Lamington National Park Celebrates 90th Anniversary

The  fight for protection of the ‘Green behind the Gold’, that priceless area of World Heritage Listed  rainforest-covered mountains and valleys of the Gold Coast  hinterland, was a long and dogged campaign  90 years ago. Tony Walsh reports.

And  to excuse the pun, the early environmentalists did not have an easy ‘walk in the park’ to achieve their aims. Dr Tony Young, author/editor, of an in-depth historical and access CD-Guide of Lamington National Park explains: “From the 1840’s to the turn of the century and later, this was the time of settlement in Queensland when the pioneers literally lived off the land,  ringbarking and burning the scrub to  establish dairy farms  after the timber getters had gone through in their search for cedar and other prized timbers.

“The policies of the government of the day  directly progressed this destruction as often virgin land was released to settlers on the condition that ‘improvements’ be made; usually a percentage of the land to be cleared.” 

Fortunately, land conservation was also high on the agenda in the United States of America and in 1872 Yellowstone was proclaimed the first National Park in the US and indeed the world 

In the same CD, Bill Flenady, a former senior ranger of Lamington National Park compiled A Brief  History of The  Creation of Lamington National Park and here the roles of two of the main drivers of that movement  are highlighted.

A local lad, Robert Collins, had seen through his own eyes what potential this high  country had for  preservation for future generations but did not really know how to go about securing is protection. A trip to the US  in 1878 gave him his blueprint when he heard about the perpetual protection of Yellowstone National Park
   
Collins entered Parliament and also joined the Royal Geographical Society. Through these forums he was able to push the cause for conservation and network with important people to assist his case. One of these was the then Queensland Governor-general, Lord Lamington.

Lord Lamington Shoots Koala

Such was the enthusiasm of Collins that Lamington agreed to come to see the mountains for himself, but Lamington  disgraced himself in the eyes of the lovers of Nature when  barely out of the sound of  hand clapping  from the locals,  he stopped and shot a koala out of a tree!.
 
He is recorded as having said later in a state of remorse, ‘… its dying cries were terrible. They haunted me for years afterwards…’

With the conservation movement gradually gaining support through the population, the government responded on  the  6th of  November 1906, when a State Forest and National Park Bill was passed in both Houses of State Parliament.

The honour of being the first gazetted  National Park in Queensland goes to Witches Falls at Mt Tamborine in the Gold Coast hinterland on the 1st January 1907.

Though there is a sense that some in the bureaucracy could not see the conservation value of the 324 acre site as it was officially described as ‘..unfit for any other purpose...’. Bunya Mountains was declared in 1908 and Cunningham’s Gap, now part of Main Range National Park, in 1909.”

Noosa National Park was proclaimed in 1939.

Bill Flenady records that Collins died  on 18 August 1913 without seeing his vision of a Lamington National Park become a reality. Despite this, Robert Collins unceasing efforts to have the Lamington National Park created has rightly earned him the title of ‘The Father of the National Park system in Queensland.’

In an ironic twist, it was left to the son of  a  saw miller to  continue  the struggle to have the area declared a national park.

Romeo Lahey, born at Pimpama in 1887, was the son of David Lahey, owner of the Canungra sawmill. David Lahey was an enlightened man who was keen to see areas preserved in their natural state, and was an early practitioner of reforestation. Romeo grew up in sight of the ranges and spent much of his spare time exploring the hills.

Romeo continued the fight for years with mixed minor successes and setbacks.  He garnered what today would be called ‘people power’ and  hired halls for his illustrated talks and staged dances at the end of the shows; all at his own expense.

In one letter, he wrote to the  Minister for Lands, Mr James Tolmie,  proposing 10 reasons supporting gazettal of the National Park and in a second advising that he had obtained over 500 signatures on a petition. These signatures were collected in the area adjoining the proposed National Park, proof that ‘the people up there wanted it’.  Lahey also suggested ‘Woonoongoora’ as a name for the park.

At the general election of 22 May 1915, the Denham Liberal government was defeated. The Labour government appointed John McEwan Hunter as Minister for Lands on 1 June.

Lahey then contacted Hunter who approved  the proposal, and on  the 30th of  July,  he placed the Ministerial seal. On  the 31st July 1915, 47 000 acres in County of Ward, parishes of Kerry, Roberts, Numinbah and Telemon were gazetted as Lamington National Park and the dream of Robert Collins at last became a reality.

Lamington National Park – World Heritage Listed

Lamington National Park is now an important part of the Central Eastern Rainforest Reserves of Australia  (CERRA) World Heritage Listed area which includes the most extensive subtropical rainforest in the world. It is home to the ancient Antarctic beech trees, the root systems of some of the trees are more than 5000 years old!

The park now covers 20,600 hectares and rises to more than 1100 metres on the crest of the McPherson Range which straddles the Queensland – New South Wales state border. A fact still not very well known is that the park  is made up of two sections: Binna Burra and O’Reilly’s Green Mountains.

Binna Burra  Mountain Lodge (1933) and O’Reilly’s Rainforest Guesthouse (1926)  are two of the longest - established national park accommodation facilities in Australia and are joined by the scenic 23 km Border Track which is one of the top ten walking tracks in Australia and New Zealand.

Travel Access: Binna Burra Mountain Lodge has just released a three-night, mid-week package. Priced from $354.00 per person, including breakfast, twin share in a budget cabin,  guided park walks and adventure activities, it also includes a special bonus per booking – a free interpretive CD (normal price $40.00) on Lamington National Park.  The CD, by author/editor, Dr Tony Young and assistant photographer, Linus Bagley, has in-depth coverage of the park’s 90-year history as well as comprehensive detail on the extensive bush walks and flora and fauna.

For reservations, Phone 07  5533 3622 or 1800 074 260. email res@binnaburralodge.com.au website: www.binnaburralodge.com.au