Boyagin nature reserve in the Wheatbelt area is an example of how the natural bushland looked like before the land was cleared for farming. It is a great place to observe wildlife and native wildflowers. Actually, you can drive through the reserve. Although the track gets steep and uneven at some places, so you would need a 4WD for that.
The heart of the reserve is Boyagin Rock, that rises 50 m above the land. There is a 1,1km moderately challenging and steep walk to the top of the rock. In spring and winter it is a nice place to enjoy the wildflowers.
Fringed Mantis Orchid Caladenia falcata (above left), Cowslip Orchid Caladenia Flava (above middle), Patersonia Occidentalis Purple Flag (above right).
Facilites at Boyagin nature reserve
Near the Boyagin Rock carpark there is a picnic area with tables, gas bbq, toilets and an excellent information display. The posters depict rich information about the reserve and its history. You can also learn there how the Rock plays an important role for Noongar people. We didn’t actually climb the rock as we ran out of time driving through the reserve itself.
Additional information:
Byoagin Rock is 175km south east of Perth and 26km north west of Pingelly. Camping and dogs are not allowed at the reserve.
Yornaning Dam, 24km north of Narrogin in the Wheatbelt, turned out to be a nice surprise for us. The dam was originally built to provide water for steam locomotives on the railway line between Perth and Albany and fresh water for Narrogin. Nowadays the dam is used for recreational swimming and as a picnic spot. We stopped at Yornaning Dam on our way home after camping at Dryandra Woodland. Being it close to home, we decided to spend a bit of time at this place.
What’s on offer at Yornaning Dam
First,there are a couple of easy walk and cycling trails around the dam, which are quite picturesque.
If you are into photography, this is a great place to spend some time. Second, the dam also attracts many native birds and animals. Third, the area around Yornaning Dam is actually a reserve, which means you will find great flora and fauna. Late winter and spring is particulaly a good time for viewing wildflowers, including a few types of orchids.
Yornaing Dam has excellent facilities, which include picnic tables, bbq, toilets and children’s playground. The view on the dam is awesome, especially if it is a nice slightly cloudy day or, perhaps, at sunset. While we had our lunch at the dam, we saw a number of people camping there. Apparently, according to the Cuballing shire website, if you are self-sufficient, you can camp there for free, for a maximum of 3 nights. Dogs are welcome on the leash.
To sum up, Yornaning Dam is a great place to visit. We’ll probably be back one day camping there.
Foxes Lair is a bushland reserve, on the edge of Narrogin town in the Wheatbelt area. It is well known to wildflower enthusiasts and lovers of bird and wildlife. We visited it as part of our trip to Dryandra Woodland, searching for wildflowers, late September. It was a wonderful addition to our camping trip, as we took our time to take it slow and enjoy the outdoors.
Valley Loop Trail
What to do in Foxes Lair
Foxes Lair is a great place to enjoy nature, go hiking, cycling or picnicing. There are 5 walking trails within the reserve, all quite easy. In addition, there is also a cycle trail and 3 picnic grounds within the reserve. Facilities include shelter and picnic tables but no toilets (you can find public toilets a short drive away in Narrogin).
Marri picnic ground
Wildflowers at Foxes Lair
These are the flowers spotted late September along Valley Loop trail.
While you visit Foxes Lair nature reserve, it is worthwhile to drop at nearby Narrogin visitor centre. We were pleasantly surprised with this nice little information centre, run by friendly volunteers. The centre is well stocked with lots of information on the surrounding parks, reserves and other attractions.
Furthermore, Dryandra Country Visitor Centre in Narrogin has an interesting interactive display – diorama of Narrogin back in 1960s. Apparently, it is still work in progress, so next time you visit it, there might be a bigger and more detailed display on offer.
Diorama of Narrogin
Apart from the visitor centre, Narrogin is quite a nice town by itself. It is relatively large, which means you can easily stock up on food and fuel. Also, there are also a number of pretty and interesting parks within the town.
Memorial park in Narrogin
So, next time you are passing by, we recommend you stop by at Narrogin! And, of course, Foxes Lair is a must if you are searching for wildflowers.
Dryandra Woodland, being only 164km from Perth, is a perfect place for a short getaway. First, it is the diversity of flora and fauna that is so amazing. It is a rather large and significant nature conservation area. Second, the park has a number of walking trails with interpretative signs, providing opportunity to enjoy nature and learn about the place and its history. Third, there is an opportunity to see wild native animals in their environment. The best thing? You can camp at Dryandra Woodland, which means you have more time to explore this wonderful place.
