O'Reilly's to the Rock - Ben's Back-Pocket Adventure

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16 July

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1000 metres above sea level to zero in 17 hours on foot- that's a challenge in itself. A journey that started just after midnight in the pitch black and took Best Life Adventure's co-founder, Ben Southall, and his five mates over three mountains and saw them scramble, climb and run over 72 kilometres - both on and off trails - to get to their destination, the beach at Currumbin, as the sun set.Why do it? Why not!Ben dreamt up the idea of running along the border from "O'Reilly's to the Rock" during COVID lockdown. As far as he knew, no one had ever run from O'Reilly's Rainforest Retreat deep in Lamington National Park in the Gold Coast Hinterland all the way to the coast in one day. After a few phone calls to check that tracks were open, Ben reached out to Chris from Wild Earth to see if he knew anyone eager enough to embark on a pioneering expedition with him. Campfire chats and beers pre departure from O'Reilly's Rainforest Retreat. Gear ready for the run from O'Reilly's to Currumbin Rock supported by Wild Earth Australia Ben and his fellow runners left just after midnight from the Green Mountains section of Lamington National Park. sunrise springbrook national park Ben refuelling and checking in with the family at one of the checkpoints where the support crew from Wild Earth Australia were ready and waiting. Mount Cougal in Springbrook National Park Ben and the team at Best Life Adventures are very thankful to Wild Earth and O'Reilly's Rainforest Retreat for their support in transforming the idea of "O'Reilly's to the Rock" to a reality. Big thanks also go to Set in Stone Media for the epic video and photo content to help share the story and 7NEWS Gold Coast for sharing the video below. [embed]https://youtu.be/6WjUumldmMk[/embed]