, but we were lucky enough to talk to a couple who saw them on an overnight stay at Bedourie, who were beyond excited to share their experience.
Until the introduction of the road train, Dajarra was a major cattle train hub, it is said carting more cattle than Texas back in its heyday with drovers herding cattle from all over to board the train at Dajarra. Neither the train line or station exist today, instead travellers can make a donation of $5 to camp the night on the site of the rail station. The Dajarra school was opened in 1920 and the Post Office in 1919, there are about 400 predominantly indigenous residents in Dajarra and although the school is still operational the Post Office has since closed and is now a beautifully curated museum. The township is lovely, well looked after and a true diamond in the rough.
Armed with our tyre floaters we first headed in the direction of Camooweal to find a waterhole one of the blokes at Gumby’s work had spoken of. After venturing through some spectacular spinifex county we gave up on the search, instead returning to The Isa and headed out to Cloncurry instead to find Sun Rock. 
Sun Rock waterhole is located approximately 45kms east of Mount Isa and is a culturally significant site to the local Kalkadoon people. The site is only located a short distance (150mtrs) off the Barkly Highway, but feels worlds away. Given the importance of Sun Rock waterhole the tyres remained dry for this adventure.
We completely lost our shit when Fatman Scoop hit the stage as hype man for The Thundamentals. Tash Sultana was incredible playing a variety of instruments and singing whilst having laryngitis, we felt blessed to have witnessed her performance, especially after she cancelled her Sydney gigs due to poor health. 
 An abandoned copper mining town located approximately 130kms north of Cloncurry and 30kms north of Kajabbi. Interesting facts to note about the town are that the police station remained in the town until 1958, when it was transferred to the newly created uranium mining town, Mary Kathleen. The post office remained until 1961 and the original sign for the hotel incorrectly read ‘Hotel Dobbin’. The mine ceased operations in 1933, but the town seemed to continue until the early 1960’s when the railway was suspended. The remaining Poppet Head frame has been relocated to its current location by the new mining lease operators and was originally from a mine in the Charters Towers gold mine region. Whilst heading out of Dobbyn, back towards Kajabbi, Rex got a flat, but the puncher repair kit saved us from having to crawl back to The Isa using the space saving spare tyre.
 Named in 1861 after Augustus Gregory, the first Surveyor General of Queensland by explorer William Landsborough, who discovered this year round flowing river whilst leading an expedition to find Burke and Wills.
The Gregory River is fed by a limestone spring, which is connected to water systems in Papua New Guinea, the river is a truly magical place that serves as a major water source to surrounding properties and native bird and animal life. Shovel has fond memories camping up here as a kid, but this was my first time. You can’t help but immediately feel relaxed standing by the cool, clear gently flowing water, while surrounded by prehistoric looking pandanus palms. We floated down the river on tyre tubes and had a laugh with a crew of people from Julia Creek camped a bit further upstream.
Peace | Love | Vagabonding
The Gregory Hotel was originally built in the early 1900's to service the coach to Burketown and the Mounted Police. The post office it is said opened in 1878 but closed in 1894. Now there is a General Store run by an ex. Mount Isa miner and his wife, serving barista style coffee and pre-packaged foods. To find the Gregory we travelled from Mount Isa towards Camooweal for 120 odd kms, then headed north for another 170ish kms to reach this remote part of Australia. Hidden within this semi-arid landscape, however is the Gregory River and our destination for the weekend. We had a great time camping in the pebbled river bed, mattress in the back of Rex, no toilets, no showers, just keeping it simple and most definitely relaxed.
 Steeped in history, this small township of only some 300 people located approximately 260kms east of Mount Isa, was a Cobb and Co change station back in the late 1800’s. During this time Cobb and Co stations were placed 50 miles apart with a journey from Richmond to Normanton taking approximately 5 days to complete. The original name for the river the township is named after was Scorpion Creek, but was renamed to Hilton by the surveyor who arrived to peg boundaries in 1870, not liking the name Scorpion Creek. Duncan McIntyre, whilst on an expedition of the area to find suitable grazing land, came across a tree with the letters LL engraved in it, this he thought must have been from the ill fated explorer Ludwig Leichhardt. It is said McIntyre renamed Hilton to Julia Creek. Many believe Burke and Wills passed through this area, but this is incorrect, however John McKinlay, leader of an expedition to find Burke and Wills did pass through the area in 1862 and so the Shire is named McKinlay. 
The population of Julia Creek swells annually from 300 to 3,000 for the Dirt and Dust Festival. The festival incorporates a Sprint Triathlon, Horse Race and Rodeo, including other events like cow pat throwing and bog snorkelling. Shovel, having grown up in Australia’s Rodeo Capital has been to his fair share of Rodeos, but this was my first Rodeo. I felt conflicted going as I don't believe animals should be used for entertainment, but was surprised how well the bulls were treated and seemed to be celebrities in their own right. We both agreed the Bull Fighters were the stars of the show, however as they threw themselves in front of the bulls to protect the cowboys. It was incredible to watch one Bull Fighter throw himself on top of a cowboy to protect him after he was knocked unconscious, whilst the other Bull Fighter, trying to coax the Bull out of the ring got slammed up against a wall. We slept on a camping mattress in the back of Rex over the weekend at their Show Grounds and were blessed with stunning sunrises.
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