The Boorganna Nature Reserve is a protected

nature reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or ...

located northwest of

Taree Taree is a town on the Mid North Coast, New South Wales, Australia. Taree and nearby Cundletown were settled in 1831 by William Wynter. Since then Taree has grown to a population of 26,381, and is the centre of a significant agricultural distri ...

on the Comboyne Plateau in

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. The reserve, managed by the

NSW National Parks & Wildlife Service The National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) is a directorate of the New South Wales Department of Planning and Environment responsible for managing most of the protected areas in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Despite its name the ...

, was

gazetted A gazette is an official journal, a newspaper of record, or simply a newspaper. In English and French speaking countries, newspaper publishers have applied the name ''Gazette'' since the 17th century; today, numerous weekly and daily newspapers ...

in 1904 and is the second oldest nature reserve in the state. The reserve features various forest types, including stands of sub tropical rainforest of which the large

rosewood Rosewood refers to any of a number of richly hued timbers, often brownish with darker veining, but found in many different hues. True rosewoods All genuine rosewoods belong to the genus ''Dalbergia''. The pre-eminent rosewood appreciated in ...

yellow carabeen ''Sloanea woollsii'', commonly known as yellow carabeen, is a large tree species with plank buttresses that is native to northeastern NSW and eastern Queensland, Australia. Its southern distributional limit is near the town of Bulahdelah (32° ...

and small leaf fig are particularly noteworthy. The reserve is a remnant of the former extensive rainforest on the Comboyne Plateau. The

plateau In geology and physical geography, a plateau (; ; ), also called a high plain or a tableland, is an area of a highland consisting of flat terrain that is raised sharply above the surrounding area on at least one side. Often one or more sides ha ...

was cleared between 1900 and 1925.

Australian red cedar ''Toona ciliata'' is a forest tree in the mahogany family which grows throughout southern Asia from Afghanistan to Papua New Guinea and Australia. Names It is commonly known as the red cedar (a name shared by other trees), toon or toona (also a ...

was logged in the area in the nineteenth century. Originally proposed to be part of the

world heritage A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

rainforest group. The exploration, knowledge, uses and history of this area by

Indigenous Australians Indigenous Australians or Australian First Nations are people with familial heritage from, and membership in, the ethnic groups that lived in Australia before British colonisation. They consist of two distinct groups: the Aboriginal peoples ...

is not well known in the present day. Boorganna Nature Reserve was proposed, but rejected for inclusion on the

UNESCO World Heritage A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

, due to being geographically isolated from other rainforests in the group.

Location and features

A picnic area next to the forest provides chairs and tables for visitors. Walking trails, a lookout to Rawson Falls and an information board is also provided. Picnics provide a pleasant view of the nearby area. A variety of small birds appear from the edge of the forest. The reserve is situated north of , with access via . Form the southwest, the reserve is situated from ; and is approximately from the town of . The reserve lies to the south of the

Oxley Highway Oxley Highway is a rural highway in New South Wales, Australia, linking Nevertire, Gilgandra, Coonabarabran, Tamworth, New South Wales, Tamworth, and Walcha, New South Wales, Walcha to Port Macquarie, on the coast of the Tasman Sea. It was name ...

, enabling access via and .

Geology and climate

The reserve receives an average annual rainfall of . The climate is sub tropical, though at an elevation ranging from , it is cooler than at the coast nearby. Soils are derived from

Miocene The Miocene ( ) is the first geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and means "less recen ...

basalt Basalt (; ) is an aphanite, aphanitic (fine-grained) extrusive igneous rock formed from the rapid cooling of low-viscosity lava rich in magnesium and iron (mafic lava) exposed at or very near the planetary surface, surface of a terrestrial ...

, which provide a deep red loam. Below the basalt are less fertile sedimentary rocks. The western area of the reserve where it adjoins the

Great Dividing Range The Great Dividing Range, also known as the East Australian Cordillera or the Eastern Highlands, is a cordillera system in eastern Australia consisting of an expansive collection of mountain ranges, plateaus and rolling hills, that runs rough ...

has partly eroded, forming areas of cliffs, rocks and shallow soils. Deep gullies, isolated hills and sharp edged rocky ridges occur here. Rocks include pebbly

mudstone Mudstone, a type of mudrock, is a fine-grained sedimentary rock whose original constituents were clays or muds. Mudstone is distinguished from '' shale'' by its lack of fissility (parallel layering).Blatt, H., and R.J. Tracy, 1996, ''Petrology. ...

