Lamington

Since Europeans first discovered it, Lamington National Park has been held in high regard for its ecological wonder. Initially, timber-getters flocked to the area for the stands of tall trees which flanked its many mountainsides. It wasn’t long, however, before the astounding natural qualities of the area were put before parliament and the area was established as a national park in 1915.

The park is but a small part of the Scenic Rim — a collection of national parks that encompasses the 23-million-year-old Tweed Volcano. This once mighty shield volcano’s footprint is over 100 kilometres in diameter. Over the passing ages, erosion of the volcano has left a vast network of mountainsides and valleys that are the catalyst for some jaw-dropping scenery.

Indeed, for those looking to immerse themselves in the beauty of nature, Lamington National Park ticks all the boxes. Dense rainforests, abundant birdlife, ancient trees, stunning waterfalls, divine creeks, rugged mountain scenery and some of the best bushwalking in Queensland ensure that there’s plenty to do here.

In terms of accommodation, you have a few options. Central to all that Lamington has to offer, O’Reilly’s Rainforest Retreat was built by the O’Reilly family as a humble guesthouse in 1926 and has grown into a phenomenal eco resort today. The grounds of the resort are open to the public, so whether you stay at the retreat or park in the day-use area, there’s a vast array of paid tours and attractions to sink your teeth into from here.

We’d recommend grabbing a drink or a bite to eat at the O’Reilly’s Mountain Café and Gift Shop, as there are stunning views of the McPherson Ranges to take in while enjoying a well-deserved snack. The gift shop also sells birdseed, with crimson rosellas and king parrots among the regular birds who will happily land on you if you have something for them.

O’Reilly’s is also steeped in a unique slice of Australian history. In 1937, Bernard O’Reilly became a hero when, against all odds, he rescued the survivors from the Airlines of Australia Stinson Model A which went down in the remote Lamington wilderness. It sparked a massive land and air search, but due to conflicting eyewitness accounts, authorities were looking 800 kilometres to the south. It’s a harrowing tale of survival, and had it not been for Bernard’s bush instincts, the men would surely not have survived.

On the grounds of O’Reilly’s, you’ll find a life-size replica of the plane which was used in the 1987 feature film The Riddle of the Stinson (starring Jack Thompson). The aircraft was refurbished in 2017 to mark the 80th anniversary of the rescue, and today stands proudly as a fitting tribute to all involved in the rescue effort.

Managed by National Parks and Wildlife, the Green Mountains Campground is right next door to the retreat. It’s a great spot with well-defined sites but is for tents and campervans only. If this is of interest, be sure to book online before you arrive. Tip: Whether you choose to camp here or not, you’ll more than likely find a mob of red-necked pademelons here who find the grassy sections of lawn irresistible.

For those towing their accommodation, the closest caravan park is a great one at Spring Gully Stays. It’s less than an hour away from O’Reilly’s, so if you’re keen, this is a great option. For those who are self-sufficient, large grassy sites right beside a crystal clear creek will melt away the slightest of concerns, with most who choose to stay at Spring Gully Stays coming away thoroughly impressed.

If you’re keen to get out and see the wonder of nature, you’ll be pleased to know that Queensland’s best can be found along the tracks and trails departing from O’Reilly’s and the Green Mountains Campground. Sit back and relax as we guide you through some of Lamington’s most captivating free things to see and do.

Lamington National Park is renowned for its superb bushwalking trails, with the Box Forest Circuit among the most popular. As a 10.9-kilometre loop, it’s certainly no cakewalk, but with stunning rainforest and numerous attractions along the way, it’s a trail many find tempting.

The walk starts from O’Reilly’s along the Border Track — so named as a significant section of the trail follows the New South Wales/Queensland border. It’s a nice enough stroll, with open forest to meander through, with huge examples of pink-barked brush box trees a standout.

The scenery really comes into its own once you reach the Box Forest Circuit, at which point much of the trail follows various creek systems. Here, you’ll be blown away by the natural qualities of the rainforest, with tropical and temperate rainforest environments as good as any you’ll find within the park.

Signage courtesy of National Parks advises completing the Box Forest Loop clockwise, which makes sense, as the grade is more forgiving this way and, as a bonus, the scenery presents itself better. It’s a beautiful walk no doubt, with two astounding waterfalls to take in towards the end of the loop.

The first waterfall you’ll come to is Box Log Falls; a gushing masterpiece, which usually flows with a force and vigour that commands your attention. Situated at the end of a narrowing gorge, the space creates a quite memorable atmosphere.

Shortly after, Elebana Falls (intro image) steals the show, with its sizeable cascade and stunning surrounding rainforest; it is a major drawcard of the national park. A bit of a rocky scramble will see you get from the trail to the falls themselves, but it is oh so worth it if you’re up to the task. It’s a great spot to slow up and perhaps enjoy a bite to eat, as you take in one of Lamington’s most-photographed waterfalls.

For those who choose to complete the Box Forest Circuit, there is an additional side-trail that is highly recommended if you’d like to take the overall experience to the next level. The trail, which tees off the Box Forest Circuit to Chalahn Falls, meanders up Toolona Gorge. It is so beautiful that you’ll be held in a sense of wonder and amazement for nearly the entire trail.

With steep sides, the ravine is moist and shady, and home to many ancient Gondwana rainforest plants. Tracking Toolona Creek the entire way, the trail is lusciously green, with several gorgeous waterfalls and cascades to enjoy along the way.

