On top of the world
O’Reilly’s set to sign Queensland-first agreement with State
A QUEENSLAND-first deal to allow a commercial eco-tourism operation in a national park is a step closer to reality with a lease set to be signed as early as next month.
Tourism identity Shane O’Reilly, managing director of O’Reilly’s Rainforest Resort and chairman of the Queensland Tourism Industry Council, has been pushing to renew the popular Green Mountains Campground for more than a decade.
The partnership, similar to that used in wildly successful Tasmanian eco-tourism projects, would see O’Reilly’s upgrade then manage the campground, returning 7 per cent of revenue to the State and relieving taxpayers of maintenance on the site.
Plans include “floating” tents among the trees, ready-made family campsites, a communal fire pit and new cooking facilities to transform one of the state’s most popular campsites into a Gold Coast eco-tourism magnet. Existing campsites would be retained without significant changes to pricing.
The O’Reilly family originally owned the former cattle grazing land, nestled in the middle of World Heritage Gondwanaland rainforest, but sold it to the Anglican Church which in turn sold it to the State.
The proposal was approved by the Federal Environment Department last year.
Mr O’Reilly said he’d spoken to State representatives late last week who said the leases were almost ready.
“By the sounds of things, once the road has been fully completed, within the next two or three weeks, they will then be bringing the draft leases to us — in the new year or as soon as December,” he said.
“It’s up to us then essentially to decide when we sign that and when the process starts.”
Mr O’Reilly said he’d have to review the initial plans as so many years had lapsed since his application.
“We’ll have to go back to square one on the project as there may have been changes with suppliers, techniques and technology,” he said.
“It will take some months but we are still trying our best to see if we can be working on that site by the end of the Easter holidays.
“If we can get our ducks in a row, we could open by the September school holidays.”
Mr O’Reilly is today featured in the 2018 Gold Coast Bulletin Power 100, jumping seven spots from 77 to 70.
The Power 100 will be released in full in a gloss magazine in Friday’s Bulletin and subscribers to goldcoastbulletin.com.au can see daily instalments, with numbers 100-61 online today.
A further 20 daily online tomorrow and Thursday ahead of the full list on Friday.