, conglomerate

siltstone Siltstone, also known as aleurolite, is a clastic sedimentary rock that is composed mostly of silt. It is a form of mudrock with a low clay mineral content, which can be distinguished from shale by its lack of fissility.Blatt ''et al.'' 1980, p ...

and

shale Shale is a fine-grained, clastic sedimentary rock formed from mud that is a mix of flakes of clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolin, Al2 Si2 O5( OH)4) and tiny fragments (silt-sized particles) of other minerals, especial ...

Serpentinite Serpentinite is a rock composed predominantly of one or more serpentine group minerals, the name originating from the similarity of the texture of the rock to that of the skin of a snake. Serpentinite has been called ''serpentine'' or ''ser ...

outcrops can also be seen.

Fauna

Animals are seldom seen in the rainforest, being nocturnal. However, many species live in the reserve. Such as a bats,

wallabies A wallaby () is a small or middle-sized macropod native to Australia and New Guinea, with introduced populations in New Zealand, Hawaii, the United Kingdom and other countries. They belong to the same taxonomic family as kangaroos and so ...

possums Possum may refer to: Animals * Phalangeriformes, or possums, any of a number of arboreal marsupial species native to Australia, New Guinea, and Sulawesi ** Common brushtail possum (''Trichosurus vulpecula''), a common possum in Australian urban a ...

glider Glider may refer to: Aircraft and transport Aircraft * Glider (aircraft), heavier-than-air aircraft primarily intended for unpowered flight ** Glider (sailplane), a rigid-winged glider aircraft with an undercarriage, used in the sport of glidin ...

spotted quoll The tiger quoll (''Dasyurus maculatus''), also known as the spotted-tail quoll, the spotted quoll, the spotted-tail dasyure, native cat or the tiger cat, is a carnivorous marsupial of the quoll genus ''Dasyurus'' native to Australia. With males ...

platypus The platypus (''Ornithorhynchus anatinus''), sometimes referred to as the duck-billed platypus, is a semiaquatic, egg-laying mammal Endemic (ecology), endemic to Eastern states of Australia, eastern Australia, including Tasmania. The platypu ...

bandicoots Bandicoots are a group of more than 20 species of small to medium-sized, terrestrial, largely nocturnal marsupial omnivores in the order Peramelemorphia. They are endemic to the Australia–New Guinea region, including the Bismarck Archipelago t ...

pademelon Pademelons are small, furry, hopping mammals in the genus ''Thylogale'', found in Australia and New Guinea. They are some of the smallest members of the macropod family (Macropodidae), which includes the similar-looking but larger kangaroos an ...

s, bush rats, snakes, lizards and

antechinus ''Antechinus'' (// ('ant-echinus')) is a genus of small dasyurid marsupial endemic to Australia. They resemble mice with the bristly fur of shrews. Names They are also sometimes called 'broad-footed marsupial mice', 'pouched mice', or 'Antech ...

. Bird life is varied and extensive with around a hundred species recorded. Many rainforest pigeons frequent the reserve such as the

rose crowned fruit dove The rose-crowned fruit dove (''Ptilinopus regina''), also known as pink-capped fruit dove or Swainson's fruit dove, is a medium-sized, up to 22 cm long, green fruit dove with a grey head and breast, an orange belly, whitish throat, yellow-or ...

and

wompoo fruit dove The wompoo fruit dove (''Ptilinopus magnificus''), also known as wompoo pigeon, is one of the larger fruit doves native to New Guinea and eastern Australia. Taxonomy and systematics Subspecies There are generally 7-8 recognised subspecies, ...

. As well as other seldom seen species such as the

noisy pitta The noisy pitta (''Pitta versicolor'') is a species of bird in the family Pittidae. The noisy pitta is found in eastern Australia and southern New Guinea. It eats earthworms, insects and snails. Its natural habitats are temperate forests, subtr ...

green catbird The green catbird (''Ailuroedus crassirostris'') is a species of bowerbird found in subtropical forests along the east coast of Australia, from southeastern Queensland to southern New South Wales. It is named after its distinctive call which soun ...

