Boulia

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. 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.

Geography

Boulia is in the Central West Queensland and is located approximately by road south of Mount Isa. Boulia is at the crossroads of a number of outback routes, including the Boulia Mount Isa Road (which goes north-west towards Mount Isa), 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). Boulia is in the Channel Country. All watercourses in this area are part of the Lake Eyre drainage basin, and most will dry up before their water reaches Lake Eyre. Boulia lies on the Burke River, Although it is contrary to the locality boundary principles of the Queensland Government, the locality of Boulia is an "island" entirely surrounded by the locality of Wills. 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.

Most-observed species

• Magpie-lark

  Grallina cyanoleuca (Latham, 1802) · Aves
  247
• Black Kite

  Milvus migrans (Boddaert, 1783) · Aves
  238
• Crested Pigeon

  Ocyphaps lophotes (Temminck, 1822) · Aves
  235
• Yellow-throated Miner

  Manorina flavigula (Gould, 1840) · Aves
  227
• White-plumed Honeyeater

  Ptilotula penicillata (Gould, 1837) · Aves
  218
• Galah

  Eolophus roseicapilla (Vieillot, 1817) · Aves
  196
• Pacific Heron

  Ardea pacifica Latham, 1802 · Aves
  180
• Australian Raven

  Corvus coronoides Vigors & Horsfield, 1827 · Aves
  164