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Majestic Morans Falls. Image courtesy Tourism and Events Queensland.
A century in the canopy
By Tiffany West
Briefly …
In Queensland’s Lamington National Park, O’Reilly’s Rainforest Retreat marks 100 years of family-led ecotourism, with a year-long program of events at one of Australia’s longest-running rainforest retreats.
High in the World Heritage-listed rainforest of Lamington National Park, O’Reilly’s Rainforest Retreat has operated for a century – evolving, adapting, and remaining closely tied to the landscape that first drew the family here in 1926.
What began as a remote guesthouse carved into the forest by the O’Reilly family has grown into one of Australia’s most enduring ecotourism stories. Still family-owned and now guided by third and fourth generations, the retreat reflects a continuity that is increasingly rare in modern travel. Not simply a place to stay, but one shaped over time by those who have lived and worked there.
The remote guesthouse carved into the forest by the O’Reilly family with some of their first guests. Image courtesy O’Reilly’s Rainforest Retreat.
Left: Hiking at Raining Cliffs in 1931. Image courtesy O’Reilly’s Rainforest Retreat; and Mirror Falls along the Albert River Circuit today. Photographer: Katie Purling.
Crossing the creek in 1948. Image courtesy O’Reilly’s Rainforest Retreat.
Over the decades, O’Reilly’s has helped define what immersive nature-based travel can look like in Australia. Its treetop walkway – the first of its kind in the country – lifted visitors into the canopy long before such experiences became widely sought after. Today, the retreat continues to balance conservation, hospitality, and innovation, offering visitors structured ways to engage with the rainforest, including canopy walks and guided tracks.
The creation of the tree top walkway by ‘Big Pete’ O’Reilly reimagined how visitors might experience the forest, suspending them above the rainforest floor across a series of bridges that reveal the ecosystem from an entirely different perspective.
Left: The creation of the tree top walkway by ‘Big Pete’ O’Reilly reimagined how visitors might experience the forest. Image courtesy O’Reilly’s Rainforest Retreat; and the tree top walkway today. Image courtesy Tourism and Events Queensland.
Now, one hundred years on, that story is being marked with a year-long program of events and experiences. The celebrations began in early March at O’Reilly’s Canungra Valley Vineyards, where a trio of commemorative wines was unveiled, but the focus remains firmly on the mountain itself.
At the retreat, a new interpretive display traces the family’s journey from its earliest days to the present generation, while outside, vintage machinery offers a tangible connection to the practical realities of building and sustaining life in such a remote environment. Midweek visitors can share in a simple ritual – billy tea and damper on the lawn – a continuation of long-standing traditions at the retreat.
For those inclined to step further into the landscape, a weekly guided walk along the historic Stockyard Track offers something more physical. It is both a scenic challenge and a passage through the retreat’s layered history, a route that reflects the retreat’s history of exploration and access through the landscape.
Elabana Falls. Image courtesy O’Reilly’s Rainforest Retreat.
Antarctic Beech Trees in Lamington National Park. Image courtesy O’Reilly’s Rainforest Retreat.
The pioneering O’Reilly family carries moments that have become part of Australian folklore. In 1937, Bernard O’Reilly’s ten-day trek through dense rainforest to rescue survivors of the Stinson plane crash established him as a national figure of courage. Today, the same route to Christmas Creek can still be followed by those willing to take on the 37-kilometre journey. Other milestones are quieter, but no less defining. More recently, Pat’s Farm has introduced a contemporary expression of the same ethos – off-grid chalets that pair architectural design with a commitment to environmental sensitivity.
The setting itself remains one of the retreat’s greatest assets. Lamington National Park, part of the Gondwana Rainforests of Australia, shelters species found nowhere else – from the elusive blue Lamington crayfish to Fleay’s barred frog and the distinctive call of Albert’s lyrebird. It is a place where biodiversity is not an abstract concept, but an immediate and sensory presence.
A Mountain Villa at O’Reilly’s Rainforest Retreat. Image courtesy O’Reilly’s Rainforest Retreat.
The Infinity Pool at O’Reilly’s Rainforest Retreat. Image courtesy Tourism and Events Queensland.
Across a century, more than 2.8 million guests have passed through O’Reilly’s, collectively exploring billions of kilometres of walking tracks and forest pathways. That sense of continuity is perhaps most visible in the people who carry the story forward. Managing Director Shane O’Reilly represents the third generation, guiding the retreat with an eye toward both preservation and progression. Alongside him, the fourth generation is already finding its place.
For 19-year-old Grace O’Reilly, working across the retreat and the vineyards reflects a generational connection, reinforced by returning visitors whose stories span decades. For 22-year-old Ned O’Reilly, the mountain is not simply a workplace, but home – a place that carries a sense of responsibility to continue sharing its significance with others.
Moonlight Crag at O’Reilly’s Rainforest Retreat. Image courtesy O’Reilly’s Rainforest Retreat.
A hundred years on, O’Reilly’s is not just marking longevity. It is marking a way of travelling – one that values immersion over speed, stewardship over spectacle, and a relationship with place that deepens over time rather than passing quickly through it.
To learn more about the O’Reilly’s Rainforest Retreat centenary calendar and events, visit their website here.
Tiffany West is The Solo Traveller Group’s Editorial and Pictorial Assistant Lead.