IN February 1937, a Stinson airliner left Brisbane on route for Sydney via Lismore with seven people on board. It never arrived in Lismore and despite an intensive search no trace of the plane was found. Nine days after the crash, Beaudesert grazier Bernard O'Reilly set out on foot to find the Stinson wreckage. His story is now legend, and the trail to the plane wreck is the theme of one extraordinary guided walk.
An hour and a half from Brisbane, Great Walks ventured into Lamington National Park along an inhospitable area thick with impenetrable vegetation. The track through Christmas Creek mirrors the way O’Reilly traversed to find help from the local community after he discovered the plane. It's not clearly marked but our guides from O’Reilly's Rainforest Retreat knew the way.
The creek bed was strewn with good sized boulders perfect for making a sometimes lessthan-agile crossing. We travelled creek-side for a short distance before joining a path that winds through the trees. Occasionally we were back to boulder hopping, as we encountered tributaries that feed the creek. This is flash flood
