"O'Reilly's Rainforest Retreat" Top 5 Page for this destination Lamington National Park Things to Do Tip by ettiewyn

O'Reilly's was founded during the first European settlement in this region. The Irish family O'Reilly came here in 1911, when the Australian government advertised in Europe that dairy farmers would get land for free in Australia. They got a patch of land in the rainforest and they had to clear it themselbes, which was of course a very difficult and strenuous task.
After a few years, though, the family had the idea that it would be much better to protect the forest instead of destroying it. After visitors from town were delighted by the beauty of the region, the O'Reillys realized that there was a future in tourism. They established a small guesthouse - and this was one of the first ecotourism ventures in the world, long before this word existed :-)

The guesthouse is still there, and daytrippers, walkers and holiday makers come here to enjoy the lush rainforest, the remote location and the beauty of the National Park. Of course there are more and newer buildings now, but there is still the sense of a very rustic, natural location, and it is very calm and unspoiled. Although there were many tourists, I really loved it!
Birds fly around, pademelons are hopping on the lawns, and only a few metres away there is the dense rainforest that you can explore on long and short walks.

We only had two hours here. I really would have liked to stay longer, but it was sufficient to do a short walk in the forest, to have a meal in the café with great views, and to watch some of the animals. Of course if you stay here for a whole day or even longer, you can engage in the activites that are offered (for example bird watching tours, guided walks or 4WD safarais) and do more and longer walks in the rainforest. There are also special activities for children.
There are different kinds of accomodation at different price ranges, as well as a restaurant, café and gift shop and a spa.

As I said - it IS really commercial and touristy, and it is not the kind of thing that I usually like. But it persuaded me when I was there - it was just too nice to not like it.

Address: Lamington National Park Road
Directions: South of Canungra, about 80km from Brisbane
othercontact: (07) 5502 4911
Phone: 1800 688 722
Website: http://www.oreillys.com.au