It’s a long, steep, windy road up to O’Reilly’s Rainforest Retreat in Lamington National Park but it’s worth the trip.

These school holidays my oldest son went to visit family and friends in New Zealand while the rest of the Candy family hung out in Australia and visited the Gold Coast or the Goldie as everyone calls it.

I’d been wanting to visit O’Reilly’s Rainforest Retreat and when Gold Coast Tourism invited us to stay there we were excited.

There’s no rest for the wicked though and rather than a retreat we had an action-packed 24 hours.

10 am – Check in, settle in and take in the scenery

O’Reilly’s is an old family business and a classic old building. We had a huge room with cosy beds and mountain views.

The views and the pools

10.30 am – Rainforest Tree Top Walk

Exploring a hollow strangler fig tree which has grown around a long gone host tree

Walking on the suspended bridge

Climbing the 30 meter (98 foot) ladder to the rainforest canopy

1 pm – Bird of Prey Show

Featuring rescued and rehabilitated birds trained by Carmen pictured here with a clever sulfur-crested cockatoo

3 pm – Flying Fox

Kiara and the Mucho Man getting kitted up

Kiara flying hands free

Me coming in for a smooth landing

Max scaring his mother. A lot.

A little lizard lurking by the track

 5 pm – Spa Time

I enjoyed the sauna too. It was too hot for the kids so I had a lovely peaceful lie down.

 5.30 pm – Happy Hour in the Bar while the kids go to the Eco-Rangers for supper and games!

Half price drinks for happy hour - we had mohitos while this lady waited for her husband to reappear

6.30 pm – Supper

I had ocean trout, a buffalo mozarella pizza and this chocolate indulgence desert.No idea what the Mucho Man at but I shared some desert with him. The food was fantastic and best of all we got to eat in peace with the Candy kids entertained royally elsewhere.

8 pm – Glow Worm Tour

In which I learn it’s impossible to take photos of glow worms. The kids were very tired by this time as we got up at 4am to get our oldest son Luke on the plane to New Zealand but the glow worms were beautiful and we all slept super soundly that night.

6.45 am – Bird Walk

Because the early bird catches the worm we had an early start with expert nature guide Duncan who recognizes all the bird of the forest by sight and sound. The cat bird sounds just like a cat but we couldn’t see it as cat birds are green and well disguised in the rainforest.

Has anyone spotted any birds yet?

We spotted heaps of birds and snapped this handsome yellow-breasted Robin.

So is O’Reilly’s worth the trip up the mountain?

Definitely, I’d love to go back and stay longer next time so we can do some retreating as well as adventuring.

O’Reilly’s Rainforest Retreat has a spa too and gorgeous walks in Lamingtom National Park we didn’t have time to take with wishing trees and waterfalls so I’d make the trip up the mountain again any day and stay longer next time too.

O’Reilly’s Rainforest Retreat is an utter treat for all the senses.

Many thanks to Gold Coast Tourism ^[1] and O’Reilly’s Rainforest Retreat ^[2] for kindly hosting the Candy family for stay and all our adventures.