Summary
This 288 hectare DBCA reserve adjoins the railway line 21km east of Narrogin.The reserve is generally in excellent condition but has sensitive areas that could be destroyed by uncontrolled public access. Luckily this is unlikely because there is no road access without driving next to a railway line, and internal tracks are only suitable for 4WD vehicles.
- A wonderfully diverse reserve in good condition with a mix of landscapes and vegetation.
- Good birdwatching.
- Difficult to access, no trails, no facilities.
This 288 hectare DBCA reserve adjoins the railway line 21km east of Narrogin.The reserve is generally in excellent condition but has sensitive areas that could be destroyed by uncontrolled public access. Luckily this is unlikely because there is no road access without driving next to a railway line, and internal tracks are only suitable for 4WD vehicles.
The reserve is a north-south ridge with a central east-southeast trending high point ridge and adjoining mafic dyke, which extends east to kwongan bush on the north side of Yilliminning Rock. The whole reserve is underlain by igneous bedrock with roughly east-west mostly granite bands with varying silica levels that have formed mostly sandy and loamy soils. Remnants of an ancient lateritic layer on central and southern uplands contain an interesting kwongan and woodland mosaic of sandy, gravelly, and ironstone soils.
Boundain reserve in the foreground and Yilliminning Rock behind with potassium radiometric overlay. Red shows igneous rock soil, blue purple indicates lateric sand and gravel soil. Exaggerated height.
Boundain is a wonderfully diverse reserve with a range of vegetation types that changes abruptly as one moves from one soil type to another.Because it is so changeable there is few mass flower displays, but there is a large number of flowering plants that vary as one walks through and change throughout the flowering season.
It is great bushwalking country but has no trails apart from a rough central road, and perimeter track. I visited the reserve several times from July to November and was delighted each time. Landscape types are described below.
It is great bushwalking country but has no trails apart from a rough central road, and perimeter track. I visited the reserve several times from July to November and was delighted each time. Landscape types are described below.
Zone 1 consists of granite outcrops and associated soils, which vary in sand content. Overall there is little wildflower diversity, but I saw Cowslip, Greenhood, Green Spider, Sugar, Donkey, and Little Pink Candy orchids.
Zone 1 split int three sections. Red colour indicated soil formed from bedrock.
The northern edge of section1a is a low sandy ridge consisting of overgrown Rock Sheoaks with little understorey and open Wandoo woodland.
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This merges into a mallee rise then a band of granite outcrops.
This then merges into a lower east-west line of reddish loamy soil, which also forms a steep breakaway marking a change to a lateritic upland pleateau (Zone 2)
This then merges into a lower east-west line of reddish loamy soil, which also forms a steep breakaway marking a change to a lateritic upland pleateau (Zone 2)
Mallee thicket on stony clay rise
One of many granite outcrops
Red morrel merging into Jam-York Gum woodland
Section1b is a large bare granite outcrop, which extends up the hill. This is an extraordinarily attractive and diverse spot., which has a range of ephemeral wildflowers, lichens and orchids, and interesting rock patterns.
The lichens and wetland plants are very delicate.
Please be very careful when walking here and keep away when plants and lichens have dried up.
The lichens and wetland plants are very delicate.
Please be very careful when walking here and keep away when plants and lichens have dried up.
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Section1C is an east west line of high granite outcrops, which is bounded by the central access track on the north and lateritic soils of zone 3 on the south sides. Vegetation mostly consists of Rock Sheoak woodland. Keep an eye out for signs with words of wisdom from the mysterious Boundain Philosopher.
 Dense sedge understorey |  Large granite outcrops on the watershed |  |
A small stony laterite mesa bounded by a waterway with a narrow band of attractive Wandoo woodland crosses the track about half way up the slope of the track. By parking here and walking south one can see the dramatic change from granite country to species-rich lateritic kwongan of Zone 3 (No trail).
Lateritic ironstone knoll
Open wandoo woodland by the lateritic knoll
Zone 2 is an ancient lateritic mesa covered with prickly kwongan vegetation interspersed with isolated mallees. The northern edge plunges down steep mafic breakaway containing Brown Mallet, Red Morrel and Wandoos. The western side is a Melaleuca Tea-tree and Wandoo woodland slope that merges into the granite outcrop below. This area has many wildflower species that range in flowering time from June to November..
Zone 2 prickly kwongan mesa north of the track
Zone 2 shrubs and mallees on ridge south of the track
 Many wildflower species |  Scattered mallees |  Steep breakaway on northern edge |
On the southern side is a less distinct breakaway covered with kwongan scrub that ends in a sandy Rock Sheoak hollow. Good spot for Green Spider Orchids in September.
Sandy hollow on southern side with kwongan covered breakaway in background
Zone 3 is a wonderful example of a variable lateritic landscape, that covered all of the uplands in this area for millions of years, before it was eroded away as a result of geological uplift. The oldest spots are silver mallet mafic stony plateau remnants, separated by gentle upland kwongan gravel hollows.A change of slope on the west was an ancient low breakaway that separates this upland from a sandy kwongan- mallee - wandoo slope. Another steep Brown Mallet breakaway on the southern side leads to a a varied lansdcape with some granite, a mafic loam valley, and a sandy rise. Very scenic country with many eucalypt species.
Section 3a at the top of the slope consists of Silver Mallet ironstone islands with a few areas of mallee and Red Morrel, which are separated by Dryandra prickly kwongan. Very scenic but not many wildflowers
Silver Mallet 'islands' separated by prickly kwongan
Eucalyptus dorrienii is a mallee with the same flowers as Silver Mallet
 Silver Mallets can be mistaken as Salmon Gums |  Very little understory under Silver Mallet thicket |
Mallee scrub Section 3b is the southern edge of section 3a. If you walk in from the southern boundary you will pass through a patchwork of shallow granite woodland, a Brown Mallet breakaway with a Red Morrel valley, mallee woodland, tea tree thicket, prickly kwongan and sandy kwongan upland.
Shallow granite with everlastings grading to Silver and Brown Mallet woodland
Prickly kwongan grading to Mallee-Broombush scrub
Brown mallet breakaway
Mallee grading to sandy gravel kwongan
Mallee grading to gravelly kwongan
Section 3c is a lateritic sandy gravel slope below the upland. Vegetation ranges from a species-rich sandy kwongan scrub merging downslope into wandoo woodland then the granitic Rock Sheoak sandy soils with poison plants and spring everlastings.
There is a marked change of vegetation on the northern side where section 3c kwongan meets section 2b granitic rock sheoak woodland.
There is a marked change of vegetation on the northern side where section 3c kwongan meets section 2b granitic rock sheoak woodland.
Downslope view of the sudden vegetation change from lateritic wandoo woodland to granitic Rock Sheoak woodland