Camping at Dryandra Woodland
Camping in the woods is always lovely, especially in colder months when you can have a campfire. There are 2 bush camp grounds within Dryandra Woodland National Park, managed by Parks and Wildlife Service – Congelin campground and Gnaala Mia campground. They are both similar in terms of the facilities provided – large camping spots, spaced well apart, each with a picnic table and fire ring (with wood provided), well maintained long drop toilets, bbq and kitchen shelter. You cannot book a site, but we didn’t find it was an issue to find a spot, although, the campgrounds are quite popular.
Congelin campground
We stayed at Congelin campground in September 2023 and paid $11 per person per night ($3 per child).
We were happy for an opportunity to still have fire on the last day of September.
Gnaala Mia campground
Over the long June weekend in 2024 we visited Dryandra Woodland again. This time we stayed at Gnaala Mia campground. It has two loops with 27 bays suitable for caravans and 8 bays for tents. Unlike Congelin campground, the sites at Gnaala Mia do not have grass.
Dryandra Woodland flora and fauna
Most importantly, it is the feel of the woodland with its smells, sounds and sights that was very appealing for us. The highlights were cowslip and spider orchids among other wildflowers only steps away from the tent – a pure delight for wildflower enthusiasts. This was late September 2023.
Blue China Orchid Cyanicula gemmata (above left), Common Dragon Orchid Caladenia barbarossa (above middle), Cowslip orchid Caladenia flava subspecies sylvestris (above right).
There is a great variety of trigger plants at Dryandra Woodland:
Above, from left to right: Stylidium ecorne, Stylidium petiolare Horn Triggerplant, Stylidium uniflorum orange, Stylidium uniflorum.
Black Carnaby’s cockatoos and a variety of parrots were among the many birds we spotted. And of course, the main treat was seeing the nocturnal woodland marsupials. We had a couple of different visitors come to our campfire. They were too busy to stop for a good picture or proper species identification 😊.
Barna Mia nocturnal tour
Barna Mia nocturnal tours are very popular and need to be booked in advance. We missed out on the opportunity when we visited Dryandra first time in 2023, so decided to book weeks ahead for the June long weekend the following year (2024). The tour was very informative and educational, great for adults and kids alike. The animals were cooperative and came out to say hello, except for Mala (Rufous Hare Wallaby). We saw Bilby, Woylie and Boodie – all are endangered native animals.
Brushtail Possum also joined the party (he is not endangered but was allowed to be there 😊). It would be good to have a better lighting, but you can only use red light with nocturnal animals to protect their well-being.
Old Mill Dam is a nice picnic area, close to Dryandra Village in Dryandra Woodland. There are 2 easy walks of various lengths, starting from the Dam to enjoy the woodlands with the opportunity to spot wildlife. Facilities include picnic tables, bbs, toilet. Unfortunately, dogs are not allowed.
Additional info
Dryandra Woodland is roughly a 2 hour drive south east from Perth and 22km north west of Narrogin. It is within Wheatbelt region of Western Australia. The entry to Dryandra Woodland Park is free. Unfortunately, no dogs. The cost of both Congelin and Gnaala Mia campgrounds is $15 per person ($5 per child) per night in 2024.
When you travel along the Great Northern Hwy in winter months, you might be able to see quite a variety of wildflowers. So keep an eye on the beauty that grows along the road. The variety of colours and shapes of the wildflowers in season is amazing. These pretty wildflowers (Rhodante chlorocphala splendida or Splendid Everlasting) are growing in Mid West region of WA, along Great Northern Hwy, between Newman and Paynes Find.
Elachbutting Rock is one of the more popular rocks in Eastern Wheatbelt. It is located 70 km northeast of Mukinbudin, (the nearest town). While not as big as WaveRock, it is still quite big and has features similar to Wave Rock.
The name Elachbutting means “big thing standing” for its sheer size, making it a prominent landmark with sweeping views from the top.
Campground
There is a large picnic and free camping area (suitable for at least 50-60 vehicles) with toilet and picnic tables.
The view of the camping area from Elachbutting Rock
Not far away from the camping area, there is an old well established by early settlers to provide them with drinking water (which is not drinkable now).
The gravel track around the rock is 6km long (which shows how big the rock is) with the camp area on one side and the wave rock formations on the other side. Nearby is Monty’s Pass, a 30m tunnel, caused by a rockslide.
Monty’s Pass
Next to Monty’s Pass is King’s Cave. While the word Cave might be an exaggeration, as it looks more like a hollow, King’s Cave is said to be acoustic, providing good echoes. In any case, it is a fun place to visit, especially for kids.
King’s Cave at Elachbutting Rock
Flora and fauna
Elachbutting Rock is surrounded by Elachbutting Nature reserve, which means it is home to many birds and wildflowers.
