Author Eric Rolls wrote a book about the Pilliga called "A Million Wild Acres." He argued that the forest used to be an open woodland forest and that European influence has let the cypress pines take over. However, many scientific authors now disagree, using historical records from as early as the 1870s which say that the types of plants in the forest have not changed as much as Rolls suggests. However most of his history of the region is an important document for understanding the area.
The geology of the area is mainly Pilliga sandstone. This is a coarse red to yellow Jurassic sandstone containing about 75% quartz, 15% plagioclase and 10% iron oxide.In the south are sandstone outcrops with basalt-capped ridges. In the north there are plains of alluvium from flooding creeks. There are small, shallow, usually dry lakes, called gilgais, in some areas. In the west there are dry sandy creeks, called "sand monkeys". In the east is a heavily eroded sandstone mountain range, which can be seen as sandstone outcrops such as those around Gin's Leap between Baan Baa and Boggabri.
The forest contains at least 900 plant species. Some areas of the forest, particularly in the western Pilliga, are dominated by cypress-pine ("Callitris" spp.). However there are a variety of other plant communities in the forest, some of which do not include "Callitris". These include smaller she-oaks, while eucalypts are the taller trees throughout the forest.
Animals found in the Pilliga Nature Reserve include at least 36 native and nine introduced mammals, 50 reptiles and at least 15 frogs. Squirrel Gliders, Koalas, Rufous Bettongs and Pilliga Mice are present.
A 4909 km area of land, including the forest and the nearby Warrumbungle National Park, has been identified by BirdLife International as an Important Bird Area (IBA). It supports groups of Painted Honeyeaters and Diamond Firetails. Endangered Swift Parrots and Regent Honeyeaters, and near threatened Bush Stone-curlews, are sometimes seen in the forest. Other woodland birds present in good numbers include Barking Owls, Glossy Black-Cockatoos, Grey-crowned Babblers, Speckled Warblers, Brown Treecreepers, Hooded Robins and Turquoise Parrots.
Fire plays a major role in the ecology of the forest with many plant species needing fire to regenerate. Sometimes the fires can be extremely hot, spread very quickly and threaten nearby properties as well as laying waste to entire ecosystems. If these fires occur less than 15 years apart there can be a loss of plant and animal biodiversity. The size of the Pilliga bushfires is linked to the El Nino Southern Oscillation phenomena, with El Nino (dry) years having the most severe fires.
In 1997 a major fire burned about 1,435 km² of the forest. An extremely dry winter and spring in 2006 saw a number of large fires develop, including the Pilliga 4 Fire in November/December which burned out 740 km² on its first day.
There many roads in the forest, many of which are former forestry roads. There used to be a large forestry industry, cutting cypress pine and ironbarks. In 2005 the NSW government protected much of the forest for environmental conservation.
There are many attractions in the forest, including:
Beautiful Dreamer
"Beautiful Dreamer" is a song by Stephen Foster written about 1862. It was first published (posthumously) in 1864 by William A. Pond & Co. It has been promoted as Foster's last song, but that distinction cannot be confirmed. It is similar in some respects to his first published song, "Open They Lattice, Love". Both have a triple rhythm and share imagery of the sea and marine life.
The arpeggiated accompaniment recalls bel canto opera. The dreamer in this song is either asleep or dead. The song does not distinguish. It is a song though about dissolution of melting, of dissolving, of vanishing into mists, and, finally into death. The song is not held in the highest esteem by some musicologists and has been described by one as "saccharine" and "[smacking] somewhat of the idiom of Irving Berlin."
<poem>
1.
Beautiful dreamer, wake unto me,
Starlight and dewdrops are waiting for thee;
Sounds of the rude world, heard in the day,
Lull'd by the moonlight have all pass'd away!
Beautiful dreamer, queen of my song,
List while I woo thee with soft melody;
Gone are the cares of life's busy throng,
Beautiful dreamer, awake unto me!
Beautiful dreamer, awake unto me!
2.
Beautiful dreamer, out on the sea,
Mermaids are chanting the wild lorelei;
Over the streamlet vapors are borne,
Waiting to fade at the bright coming morn.
Beautiful dreamer, beam on my heart,
E'en as the morn on the streamlet and sea;
Then will all clouds of sorrow depart,
Beautiful dreamer, awake unto me!
Beautiful dreamer, awake unto me!
</poem>
Box-Ironbark forest
Box-Ironbark forest is a forest or woodland ecosystem found in central Victoria in south-eastern Australia. It is named after the Box and Ironbark trees which grow in the forest. These tree species produce a lot of nectar and pollen throughout the year. This is important for the conservation of many species of birds and other animals.
Box-Ironbark forest lies mainly within the Goldfields region of Victoria. During the main years of the gold rush (1851-1870) it underwent intensive digging and clearing in the goldfields. Large areas of forest were cut down for use in the gold mines and for firewood in surrounding areas. After the gold rush, the forests were still heavily cut for firewood and cleared for farming.
Box-Ironbark forest is found on rocky, often auriferous (gold-bearing), soils, in flat and undulating landscapes at altitudes of 150–600 m above sea level. The average annual rainfall of is 500–800 mm. About 40% of the original forest ecosystem in Victoria is public land, with about 20% protected in conservation reserves. About 55% has been permanently cleared for agriculture, mining and urban development. Remaining forest is in small scattered areas.
Box-Ironbark forest has a canopy of box, ironbark and gum-barked eucalypts, growing to 25 m in height. Below them is an understorey of wattles, small-leaved and prostrate shrubs, herbs and grasses. The main trees are White Box, Red Box, Red Ironbark, Mugga Ironbark, Yellow Gum and Red Stringybark. In some areas they may grow with, or be replaced by, Yellow Box, Long-leaf Box or Silver Bundy. The mix of plants in the groundcover includes the largest concentrations of orchids of any Victorian ecosystem. Small herbs and shrubs found in Box-Ironbark forests include "Cheiranthera cyanaea", "Philotheca verrucosa", "Xerochrysum viscosum", "Pultenaea largiflorens", "Acacia williamsonii" and "Stuartina muelleri".
The trees of the Box-Ironbark forest produce a lot of flowers and nectar. They are a major source of nectar and pollen for honeyeaters, lorikeets and many kinds of invertebrates. Flowering of the different species of eucalypts takes place at different times of year so there is always a nectar or pollen source available for migratory, nomadic and resident birds. This means there are both more species, and greater numbers of individuals, of honeyeaters and lorikeets than in any other ecosystem. These birds include Black-chinned, Regent, Fuscous and Brown-headed Honeyeaters, Swift Parrots and Musk Lorikeets. The forest supports the largest numbers of Eastern Grey Kangaroos in Victoria and is a stronghold for Brush-tailed Phascogales, Yellow-footed Antechinuses and Squirrel Gliders.
Ironbark
Ironbark is a common name of a number of species within the genus "Eucalyptus" that have dark, deeply furrowed bark.