O'Reilly's Rainforest Retreat is a tourist destination in the

locality Locality may refer to: * Locality, a historical named location or place in Canada * Locality (association), an association of community regeneration organizations in England * Locality (linguistics) * Locality (settlement) * Suburbs and localitie ...

O'Reilly O'Reilly () is a common Irish surname. The O'Reillys were historically the kings of East Bréifne in what is today County Cavan. The clan were part of the Connachta's Uí Briúin Bréifne kindred and were closely related to the Ó Ruairc ( ...

Scenic Rim Region The Scenic Rim Region is a local government areas of Queensland, local government area (LGA) in the West Moreton region of South East Queensland, South East Queensland, Australia, and is located approximately 80 kilometres due south of Brisban ...

Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

. It is situated in the heart of the

Lamington National Park The Lamington National Park is a national park in the McPherson Range on the Queensland/New South Wales border in Australia. From Southport, Queensland, Southport on the Gold Coast, Australia, Gold Coast the park is to the southwest and Brisbane ...

, two hours by road south of

Brisbane Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...

and 90 minutes by road west of the Gold Coast. Access to the mountain resort is via

Canungra Canungra is a rural town and locality in the Scenic Rim Region of South East Queensland, Australia. In the , Canungra had a population of 1,436 people. Geography Located in South East Queensland, Canungra is situated in the Gold Coast hinte ...

. Guests began staying from Easter 1926. Gravel road to the door of the retreat was completed in early 1947, marking a distinct change in the site's accessibility. O'Reilly's Rainforest Retreat consists of accommodation villas, picnic grounds and marks the starting point of a number of popular hiking trails. It is well known for its rainforest location, unique and diverse wildlife, and for being the home of the late Bernard O'Reilly, an Australian bushman and author, who is remembered for his efforts in locating the survivors of the 1937 Stinson plane crash.

History

In 1912, eight men of the O'Reilly family each started farming in the

McPherson Range The McPherson Range is an extensive mountain range, a spur of the Great Dividing Range, heading in an easterly direction from near Wallangarra, Queensland, Wallangarra to the Pacific Ocean coastline. It forms part of the Scenic Rim on the border ...

. They milked cattle and collected timber but the income was too little. In 1915 Lamington National Park was established around their land. O'Reilly's Rainforest Retreat was founded in 1926 by the O'Reilly brothers. The initial accommodation was very basic and in the early years access was only via horse and wagon along a precipitous mountain track. The track was known as Stockyard Creek Track. The O'Reillys had cut the track themselves from Canungra over the Sarabah Range. Guests first travelled via train to Beaudesert and then horse drawn

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of Athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Coac ...

to the Kerry Hotel, where they would stay the night. The next day they were met with one of the O'Reillys and a pack of horses for the ride up the mountain. Luggage and supplies were carried by

packhorse A packhorse, pack horse, or sumpter refers to a horse, mule, donkey, or pony used to carry goods on its back, usually in sidebags or panniers. Typically packhorses are used to cross difficult terrain, where the absence of roads prevents the use of ...

s. In the 1930s the family began a company to expand and raise money. One of the first purchases was a car to transport guests from the railway station. St Joseph's Catholic Church was the first Catholic church in the

Logan River The Logan River (Yugambeh dialect, Yugambeh: ''Dugulumba'') is a perennial river in the Scenic Rim Region, Scenic Rim, City of Logan, Logan and City of Gold Coast, Gold Coast local government areas of the South East Queensland, South East region ...

valley and was opened in 1876 on a site, then known as ''Tullamore Hill'', later as ''Veresdale'', and now within Gleneagle. In 1936, the church received lining and a ceiling for the first time. By the early 1950s the small church was in poor repair and it had a very small congregation (St Mary's Catholic Church in Beaudesert was very large and by then the major town of the district). At that time, Mass was being held regularly at the O'Reilly Guesthouse in ''Goblin Wood'', the private home of Bernard O'Reilly, so it was decided to relocate St Joseph's to the O'Reilly Guesthouse as a permanent church. It was dismantled, transported via

and re-assembled. On 27 November 1955, Father Steele presided over the first Mass in the relocated church () and Archbishop

James Duhig Sir James Duhig KCMG (2 September 187110 April 1965) was an Irish-born Australian Roman Catholic religious leader. He was the Archbishop of Brisbane for 48 years from 1917 until his death in 1965. At the time of his death he was the longest- ...

