O'Reilly's - Gondwana Rainforests of Australia World Heritage Area

Gondwana Rainforest Reserves of Australia

Lamington National Park covers more than 20,000 hectares and rises to over 1100 metres in a rugged range running along the Queensland–New South Wales border. 20 million years ago, the area was home to many active volcanoes which were bubbling with lava for over three million years. Once dormant, what remained was a changed landscape of rugged mountains and valleys, at the heart of which is Mount Warning, the eroded caldera of an ancient volcano. This area is now known as the ‘Green Cauldron’ and includes a haven of subtropical rainforests that stretches from the Tweed Valley to the Queensland coast, and west towards the Great Dividing Range, enveloping Lamington National Park.

The aftermath of the eruptions created a thriving new ecosystem which evolved into today’s rich biological environment. The park is abundant in wildlife, with up to 120 species of birds and 70 species of mammals. It also boasts spectacular waterfalls and stunning vistas, and is home to almost the entire world’s remaining Antarctic Beech cool temperate rainforests, including trees thought to be several thousand years old.

As well as its intrinsic historical value, the national park was acknowledged for its value to future generations. In 1986, a number of rainforest reserves located on the Great Escarpment of Australia’s east coast, now known as the Gondwana Rainforests Reserves of Australia (GRRA, previously CERRA), were inscribed on the World Heritage list for their outstanding natural universal values. On the Queensland side of the border, areas falling within the GRRA include Springbrook, Mt Barney, Main Range and our own Lamington National Park.

‘Gondwana’ is the name of an ancient super continent that once existed in the southern hemisphere around 120 million years ago, made up in most part of South America, Africa, Australia and Antarctica. As a result of continental drift, the large land mass began to break up and separate into these present-day continents, however remnants of this prehistoric region are still evident today within the World Heritage GRRA region, including Lamington National Park.

The reserves contain outstanding geological features and a high number of rare and threatened rainforest species, both of international significance for science and conservation.

GRRA was recognised for the following values:

as an outstanding example representing major stages of the earth’s evolutionary history
as an outstanding example representing ongoing geological processes and biological evolution
containing important and significant habitats for the in situ conservation of biological diversity

Rainforests on both sides of the border contain more frog, snake, bird and marsupial species than anywhere else in Australia. This site provides a home for many rare and threatened plants and animals and ancient life forms. Sub-tropical rainforest in Lamington and Main Range National Parks provides a home for ground-dwelling birds such as the rare Albert’s Lyrebird and the endangered Eastern Bristlebird. Fruit-eating birds such as the endangered Coxen’s Fig Parrot live in open forest in Mt Barney National Park.

An estimated 2 million people visit this World Heritage area each year. Before European settlement, these sub-tropical rainforests were probably the most extensive rainforests in Australia. Today, Lamington National Park has the largest remaining area of undisturbed sub-tropical rainforest.

Maintaining and Enhancing World Heritage Values

The ongoing success of O’Reilly’s Rainforest Retreat, Mountain Villas and Lost World Spa relies heavily on the preservation of the natural attributes of the surrounding environment. To this end, the World Heritage values of Lamington National Park provide a basis for all our planning, design and operation.

Our comprehensive Environmental Management Plan, Advanced Eco-accreditation and Benchmarking with Green Globe 21 ensures O’Reilly’s operates to best practice sustainability standards, and represents the environmental ethic of our business. O’Reilly’s maintains a commitment to protect these World Heritage Values and to educate guests and visitors about the significance of the area to global conservation.

In keeping with these policies, O’Reilly’s employs a number of measures to ensure that the unique natural surroundings are preserved. Our relationship with these values is as follows:

Key Values:

1. The arc of evolutionary values and processes

O’Reilly’s is sited on land originally cleared for grassland grazing. The last grazing cattle were removed from the site and surrounding land in 2001 by the O’Reilly’s due to their concern about the negative impacts on the bordering National Park and on native wildlife and plant species wildlife on the O’Reilly property.
The area has since been allowed to naturally regenerate, however introduced weeds are very problematic. One of our aims is to specifically eradicate the weeds and plant rainforest species to hasten and enhance this regeneration process.

2. Ongoing evolutionary processes

O’Reilly’s Retreat and Villas is not adding further to the disjointed nature of the area and may well be considered that the focused regeneration of the forest will contribute positively to this value, therefore does not negatively impact on this key value.
The area has been utilised extensively by numerous universities studying the natural regrowth of rainforests.

3. Biological diversity

It is acknowledged that many rare species of plants, birds and animals are rainforest specialists, and their vulnerability to extinction is due to the increasing rarity of their rainforest habitat. O’Reilly’s is not adding to that vulnerability and can be considered to have a positive impact on this rare habitat.

Other Values:

4. Natural Heritage

The subtropical rainforests are central to the World Heritage listing of GRRA. O’Reilly’s does not negatively impact on this value – quite to the contrary, it actually relies on the preservation of its natural attributes and values. O’Reilly’s are long-term landholders and have demonstrated this commitment over a number of decades in numerous ways.