Brunonia australis Native CornflowerFringed lily Thysanotus manglesianusGrey ShrikethrushHalgania speciesLobelia winfridae Lots of galahsMaireana CarnosaSantalum AcuminatumSolanum SisymbriifoliumWestern Yellow RobinFlora and fauna at Elachbutting Reserve
Elachbutting Rock 4WDriving and climbing
We climbed onto Elachbutting Rock and we drove onto it (part of it using a 4WD only track). The views from the top of the rock give you a perspective of the vastness of the land, and you can marvel at the patterns and the colours of nature, the shapes and the lines that form a sophisticated and beautiful puzzle.
From the top of Elachbutting Rock
Kids found their own entertainment on top of the rock – walking on stones inside a small puddle.
A puddle on the rock
The Elachbutting granite outcrop (or part of it) provides an interesting background when taking pictures of a night sky, with millions of stars rising up above horizon.
Salt lakes are a great natural wonder in the Wheatbelt. When there is a lot of rainfall, the salt lakes become fully alive with many of lying dormant seeds and eggs waking up to the right conditions. In dryer seasons, many salt lakes dry up and harden so much that you can walk on their surface. There is so much salt in them, that the dry salt resembles ice and for someone who has never seen ice, it is a real delight. Lake Brown is one such place of wonder. Kids had a lot of fun walking on the salty crust and playing with it. While I was busy photographing beautiful landscape.
Atriplex holocarpaLake Brown
Lake Brown and Eaglestone Rock overlooking it are located 20km north east of Nungarin in the Wheatbelt region of WA and are accessed viaLake Brown South Road.We did not camp there, as we only stopped to check out this place and saw a few caravans and vans there. It did look like a fantastic spot for exploration, as well as camping, especially in the cooler months. This place will be our next adventure in the near future!
Beringbooding Rock, 65km north east of Mukinbudin in the Eastern Wheatbelt is an interesting place to visit. It is known for having the largest rock water catchment tank in Australia. Built in 1937, the water tank holds over two million gallons of water. There is a low wall around the perimeter of mostly flat rock that catches rain water and directs it to the tank.
The largest water catchment tank in Australia
Apart from this water tank, there are other interesting things to see along 2.3km circuit route around and over the rock. I found the sight of an enormous balancing boulder very fascinating.
Balancing Boulder at Beringbooding Rock
While I was busy taking pictures of the boulder, our kids spent time near the tall cairn. The youngest, Ilusha said that everyone who passed by, put a small rock to add to this tower. Logical thinking!
Cairn
Among other attractions, there are some smaller rocky outcrops, a cave, a gnamma hole (natural water hole) and beautiful views of the surrounding country from the top of the rock. The walk over the rock is relatively easy. Shire of Mukinbudin has also provided picnic and free camping facilities with tables and flushing (!) toilet at the base of the rock.
Billiburning Rock was our favourite out of the 4 rocks in Wheatbelt area that we visited during our 9 day holiday through the Wildflower Country and Wheatbelt. Being 35km north of Beacon (the closest town), it is a bit out of the way and thus less popular than other rocks. We were happy to have a lot of space for ourselves with fantastic views.
Camping
The view of the campground from Billiburning Rock
Billiburning Reserve has 3 camping sites, located at the base of the Billiburning Rock. The first one (Gecko Grounds) is an open space, suitable for large vans and caravans. To get to the second (Echidna Expanse) and third ones (Kangaroo Corner), you would need to drive around the rock, crossing a small section of the rock (10 meter section).
Driving to our camping spot
Each of the other two sites are rather small, enough for 4-5 campers each, offering the views of the rock on the left and the views of the bush with abundant wildflowers on the right. There is a drop toilet and a water tank next to it with non-drinking water between sites 2 and 3.
We stopped at Echindna Expanse site (number 2) which we shared with another camper for the first night and had it all to ourselves for the second night. The place being so serene, pristine and inviting that we did stay 2 nights there.
Enjoying our time at Billiburning Rock during the day and night
We climbed over the rock to take the pictures of the sunrise.
Sunrise viewed from Billiburning Rock
Then we climbed it again during the day. Later we marvelled at the way the rock looked when the setting sun was casting its last rays onto it, making the colours of the rock look warm and orange. When the sun set, the colours turned cold and blue.
Can you find wildflowers along the road as you drive in the Wheatbelt? Yes! Sometimes there is no need to go and look for wildflowers specifically. As we drove from one rock to another in the Wheatbelt, we stopped frequently, each time spotting some wonderful and unusual wildflowers. Below is just a small selection of the wildflowers we have seen.
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