Lamington hike - Stinson plane wreck
Posted: Sun 06 Jun, 2010 6:23 pm
Hi all,
I had a great day out in the bush yesterday, hiking up to the Stinson plane wreck in Lamington NP with three mates. Thought I would like to share some photos and info about the walk. Due to the shorter winter days we started walking at 07:00 and arrived at the crash site by approximately 10:15. It was tough going up the ridge from Christmas Creek as it was very slippery (due to it being a rainforest!), with many potential areas for slipping.
After 73 years of sitting in the rainforest the wreck is just a few pieces of twisted steel. At the wreck there is a logbook, which we signed, as well as a grave and memorial for the victims of the crash. After contemplating the toughness and bush skills of Bernard O’Reilly, the man who found the aircraft and organised the rescue of the two survivors, we headed up to Lookout Point, which is on the escarpment looking over the Mt Warning Caldera in northern NSW. There a great view of the region from here, as well as views east along the McPherson Ranges. A real appreciation can be gained of just how rugged the terrain is in the region from this spot (though anyone walking in Lamington NP gets an appreciation of the ruggedness of the landscape very quickly!).
After a rest and lunch we headed back the way we came at around 12:00. The track down the ridge was even more perilous than when walking up, and I landed on my backside more than once! Boot tread fills up with mud very quickly, and every time we took a break I was digging out the mud with a stick. The walk from the bottom of the ridge back to the car takes approximately 1 hour and we were back at the car by 15:00. Not a bad effort and plenty of daylight to spare!
In addition to the wreck, the views from the lookout, the region is home to the rare Albert’s Lyre Bird, which is only found in the McPherson Ranges. Breeding season occurs from May to August and we heard a number of them on our walk. We almost came across one singing out just off the path, but copious amounts of wait-a-while vine (actually a climbing palm with very sharp spines) deterred us from looking for it!
That said, the region contains habitats for numerous rare plants and animals. While I recommend the walk up to the wreck, I imagine that erosion on the ridge takes its toll on the immediate environment and damage to the soil, roots of trees and vines are evident.
For those who do not know the story of the Stinson crash and the rescue of the two survivors, the book Green Mountains by Bernard O’Reilly is the first hand account by the rescuer. The following is a brief version of events:
On the 19th of February, 1937, a Stinson airliner with 2 crew and 5 passengers was flying over the McPherson Ranges from Brisbane to Sydney via Casino in northern NSW, when is crash in bad weather. Rescue efforts took place off the coast of Sydney as witnesses had claimed to have seen it fly over down the NSW coast. However, locals in the valleys at the foot of the McPherson Ranges had reported the plane flying on course over the ranges towards the south, on course to Casino. Bernard O’Reilly of O’Reilly’s Guest House decided to go looking for the plane, based on fact that locals had seen it on course heading over the ranges AND that it never arrived in Casino. All he had for navigation was an aerial chart (no topo maps of the region back then), local knowledge of terrain, observations which side of trees the moss was growing to tell which way south was (though in the moister parts of Lamington there is moss all the way around trees!), and observations of what species were flowering to discern altitude.
On the morning of the second day he spotted a burnt tree on the landscape, 10 or more km away. By late afternoon he contacted the two survivors, 10 days after the crash. Three men had actually survived, however one, Jim Westray, went for help and died after falling over a waterfall. O’Reilly went down Christmas Creek and found Westray’s body soon after. When he got to the first property, O’Reilly began to organise a rescue party consisting mainly of local graziers. By the next day they had a doctor up with the two survivors, and the following day a track had been cut and the survivors were hauled out on stretchers. Westray’s body was also buried in a small clearing by Christmas Creek, and is located just up-stream of the bottom of the ridge track to the wreck.
My thoughts at the Stinson wreck site were of amazement that anyone survived and that O’Reilly found them in such thick rainforest. The plane could hardly have crashed in a more remote and rugged part of Queensland!
Anyhow, I have attached some pictures (hopefully it works, this is the first time for me). I recommend this walk to anyone who loves bush walking, rainforests and history! Just take care climbing up the ridge!!