performed the opening ceremony. Although privately owned by the O'Reilly family, it is still strongly associated with the Beaudesert Catholic parish. From the 1950s operations were managed by Mick and Annie O'Reilly and their family, including their grandchildren, as of 2008. Between 1990 and 1994, extensions to the resort designed by architect Maurice Hurst updated the guesthouse accommodation and other buildings. During the severe

2019–20 Australian bushfire season The 201920 Australian bushfire season commenced with serious uncontrolled fires in June 2019. , fires this season have burned an estimated , destroyed over 5,900 buildings (including 2,779 homes) and killed at least 34 people. An estimated o ...

more than 100 guests staying at O'Reilly's, which was unaffected, were safely evacuated ahead of the bushfires that destroyed nearby Binna Burra.

Attractions

Bird feeding Bird feeding is the activity of feeding wild birds, often by means of bird feeders. With a recorded history dating to the 6th century, the feeding of wild birds has been encouraged and celebrated in the United States and United Kingdom, with it ...

is encouraged with seed available for sale to visitors. Bush walking is another popular activity in the area.

Birdlife

The forests of Lamington National Park provide excellent habitat for a range of birds. Some species have become unconcerned by close interaction with people at O'Reilly's, including the

regent bowerbird The regent bowerbird (''Sericulus chrysocephalus'') is a medium-sized, up to 25 cm long, sexually dimorphic bowerbird. The male bird is black with a golden orange-yellow crown, mantle and black-tipped wing feathers. It has yellow bill, black ...

Australian king parrot The Australian king parrot (''Alisterus scapularis'') is a species of parrot endemic to eastern Australia ranging from Cooktown in Queensland to Port Campbell in Victoria (Australia), Victoria. Found in humid and heavily forested upland regions o ...

and

crimson rosella The crimson rosella (''Platycercus elegans'') is a parrot native to eastern and south eastern Australia which has been introduced to New Zealand and Norfolk Island. It is commonly found in, but not restricted to, mountain forests and gardens. The ...

Wonga pigeon The wonga pigeon or wonga wonga (''Leucosarcia melanoleuca'') is a pigeon that inhabits areas in eastern Australia with its range being from Central Queensland to Gippsland, eastern Victoria, Australia. Distribution and habitat Previously they ...

s and the Australian brush turkey are also common.

1937 Stinson crash site

The Australian National Airways Stinson crash was an accident which occurred on 19 February 1937. The

Stinson Model A The Stinson Model A was a moderately successful airliner of the mid-1930s. It was one of the last commercial airliners designed in the United States with a fabric-covered steel tube fuselage before the introduction of stressed skin alumin ...

airliner disappeared during a flight from Brisbane to Sydney, carrying five passengers and two pilots. Both pilots and two passengers were killed in the crash. One of the surviving passengers died while attempting to bring help to the other survivors. The wreckage was found by Bernard O'Reilly of the Lamington Guest House who went looking for the aircraft believing it had failed to cross the border. The aircraft had crashed in the McPherson Range on the border between Queensland and New South Wales. O'Reilly's is situated approximately 8.4 kilometres from the site of the 1937 Stinson plane crash (). As a result, the site of the wreck has become a popular hiking destination with bushwalkers. O'Reilly's Rainforest Retreat infrequently organises guided treks to the wreck, but experienced bushwalkers are known to frequently attempt the hike. The hike is renowned for its difficulty due to the steep nature of the McPherson Range where the wreck is situated, and the thick, dense terrain of the rainforest. A memorial to Bernard O'Reilly is located in the grounds around the guesthouse. In the late 1980s, the

Australian Army The Australian Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of Australia. It is a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF), along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. The Army is commanded by the Chief of Army ...

removed large portions of the wreck using a helicopter. As a result, only a small, skeletal section of the plane's hull remains.

Tree Top Walk

In 1987, O'Reilly's Rainforest Retreat opened the Tree Top Walk, a 180 metre long suspension bridge situated 20 metres above the rainforest floor. The Tree Top Walk provides a bird-eye view of the rainforest canopy and sweeping views of the McPherson Range. It was the first of its kind in

References

External links

* * {{official, https://oreillys.com.au/ Scenic Rim Region Entertainment venues in Queensland Resorts in Australia 1926 establishments in Australia Tourist attractions on the Gold Coast, Queensland Lamington National Park