The trail out to Chalahn Falls is not as defined as the Box Forest Loop, with the odd muddy section and twisting trail to contend with. For those who aren’t deterred, the waterfalls and dense rainforest scenery will more than make up for this slightly more challenging bushwalk. It really is a spectacular addition, so be sure to consider this if you’re fit and able.

Note for those keen to stretch their legs even further, the walk to Chalahn Falls can be extended into the full Toolona Creek Circuit walk, which will take you out to the Scenic Rim where Mount Warning can be appreciated. It’s a beautiful walk, but at 17.4 kilometres, it’s a full day and nowhere near as easy as the Box Forest Loop or trail to Chalahn Falls. Having said that, for the experienced bushwalkers of the world, nearly all who complete this walk thoroughly enjoy it.

While Lamington has several long bush walks, it also has a few short walks that will appeal to almost everybody. Within moments of O’Reilly’s, the Booyong Walk delves into the forest and, via a series of boardwalks and trails, ushers visitors through the understorey of a stunning pocket of subtropical rainforest.

The walk bears the name of the booyong for the many large trees which can be found on either side of the trail. Stretching high up into the canopy and with large buttressed roots, the booyong trees are quite a sight to take in first-hand.

At the end of the trail, you’ll reach O’Reilly’s Tree Top Walk, where nine suspension bridges span 180 metres through the rainforest canopy. Elevated above the forest floor, the walk offers a unique perspective from among the treetops.

At the halfway mark along the Tree Top Walk, you’ll come to a point where you have the option to go much higher into the canopy. Courtesy of an enclosed ladder attached to a substantial red carabeen tree, visitors can reach the lofty heights of the rainforest canopy. From here, views out across the McPherson Ranges can be taken in.

If you choose to climb the tree, be sure to keep an eye out for a strangler fig, which is slowly but surely making its way from the top of the tree down to the forest floor. This strangler fig, over the next few hundred years, will envelop and indeed strangle its host tree. While in a sense quite tragic, you most likely won’t get another chance to see a strangler fig in the making like this.

Overall, given its length and proximity to O’Reilly’s, this is a brilliant short walk for all ages and abilities.

Another great short walk, only moments from O’Reilly’s, can be found along the trail to Micks Tower. Hidden from view, many people who come to Lamington National Park miss this captivating trail, which is a shame really.

Much like the Booyong Walk, the trail to Micks Tower delves into the bush where almost instantly, visitors are transported into a fairytale environment beneath the rainforest canopy. Before long, the massive structure of Micks Tower comes into view, with dense rainforest surrounding it on all sides. Climbing the staircase, visitors can gain an appreciation of the rainforest from above ground level, with numerous epiphytes, including orchids, mosses, lichens, and ferns, attached to the trees.

From Micks Tower, you can either return the way you came or continue downhill through a most delightful section of rainforest. Along the journey, you’ll pass brush box trees, a myriad of moss-covered trunks and rocks, and numerous strangler figs. The trail then flattens out where a charming suspension bridge over a tree-fern gully adds another element to the amazing environment.

The trail eventually leads to the Wishing Tree — a living giant that has seen a bushfire or two. Walk under its towering presence, make a wish, and who knows, it may just come true.

You can either return the way you came from the Wishing Tree or, if you’re feeling up to it, pick up the trail to Morans Falls. This delightful trail meanders along Morans Creek for a little over one kilometre, where it finally comes to Morans Falls Clearing Lookout. It’s an expansive view with spectacular perspectives of the McPherson Ranges looking west.

From this point, once again, you can either return the way you came or pick up the Morans Falls trail which leads back to O’Reilly’s. If you choose to take the latter option, you’ll pass Morans Falls Lookout and enjoy more stunning rainforest scenery on the return journey. Be sure to check the map before you go if you plan to complete the Moran’s Falls loop, as this is a collection of trails combined into one mighty walk.

While most of the tracks and trails within Lamington National Park focus on the rainforests south of Green Mountain and O’Reilly’s, Python Rock Lookout faces west. From the sizeable viewing platforms at Python Rock, visitors can take in the enormity of the McPherson Ranges, with views all the way out to Mount Barney when conditions are clear. It really is a magnificent lookout and would see many more visitors, had they known about it.

The Python Rock trail begins from a small carpark situated just off the main road leading into Green Mountain/O’Reilly’s. For those staying in the campground or the retreat, simply drive back out as if you were leaving the national park, and you’ll find the carpark after approximately 1 kilometre.

The walk itself is astounding, with dense subtropical rainforest to enjoy for the entire journey. Along the way, buttress roots of towering trees are abundant, with huge vines dangling from their branches.

Once at the viewing area, Morans Falls comes into view in the distance, while grass trees surround the large timber viewing deck. The scenery is spectacular, and with this lesser-visited lookout often pleasantly quiet, there may be no one else around to disturb the atmosphere.

On the way in (or out) of Lamington National Park, a little-known yet inescapably beautiful lookout comes by the way of Kamarun Lookout. With a sizeable gazebo situated at the top of a grassy knoll, the views afforded by this lookout are expansive, to say the least.

On a clear day, views as far as Tamborine Mountain flow effortlessly across the ranges to the east. Look west, and you’ll absorb spectacular scenery out as far as Mount Barney. It’s a thrilling vista to be sure, and only a very short detour from the road leading to the national park. If you’ve got the time, this is an easy 15-minute distraction at the very least, that is well worth stopping for.

It’s worth making your way here for either dawn or dusk, as these hours paint a brilliant picture across the ranges. Who knows, you might even want to break out the nibbles and drinks and take the experience to a whole new level.

Given that you can drive to this captivating viewpoint, Kamarun Lookout is a must-see during your visit to Lamington National Park.