, and

figbird The figbirds are a genus (''Sphecotheres'') in the family of Old World orioles found in wooded habitats in Australia, New Guinea, and the Lesser Sundas. Taxonomy and systematics Formerly, the three species have been considered conspecific, but ...

. Invertebrate biology is not so well understood. However, a vast number of insects, arachnids, molluscs, worms and other small creatures live in the rainforest.

Leeches Leeches are segmented parasitism, parasitic or Predation, predatory worms that comprise the Class (biology), subclass Hirudinea within the phylum Annelida. They are closely related to the Oligochaeta, oligochaetes, which include the earthwor ...

are often noticed by bushwalkers after rain.

Red triangle slug The red triangle slug (''Triboniophorus graeffei'') is a species of large air-breathing land slug, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Athoracophoridae, the leaf-veined slugs. This large (up to ), often colorful and striking- ...

s and blue planarian live on the forest floor. Tree dwelling snails may be found here.

Flora

Sub tropical rainforest

The jungle or sub tropical rainforest features a dark forest with many large trees. Several species grow to great height and a broad trunk diameter, such as

, small leaf fig,

Moreton Bay fig ''Ficus macrophylla'', commonly known as the Moreton Bay fig or Australian banyan, is a large evergreen banyan tree of the family Moraceae native to eastern Australia, from the Wide Bay–Burnett region in the north to the Illawarra in New So ...

, black booyong, giant stinging tree, pigeonberry ash,

brush box ''Lophostemon confertus'' (syn. ''Tristania conferta''), is an evergreen tree native to Australia, though it is cultivated in the United States and elsewhere. Common names include brush box, Queensland box, Brisbane box, pink box, box scrub, and ...

and silver quandong. Other smaller plants of interest include the

walking stick palm ''Linospadix monostachyos'' known as the walking stick palm is a small palm growing in rainforest understorey in Queensland and New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of N ...

and the Macleay laurel. Boorganna Nature Reserve features several plants at or near their most southern limit of natural distribution. Such as the

sour cherry ''Prunus cerasus'' (sour cherry, tart cherry, or dwarf cherry) is a species of ''Prunus'' in the subgenus '' Cerasus'' ( cherries), native to much of Europe and southwest Asia. It is closely related to the sweet cherry (''Prunus avium''), but ...

, purple cherry, white apple, turnipwood and the

red carabeen ''Karrabina benthamiana'' is a species of rainforest trees, growing naturally in north–eastern New South Wales and south–eastern Queensland (mid. eastern coastal region), Australia. They have common names including red carabeen, leather jack ...

. The

Antarctic beech Antarctic beech is a common name of two species in the genus ''Nothofagus'': *''Nothofagus antarctica'', native to South America *''Nothofagus moorei ''Nothofagus moorei'', commonly known as Antarctic beech, is an important Gondwana relict of t ...

is now considered extinct at Boorganna. However, some of its associated species still persist at Boorganna.

Antarctic Beech Antarctic beech is a common name of two species in the genus ''Nothofagus'': *''Nothofagus antarctica'', native to South America *''Nothofagus moorei ''Nothofagus moorei'', commonly known as Antarctic beech, is an important Gondwana relict of t ...

has been recorded at four nearby sites in the

Comboyne Comboyne is a village on the Mid North Coast region of New South Wales. It is situated on the Comboyne Plateau, some 60 km south-west of Port Macquarie, 35 km west of Kew, New South Wales, Kew and 54 km north-west of Taree, New Sou ...

area, growing in cool stream side rainforests at elevations ranging from 570 to 630 metres above sea level.

Warm temperate rainforest

Below the more fertile basalt is a poorer soil type. Warm temperate species are more frequently seen here, such as the

coachwood ''Ceratopetalum apetalum'', the coachwood, scented satinwood or tarwood, is a medium-sized hardwood tree, straight-growing with smooth, fragrant, greyish bark. It is native to eastern Australia in the central and northern coastal rainforests of ...

