YOUR STORY: Tales of Min Min lights must keep burning

I LEFT Cloncurry with Colin Campbell’s droving plant about 1958 – to take 3000 head of fat bullocks from Iffley Station and truck them at Julie Creek.

LOCAL RON HENDERSON SHARES HIS STORY:

I LEFT Cloncurry with Colin Campbell's droving plant about 1958 - to take 3000 head of fat bullocks from Iffley Station, situated in the Gulf, and truck them at Julia Creek.

Our plant consisted of six pack horses and our plant horses. About 30. No whips. No dogs.

We mustered Iffley's bullock paddock and cut out 1000 head and started towards Julia Creek.

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About halfway, I was on the first night watch and I could see Min Min lights in the distance and they were heading our way.

It was about 8pm, the lights were dancing and floating around everywhere.

They started to float and dance over one part of the camped cattle without a sound.

Then one large light floated over towards the middle of the cattle and stopped, not that far from me.

It stopped there for about three or four minutes.

It was only about one metre above the bullocks. Then it slowly floated away.

Now those bullocks were not disturbed with all the lights dancing and floating around. Neither was my horse or the three night horses tied up.

But a few days later, about 70km away we could see the lights of Julia Creek (all open country).

The bullocks got restless, and all of a sudden they rushed - equivalent to a stampede.

The next night they rushed again, but the first is always the worst.

So why didn't the Min Min lights set the bullocks off, yet the lights of Julia Creek, 70km away, made them rush?

Town lights do flicker a bit but nothing compared to the Min Min lights.

The next two trips from Iffley to Julia Creek - no incidents.

Now, the scientists theory is the radioactive mineral deposits and the escaping methane gas spontaneously combusting causes the Min Min lights.

Nobody living out west, including the Aborigines, has any problem with the lights.

Tourist companies will keep this mystery alive.