O'Reilly's Rainforest Retreat is a tourist destination in the locality of O'Reilly, Scenic Rim Region, Queensland, Australia. It is situated in the heart of the Lamington National Park, two hours by road south of Brisbane and 90 minutes by road west of the Gold Coast. Access to the mountain resort is via Canungra. 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. 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 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 packhorses. 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 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