May 31 2008
Mystery of the Min Min Lights
Many a weary traveller through Winton tells of the eerie lights over the graveyard at Min Min. Drovers, stockmen, prospectors, truck drivers and bush walkers have been followed by the Min Min Lights and, while cattle ignore the phenomena, dogs and horses have been thoroughly spooked.
There’s not much else going on in Winton, apart from the Waltzing Matilda Centre, a permanent memorial to the national song. There’s one mention in history for being placed under martial law during the Great Shearers’ Strike in the 1890s. It’s an unpretentious place.
But just a few hours down the Winton Road stand the ruins of the Min Min Hotel, nothing but some dried out timbers, a few rocks, the remnants of a cemetery… and the mysterious Min Min.
The Min Min is most usually one bobbing light, either white, red, green, orange or blue. But sometimes there are several, and sometimes there’s a whole mob of ducking, weaving spheres which will follow cars and horseriders, appearing and disappearing into thin air.
Some say that the Min Min Lights originate in an old Aboriginal burial ground, north of the Winton road opposite Dinner Creek. A local legend tells that the Lights only came after “the white man started killing the black fella.”.
Elsewhere in the world, similar phenomena are known as feux follets, will-o’-the wisp, marsh lights, spooklights, jack-o’-lantern, ignis fatuus, fairy lights or ghost lights.
In Australia we have the Min Min Lights from the Dreamtime.
So if you ever drive to the western border of Queensland, make sure you do it in the daytime when the Min Min Lights are less likely to appear.
If you are suddenly followed by mysterious bobbing lights - whatever you do, don’t stop!
Like to shout me a cold beer?
