Reflections of Our Life on Luke’s Farm By Karleen O’Reilly

A Place Shaped by Family, History and the Land

Every landscape has a story. At Stockyard Creek Farm, those stories have been unfolding for more than a century.

Perched 930 metres above sea level in Queensland’s Scenic Rim, Stockyard Creek is a place where rolling paddocks meet ancient Gondwana rainforest, where generations of the O’Reilly family lived, worked and raised their children. Today, guests are invited to experience the same peaceful surrounds that have shaped family life here since 1911.

The beautifully restored Luke’s Farm House and Marie’s Dairy offer more than a country escape—they provide a rare opportunity to stay somewhere with genuine history. Every hillside, walking track and weathered timber beam carries the legacy of those who first carved a home from the rainforest more than one hundred years ago.

Few people know this place as intimately as Karleen O’Reilly, daughter of Luke and Marie O’Reilly. Growing up on the farm during the 1930s and 40s, her childhood was one of horseback rides to school, afternoons exploring creeks and waterfalls, and a life lived simply amongst the beauty of the mountain.

In her own words, Karleen reflects on a childhood filled with resilience, adventure and gratitude—a heartfelt account that captures the spirit of Stockyard Creek far better than any history book ever could.

We invite you to settle in, slow down, and discover the story behind this remarkable place through the memories of someone who proudly called it home.

Reflections of Our Life on Luke’s Farm
By Karleen O’Reilly

The history of Luke’s farm began, in 1911, when Luke O’Reilly, with his two brothers, Pat and Joe, and five cousins came to Queensland from the Blue Mountains in NSW. They took up government land selections on the condition they established dairy farms in this subtropical primeval rainforest, now known as O’Reilly’s Plateau in Lamington National Park.

After years of arduous, backbreaking work, using axes and crosscut saws, they cleared the rainforest and established their farms. A steep narrow track was made alongside Luke’s Bluff for access to and from Kerry Valley (the Kerry Trail).

Luke married Marie Enright from Beaudesert in 1934. They lived on the mountain and raised six children. It was a hard life — initially with no electricity, roads or phones — but life was rewarding and carefree living in this breathtakingly beautiful place. Exploring creeks, waterfalls and the nearby forest was of great wonder to the children. The older children rode horses to the Guesthouse, now O’Reilly’s famous Rainforest Retreat, to attend correspondence school with their cousins. Such wonderfully happy memories.

Luke suffered ill health and died in 1946. The family moved to Beaudesert. Share farmers continued dairying for a few years until the family used it as a beef cattle grazing property. Luke’s family continued to visit and stay on the Mountain for many enjoyable happy years.

The family sold the property in 2022 to cousins of the O’Reillys and families from the Scenic Rim area, whom they knew would care for this special place and preserve its history.

We will be forever grateful to our father, Luke, and our mother, Marie, for giving us this God-given privilege of living in this special place of immense beauty. We are also pleased now that others can enjoy this privilege too.

Our Vision Today

Stockyard Creek remains a living tribute to the O’Reilly family’s resilience, pioneering spirit and deep connection to nature.

You are welcome to explore its paddocks, pause at Ding Bing Falls along Stockyard Creek, or take in breathtaking views from Luke’s Bluff at sunrise or sunset.

While you enjoy this place, please respect the land’s natural rhythms and the livestock that graze here — they are part of it’s living story.