Ballon Forest Road, Barakula State Forest

Author: Glenn Leiper

Published: Journal December 2022

Image Above: Some of the seemingly sculpted Mouse Plants Homoranthus melanostictus

If you’re visiting the Miles and Chinchilla districts, Barakula State Forest and Gurulmundi State Forests are well known for their spectacular late winter to early spring wildflower displays. In fact, Gurulmundi even has a Wildflower Trail which is promoted by the local Western Downs Regional Council. It’s even signposted along its length and supported by brochures available at the Miles Information Centre as well as on-line.

However, another local wildflower gem that isn’t well-known but can be richly rewarding and isn’t a long trail … it’s just a pleasant drive along Ballon (Forest) Road in Barakula State Forest. I use the brackets in the road’s name as it’s called both names, with brackets and without.

To find it, head west out of Chinchilla on the Warrego Highway, and within a kilometre, turn north (right) onto the Auburn Road. Follow this main road for roughly 37km, then there’s a dirt road off to the right (east). (There’s another dirt road running off to the left (west) that takes you to Barakula Forestry office.) The one on the right is Ballon Forest Road, an almost east west straight road, over 7km long before it takes a bend to the north, but before this is where there’s a rich diversity of plants along the sides of the dirt road. If it’s been raining then the road can be a problem, and best to avoid, but had been recently graded when we visited in late July 2022, and the surface was quite good. Maybe this was in preparation for visitors to see the wildflowers, but I doubt it. I’ve been there three times now and have rarely
seen another vehicle.

It’s eucalypt forest all the way along, right to the road’s edge, and wildflowers can be in profusion including sometimes out onto the road. The main concentration of wildflowers is after about one to two kilometres, from there on for the next three or four kilometres.

One of the gems is Mouse Plant, Homoranthus melanostictus, forming low horizontally spreading shrubs to 30cm tall and a metre wide, looking like a wonderfully manicured bonsai. Just getting out of the car and walking along the road’s edge can be immensely rewarding as the variety of plants is enthralling. I won’t list all the plants you could see, but I certainly recommend a visit if you’re in the district around late winter to early spring. (Forested sections of nearby Auburn Road can be a delight too, by the way.)