, watergum,

sassafras ''Sassafras'' is a genus of three extant and one extinct species of deciduous trees in the family Lauraceae, native to eastern North America and eastern Asia.Wolfe, Jack A. & Wehr, Wesley C. 1987. The sassafras is an ornamental tree. "Middle Eoc ...

and lilly pilly.

Gully rainforest

Gully rainforest occurs south of Mumford's Creek, in steep sided narrow gullies. Plant species from the sub-tropical and warm

temperate rainforest Temperate rainforests are coniferous or broadleaf forests that occur in the temperate zone and receive heavy rain. Temperate rain forests occur in oceanic moist regions around the world: the Pacific temperate rain forests of North American Paci ...

occur here. They include whalebone tree,

s and the

Bangalow palm ''Archontophoenix cunninghamiana'' (Bangalow palm, king palm, Illawara palm, ''piccabben'', ''piccabeen'') is an Australian palm. It can grow over 20 m tall. Its flower colour is violet and the red fruits are attractive to birds. It flowers i ...

Dry rainforest

Where the soil is shallow, and conditions are exposed to winds and fire is infrequent, dry rainforest occurs. Rainforest tree species in this area include the grey myrtle and shatterwood.

Eucalyptus forest

Eucalyptus forest occurs in areas where fires often occur. In the wetter areas are

Sydney blue gum ''Eucalyptus saligna'', commonly known as the Sydney blue gum or blue gum, is a species of medium-sized to tall tree that is endemic to eastern Australia. It has rough, flaky bark near the base of the trunk, smooth bark above, lance-shaped to c ...

, tallowwood, and New England blackbutt. Some of the tallowwoods are particularly tall and impressive in this area. The drier eucalyptus areas are subject to higher winds, frequent fires and shallow less fertile soils. Trees here include the black sheoak.

Fungi

At Boorganna Nature Reserve fungi is noticeable and often colourful and spectacular, particularly after rain in the autumn. The bracket rainbow fungus often appears on fallen logs.

Photos from Boorganna Nature Reserve

Image:Boorganna Nature Reserve - picnic area.jpg, Picnic area by the carpark at Boorganna Nature Reserve Image:Rawson Falls - Boorganna Nature Reserve.jpg, Rawson Falls Image:Boorganna Nature Reserve - base of Rawsons Falls Jan05-2001.jpg, base of Rawson Falls Image:Syzygium corynanthum - Boorganna Nature Reserve.jpg,

Sour cherry ''Prunus cerasus'' (sour cherry, tart cherry, or dwarf cherry) is a species of ''Prunus'' in the subgenus '' Cerasus'' ( cherries), native to much of Europe and southwest Asia. It is closely related to the sweet cherry (''Prunus avium''), but ...

at Boorganna Nature Reserve Image:Ficus obliqua Boorganna Nature Reserve-Jan2000.jpg, Small leaf fig at Boorganna Nature Reserve Image:Ficus obliqua bark Boorganna Nature Reserve-Oct2002.jpg, Small leaf fig bark at Boorganna Nature Reserve Image:Dysoxylum fraserianum - Comboyne.jpg,

Rosewood Rosewood refers to any of a number of richly hued timbers, often brownish with darker veining, but found in many different hues. True rosewoods All genuine rosewoods belong to the genus ''Dalbergia''. The pre-eminent rosewood appreciated in ...

at Boorganna Nature Reserve Image:Cryptocarya erythroxylon Comboyne.jpg, Pigeonberry ash at Boorganna Nature Reserve Image:Gmelina - Comboyne NSW.jpg,

White beech ''Gmelina leichhardtii'', the white beech, is a tree of eastern Australia. Scattered individuals or small groups of trees naturally occur from the Illawarra district of New South Wales (34½° S) to near Proserpine in tropical Queensland. Th ...

at Boorganna Nature Reserve Image:Boorganna Nature Reserve - forest floor Jan05-2004.jpg, Rainbow bracket fungi at Boorganna Nature Reserve Image:Boorganna Nature Reserve - forest floor 2007-03-21.jpg, Fungi at Boorganna Nature Reserve

References

External links

* * * {{Nature reserves of New South Wales , state=autocollapse Nature reserves in New South Wales Forests of New South Wales Great Dividing Range Mid North Coast 1904 establishments in Australia Protected areas established in 1904