A FATHER and son have sighted unexplained lights in central-west Queensland more than 40 years apart from each other.
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Willie Parsons first saw the famous Min Min Lights in 1973 while out droving cattle near Boulia.
Now, 42 years later his son Daniel Parsons claims to have seen the same lights.
The town of Boulia, which is about 300 kilometres south of Mount Isa, is famous for Min Min Light sightings, but to date the mystery of their origin remains unexplained.
The glow reportedly appears as a spear of light that follows the observer for a short period.
The single spear then appears to disperse into three separate lights, travelling at a rapid pace, before disappearing.
Boulia Shire Council tourism officer Shelly Norton said there had been hundreds of sightings reported over the past century.
“The earliest sightings were reported in the late 1900s,” she said.
“The first reported sighting was from a gentleman who was riding into town on horseback.
“He cantered into town because he was scared and wanted to tell someone.”
Daniel Parsons’ experience is the most recent sighting reported.
He was driving from Boulia to Winton with his daughter, Faith, when they saw the lights at 5am on Saturday, July 11, 2015.
This is the first time Daniel had seen them.
“I was close to 60 kilometres from Boulia just near Bulla Bulla [Waterhole] when the light first appeared,” he said.
“It then stayed with me travelling alongside the car going from being one light to breaking up into three lights and sort of dancing and changing colour from a bright light to a yellowish glow around then going back into the one light.
“For about 50 kilometres it stayed with us till we passed Lucknow Station turn off.”
Daniel’s father Willie said he had only seen the lights once on Coorabulka Station, about 99km south-east of Boulia, but had never forgotten them.
He was on night shift droving cattle in 1973 when he and a work mate saw the lights.
They were riding around, in opposite directions, keeping an eye on the cattle when they saw a strange light.
The hair on the back of their legs and arms was up straight, Willie recalled.
“They were there for about two and a half hours,” Willie said.
“It seemed like they were only 100 yards [91.4m] out.
“They came in about six or eight times and kept going out.”
Willie said the light first typically appeared as one before splitting into three, coming in closer and seeming to chase them.
“It just looked like a star right on the horizon, it probably looked like a Volkswagen,” he said.
“Right at the end of the shift they came right in and then out. That was the last we saw it.”
Since the incident Willie has never seen the lights again.
After seeing the photos his son took on the night of his encounter, Willie said he believed they were the same lights he saw more than 40 years ago.