I had a great day out in the bush yesterday, hiking up to the Stinson plane wreck in Lamington NP with three mates. Thought I would like to share some photos and info about the walk. Due to the shorter winter days we started walking at 07:00 and arrived at the crash site by approximately 10:15. It was tough going up the ridge from Christmas Creek as it was very slippery (due to it being a rainforest!), with many potential areas for slipping.
After 73 years of sitting in the rainforest the wreck is just a few pieces of twisted steel. At the wreck there is a logbook, which we signed, as well as a grave and memorial for the victims of the crash. After contemplating the toughness and bush skills of Bernard O’Reilly, the man who found the aircraft and organised the rescue of the two survivors, we headed up to Lookout Point, which is on the escarpment looking over the Mt Warning Caldera in northern NSW. There a great view of the region from here, as well as views east along the McPherson Ranges. A real appreciation can be gained of just how rugged the terrain is in the region from this spot (though anyone walking in Lamington NP gets an appreciation of the ruggedness of the landscape very quickly!).
After a rest and lunch we headed back the way we came at around 12:00. The track down the ridge was even more perilous than when walking up, and I landed on my backside more than once! Boot tread fills up with mud very quickly, and every time we took a break I was digging out the mud with a stick. The walk from the bottom of the ridge back to the car takes approximately 1 hour and we were back at the car by 15:00. Not a bad effort and plenty of daylight to spare!
In addition to the wreck, the views from the lookout, the region is home to the rare Albert’s Lyre Bird, which is only found in the McPherson Ranges. Breeding season occurs from May to August and we heard a number of them on our walk. We almost came across one singing out just off the path, but copious amounts of wait-a-while vine (actually a climbing palm with very sharp spines) deterred us from looking for it!
That said, the region contains habitats for numerous rare plants and animals. While I recommend the walk up to the wreck, I imagine that erosion on the ridge takes its toll on the immediate environment and damage to the soil, roots of trees and vines are evident.
For those who do not know the story of the Stinson crash and the rescue of the two survivors, the book Green Mountains by Bernard O’Reilly is the first hand account by the rescuer. The following is a brief version of events:
On the 19th of February, 1937, a Stinson airliner with 2 crew and 5 passengers was flying over the McPherson Ranges from Brisbane to Sydney via Casino in northern NSW, when is crash in bad weather. Rescue efforts took place off the coast of Sydney as witnesses had claimed to have seen it fly over down the NSW coast. However, locals in the valleys at the foot of the McPherson Ranges had reported the plane flying on course over the ranges towards the south, on course to Casino. Bernard O’Reilly of O’Reilly’s Guest House decided to go looking for the plane, based on fact that locals had seen it on course heading over the ranges AND that it never arrived in Casino. All he had for navigation was an aerial chart (no topo maps of the region back then), local knowledge of terrain, observations which side of trees the moss was growing to tell which way south was (though in the moister parts of Lamington there is moss all the way around trees!), and observations of what species were flowering to discern altitude.
On the morning of the second day he spotted a burnt tree on the landscape, 10 or more km away. By late afternoon he contacted the two survivors, 10 days after the crash. Three men had actually survived, however one, Jim Westray, went for help and died after falling over a waterfall. O’Reilly went down Christmas Creek and found Westray’s body soon after. When he got to the first property, O’Reilly began to organise a rescue party consisting mainly of local graziers. By the next day they had a doctor up with the two survivors, and the following day a track had been cut and the survivors were hauled out on stretchers. Westray’s body was also buried in a small clearing by Christmas Creek, and is located just up-stream of the bottom of the ridge track to the wreck.
My thoughts at the Stinson wreck site were of amazement that anyone survived and that O’Reilly found them in such thick rainforest. The plane could hardly have crashed in a more remote and rugged part of Queensland!
Anyhow, I have attached some pictures (hopefully it works, this is the first time for me). I recommend this walk to anyone who loves bush walking, rainforests and history! Just take care climbing up the ridge!!