Glass House Mountains courtesy of Tourism Queensland
Named by Captain Cook, the Glass House Mountains are a must see for tourists and a favourite with locals. Their forms range from the steep fingerlike spike of Mount Coonowrin to the hulking mass of Tibrogargan. The Glass House Mountains are only 60 kilometres north of Brisbane and can be seen on a clear day from the top of the Gateway Bridge as you drive north. It's easy to reach them for a day trip to go bushwalking or rock climbing.
Travel for about 45 minutes north of Brisbane along the Bruce Highway. Take the Steve Irwin Way exit (yes, Australia Zoo is very close to the Glass House Mountains). Or you could catch the train to Beerburrum, Glass House Mountains or Beerwah stations and explore from there.
An Aboriginal creation legend of the Glass House Mountains tells a tale of a pregnant Beerwah mountain mother, father Tibrogargan and son Coonowrin. The son's neck is broken as punishment (resulting in the shape of the volcanic plug) and the father never looks at his son again. Both mother and father cry tears (seen as streams running down the mountains). It's a wonderful legend which comes to life when you see the mountains up close.
The 377 metre high Coonowrin is the most obvious but cannot be climbed for safety reasons. Beerwah is tallest at 555m and Tibrogargan sits at 364m. Eight mountains are protected in the Glass House Mountains National Park and several State Forests. Pine plantations and farmland separate the peaks.
For details on the various walking tracks (some are more difficult than others), read the information supplied by National Parks. There are short easy tracks but you can also be challenged by steep climbs and rock climbing sections. There is reasonable signage along the main road.
You can have a picnic or BBQ in the parks, or else enjoy the good food and characters of local townships (from south to north) in:
- Beerburrum - small town with road leading to the base of Mt Beerburrum. Railway station in town and only 1kilometre to the mountain.
- Glass House Mountains township - can ride a bike from the train station to the entrance of the National Park (Ngungun section).
- Beerwah - there's a good pub at Beerwah or cafes at nearby Landsborough.
The area is a fertile agricultural area, growing crops of pineapples, strawberries, macadamia nuts, avocados and tobacco. You'll find roadside produce stalls selling local fruit and veges too.
You might like to extend your day trip up the range to visit the towns of Maleny, Montville and Mapleton, about 30 minutes drive away.
