O'Reilly's Rainforest Retreat

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I feel compelled to respond to the many requests on the Mum's Groups asking for 'free' activities to do with the kids. Well, across South East Queensland there are so many free or very low-cost activities, I could probably write all day. We are truly blessed with options and surrounded by educational, beautiful, stimulating, and interactive things to do.


There's a place in the clouds, found at the end of a very interesting and winding road trip, called O'Reilly's Rainforest Retreat and it's calling you. Located at 852 Lamington National Park Rd, this is effectively the end of Lamington National Park Road. It is 90 minutes from the Gold Coast and two hours from Brisbane.


Here you will find birds to delight every ear and age group, wildlife in abundance, a Botanical Garden, a quaint cafe, a wooden church, and multiple rainforest walks ranging in length from easy to "your thighs are going to burn for days". There is a replica plane of a significant aircraft perched in the front yard of the Retreat and a plethora of lush green grass pads and solid timber picnic benches to accommodate numerous young families at once. The plane was a highlight for my two-year-old son.


There are a number of lookouts on the way to O'Reilly's where you will feel you can see to the end of Australia's continent. The views are sweeping, breathtaking, and guaranteed to make you switch off from the chores awaiting you at home. Nestled in the World-Heritage-listed Lamington National Park, it feels like you are being treated to nature's best on the way up the mountain. My girls were full of oohs and aahs every time the light dropped and we started through the arched canopy bordering the road.

O'Reilly's is a place that you head to thinking "Maybe we will stay for an hour?" and yet end up staying all day. You can take your own food for a picnic and spend nothing more than the fuel to get there. Alternatively, you can eat at the cafe whose wooden deck protrudes out into the rainforest. While the cafe is not cheap, the kids' meals represent great food and great value and are definitely more than your traditional Happy Meal. The scone and coffee deal for the grown-ups is also solid value. We were lucky to spend our lunch in the company of two vibrant Rosellas, which thrilled the kids and warmed them up for the bird feeding that followed.

For $5, you can purchase the kids a tray of organic birdseed and spend literally all afternoon with the most magnificent birds perched on your left shoulder, head, arms, tray, then your right shoulder, and back. My girls thought walking around with a bird perched firmly on their arm was a thrill not to be forgotten. Be prepared to join numerous other visitors doing the same in the middle of the day, however, if you prefer a little more space, plan to arrive for the bird feeding at 9 am or well past lunchtime. O'Reillys can be very popular with tourists and the carpark can quickly fill to capacity. Bus tours are common here.


The Queenslander-style Retreat building, perched on the peak of the hill, is a history lesson waiting to educate you. With its wooden walls and ....well, wooden everything, you can venture from room to room of this building, enjoying the historical library, games room, restaurant, conference rooms, and deck space. There are animal and bird-watching discussions and information, jars of preserved snakes and lizards enabling you to get up close with creatures you may prefer not to when alive, loads of historical information on the formation of the rainforest and the buildings, and good infrastructure such as elevated walkways, toilets, sheltered tables, and function areas.

I love photography. My camera is full of photos from this place. Numerous photos on the way up. Numerous photos up at the Retreat. Even more photos on the way down the mountain. Luckily, the valley surrounding the Retreat couldn't get any greener than it is right now so every photo you take will look like a postcard and most likely feature a kangaroo, koala, blue tongue, parrot, or butterfly. There are roadside stalls you stop at to grab some local honey and produce if you wish. This is an earthy experience, where your kids will get dirty, feed birds, walk a lot, and ask a lot of questions. You just have to make time to go.

#kids
#nature
#day_trips
#outdoors
#weekends

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