5. Cultural Heritage

O’Reilly’s employed one of the traditional owners from the Yugembeh Language group. This employee exclusively worked with visitors to educate them on both the indigenous history of the area and the cultural history of the aboriginal people.

6. Wilderness

O’Reilly’s Retreat and Villas does not impact on this wilderness value.

7. Economic

There are clear and direct economic benefits including local employment, more economical accommodation facilities, further research facilities and increased availability of accommodation allowing day visitors to convert to overnight guests.
O’Reilly’s financially supports conservation and the local community to the base amount of at least $60,000 per annum.

8. Research and Education

O’Reilly’s contribute positively to this key value by creating economic benefits and economies of scale, thus allowing the O’Reilly’s businesses to not only to continue to support university and school research and education but to increase their support.
This is done via providing reduced fees for study groups when visiting, prizes for raffles and donations, support of specific research students or studies, and free access to a large section of re-growth rainforest for study and research purposes.
This long-term research being carried out by a number of institutions will result in a better understanding of this key area and direct future management strategies for the preservation of species in this area and beyond.

9. Scenic and Aesthetic

O’Reilly’s Mountain Villas were planned to not impact on this key value. They are strategically situated so that the buildings will not be able be visible from any public track or viewing area within Lamington National Park.
Building forms and paint colours are designed to fit in with the natural environment.
Grass is not to be planted anywhere around the villas, the rainforest is to be planted right up to the exterior of the buildings allowing the gradual visual disappearance of these buildings as the forest matures around them.

10. Bequest, inspiration and existence

As demonstrated, with a wider range of the community being able to visit and stay overnight, then it could be reasonably considered that O’Reilly’s will positively contribute to this value, and certainly not impact negatively on it.

11. Water catchment

There has been no increased extraction of water by O’Reilly’s since the 1970’s.
Each villa has its own rainwater tank, which will provide a first time experience for many visitors and may contribute to their consideration of such for their home. The tank is highly visual and sited adjacent to the entry to ensure it stays top of mind with visitors.

A Soil and Water Management Plan encompasses sediment and erosion controls measures, and guests are encouraged to report any erosion to management asap.

Threats to World Heritage Values

The strategic threats to GRRA fall into four main categories:

1. Uncontrolled or inappropriate use of fire

As one of O’Reilly’s key outcomes is the regeneration of rainforest in the area, the likelihood of a bush fire is further reduced.
The O’Reilly’s Mountain Villas utilise gas for heating.
No wood fires are allowed on site.

2. Inappropriate recreation and tourism activities

This form of recreation – walking, bird watching and relaxing – is not considered inappropriate. In fact once combined with the educational aspects of the Discovery Program available to the visitors it should be considered a net gain to the communication and understanding of the World Heritage Values of the local area.
The forms of tourism activities such as self-catering accommodation facilities at the O’Reilly’s Mountain Villas are currently not available at either of the resorts within Lamington National Park – O’Reilly’s and Binna Burra. This style of accommodation is generally utilised by families and those on tighter budgets. It is the view of O’Reilly’s that these accommodation facilities will allow those groups greater access to visit and experience the area and stay overnight. Thus, while allowing a greater experience and better affordability by staying overnight as opposed to just visiting during the day, these budget and family visitors are better able to increase their understanding and appreciation of the World Heritage Values.

3. Invasion by pest species

Feral animals and domestic pets of all types are excluded from O’Reilly’s.
Only endemic species are allowed as personal pot plants or hanging baskets.
Weeds are to be eradicated from the site and surrounds and the area maintained thereafter.
Endemic rainforest species to be planted around the Villas and maintained as such thereafter.

4. Loss of biodiversity

This aspect has been assessed as part of a study conducted by Biodiversity Assessment and Management Pty Ltd. on the Fleay’s Barred Frog and Spotted Tailed Quoll. The authors are confident that the proposed mitigation measures for this project are appropriate and adequate and therefore the project will not deleteriously impact on either species.

O’Reilly’s maintains a commitment to protect World Heritage Values, and to educate guests and visitors about the significance of the area to global conservation.

As per the management vision of GRRA we will ensure:
‘The outstanding universal values of the Gondwana Rainforest Reserves of Australia are conserved and protected for present and future generations through coordinated and cooperative management and community involvement. Local communities and visitors are aware of and appreciate the significance of this World Heritage property which will continue to provide for a range of ecologically sustainable tourism, recreational and scientific activities.’

References:

Environmental Protection Agency 2005
Department of Environment and Heritages 2005
UNESCO World Heritage Centre 2005
http://www.environment.gov.au/heritage/places/world/gondwana/values.html

For more information:

‘MOUNTAIN BOWERS – REVIEW OF WORLD HERITAGE VALUES’ by G. Ingham and A. Caneris of Biodiversity Assessment and Management Pty Ltd