Building these trails
Many kilometres of tracks were built through the park in the 1930s, partly funded by the O'Reilly's and the owners of Binna Burra and built using Depression labour.
Workers took great care not to cause undue damage, even camping on the newly made sections of track. Soon leaves formed a carpet underfoot, disguising the cuttings. The track system established is widely regarded as one of the best in the world.
Some of the early tracks included the famous Border Track, between Binna Burra and O'Reilly's, West Canungra Creek, Daves Creek, Ships Stern, Lower Ballanjui and Upper Coomera tracks and the rugged Stockyard Creek track, the path the O'Reilly's and early guests rode on horseback to access their isolated selections.
The border track was built in two sections – workers from O'Reilly's cutting their way towards workers from Binna Burra swinging their axes and brush hooks from the opposite direction to create the 23km link across the top of the range. It was officially opened in October 1938.
In his book History of Lamington National Park, author J. Keith Jarrott, includes a poem written about cutting the Border Track by Forestry Overseer Jack Gresty describing the arduous job.
It reads in part:
"There is gear to come from the Burra dump,
There are tents to carry and tools to lump,
And it's "Watch the log and avoid the stump",
When you're cutting the Border track."
Post World War II, Peter O'Reilly Snr recalls forestry workers living a pioneering existence to maintain and improve the tracks, including three married couples, one with a baby girl.
"They would have to walk out two miles to the campsite and lug all their food and supplies along the track, with only kerosene lamps for light and firewood for heating. "It was cold and damp and very hard to raise a baby. They women did it really rough and it is a piece of history that shouldn't be lost."
Welcome to the 42ndt
LAMINGTON NATIONAL CLASSIC
22-23 October 2011
- Australia's Oldest Trail Run -
This event in the LAMINGTON NATIONAL PARK is held over two days. On Saturday the event will be run from O’Reillys Guest House to Binna Burra Cafe and on Sunday runners will run the return journey. The distance covered is 21.8 kilometres in each direction and commemorates the pioneering work of Bernard O’Reilly and Arthur Groom in developing this rainforest area as a National Park.
THE WEEKEND PROGRAM
Fri 21 October Optional: Dinner at Binna Burra Teahouse
6.30 p.m. Meals available until 7pm at Cafe
Sat 22 October Run from O’Reillys Guest House to Binna Burra Lodge
8.00 a.m. Meet at park in central Canungra for transfer of runners to O’Reillys by carpooling (details in separate Lamington Logistics flier). Pack your overnight gear in bags as some entrants will swap cars for carpooling.
8.30 a.m. Depart Canungra for O’Reillys.
10.00 a.m. Race starts outside O’Reillys Guesthouse
12.00 p.m. Luncheon for runners (included in entry fee) served at Binna Burra Eco-Lodge (lower end of campground).
6.00 p.m. Dinner at Binna Burra Cafe (pre-book online; licensed) - Presentation of Saturday trophies.
Sun 23 October Run from Binna Burra Lodge to O’Reillys Guest House
8.30 a.m. Slower runners leave from Binna Burra Cafe.
9.00 a.m. Main group of runners competing for the Bernard O’Reilly Trophy, the Both Ways Trophy and the Team Event leave Binna Burra Cafe.
11.30 a.m. Light Lunch (included in entry fee) at O’Reillys Pavillion
12.00 a.m. Presentation of trophies
Showers available at O'Reillys pool – byo towel
Creating this park
In 1878, the dream of Lamington National Park began, after local identity Robert Collins learned that the world's first national park, Yellowstone in the United States of America, had been declared in 1872. Collins became an expert on the McPherson Ranges and fought for the mountains and their grand forests to be conserved.
By the century's end, most of the red cedar, crows ash and white beech trees had been harvested from the area surrounding what is now Lamington National Park and the coastal lowland rainforest had been destroyed. Fortunately, other forces were gathering and other interests slowly gaining voice. A 20-year battle to conserve the precious rainforest remnants of the McPherson Ranges was underway.
In 1906, the Queensland Parliament passed a State Forest and National Parks Bill, and in 1908, the first Queensland National Park was declared at Witches Falls, Tamborine.
In 1911, Romeo Lahey, a Canungra man, joined the struggle and energetically lobbied, lectured and petitioned for a national park.
A quote from Romeo Lahey's diary as told by Alec Chisholm in an article "The Green Mountains: Queensland's National Park" in The Sydney Mail, 5 March, 1919, states: "I do not remember my reasoning but the idea of those glorious falls being destroyed by selection higher up filled me with an intense determination to have them kept for people who would love them, but who did not even dream of their existence.".
Lahey's joining the campaign was timely as Robert Collins was to die in 1913, aged 70, before his dream for Lamington became reality. It was not until the Labor Government was elected in 1915 that Lamington National Park was finally declared.
Although Lahey favoured Woonoongoora, the Yugambeh name for a local mountain, the park was named in honour of Queensland Governor Lord Lamington.
Development of the park's facilities started in earnest as relief work during the late 1930s, with the Border Track and Coomera circuit among the first tracks completed.