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.
