Glass House Mountains National Park
Encyclopedia
Glass House Mountains National Park is a national park in Queensland
(Australia
), 70 km (43 mi) north of Brisbane
. It consists of a flat plain punctuated by rhyolite
and trachyte
volcanic plug
s, the cores of extinct volcanoes that formed 27 million to 26 million years ago. The mountains would once have had pyroclastic
exteriors, but these have eroded away.
The park was established in 1994. On the 23 June 2010 the Queensland Government announced the expansion of the park to include an additional 2,117 hectares.
were named by Captain James Cook as he sailed north up the coast of what is now Queensland
in 1770 as part of his epic voyage aboard his ship HM Bark Endeavour
. They were so called as the shape of the mountains reminded him of the huge glass furnaces (glasshouses) back in his native Yorkshire
.
The Glass House Mountains are:
Mount Beerwah is the highest peak within the park at 555 m (1,820.9 ft). Mount Coonowrin 377 m (1,236.9 ft)is the second highest and Mount Tibrogargan at 364 m (1,194.2 ft) is the third highest. Walking tracks normally allow access to the summits of Mount Beerwah, Mount Tibrogargan (although Mount Beerwah summit track is closed as of April 2009) and Mount Ngungun, however climbing Mount Coonowrin is prohibited due to the danger of rock falls.
The peaks support a diverse range of habitats including montane heath and shrubland, open forest and woodlands and small rainforest patches on some peaks.
The montane heath
is particularly rich in threatened and endemic species many of which can be found nowhere else. In total there are 26 species of rare vegetation on the heaths. The Glasshouse Mountains Tea Tree Leptospermum leuhmanii is restricted to the peaks and is notable for its beautiful smooth orange bark. The Mount Beerwah Mallee Red Gum Eucalyptus kabiana is also endemic and is named after the local Aboriginal Tribe and traditional owners the Kabi Kabi . Other endemic plants include Gonocarpus
effusus, Grevillea
hodgei, Westringia
grandifolia and Leptospermum
oreophyllum
. Lookouts have been built at several of the summits. Access is via the Glass House Mountains Road turnoff from the Bruce Highway
.
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
(Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
), 70 km (43 mi) north of Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
. It consists of a flat plain punctuated by rhyolite
Rhyolite
This page is about a volcanic rock. For the ghost town see Rhyolite, Nevada, and for the satellite system, see Rhyolite/Aquacade.Rhyolite is an igneous, volcanic rock, of felsic composition . It may have any texture from glassy to aphanitic to porphyritic...
and trachyte
Trachyte
Trachyte is an igneous volcanic rock with an aphanitic to porphyritic texture. The mineral assemblage consists of essential alkali feldspar; relatively minor plagioclase and quartz or a feldspathoid such as nepheline may also be present....
volcanic plug
Volcanic plug
A volcanic plug, also called a volcanic neck or lava neck, is a volcanic landform created when magma hardens within a vent on an active volcano. When forming, a plug can cause an extreme build-up of pressure if volatile-charged magma is trapped beneath it, and this can sometimes lead to an...
s, the cores of extinct volcanoes that formed 27 million to 26 million years ago. The mountains would once have had pyroclastic
Pyroclastic rock
Pyroclastic rocks or pyroclastics are clastic rocks composed solely or primarily of volcanic materials. Where the volcanic material has been transported and reworked through mechanical action, such as by wind or water, these rocks are termed volcaniclastic...
exteriors, but these have eroded away.
The park was established in 1994. On the 23 June 2010 the Queensland Government announced the expansion of the park to include an additional 2,117 hectares.
Origin of name
The Glass House MountainsGlass House Mountains (Queensland)
The Glass House Mountains are a group of eleven hills that rise abruptly from the coastal plain on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia. The highest mountain is Mount Beerwah at 556 m above sea level, but the most identifiable of all the mountains is Mount Tibrogargan which appears like a...
were named by Captain James Cook as he sailed north up the coast of what is now Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
in 1770 as part of his epic voyage aboard his ship HM Bark Endeavour
HM Bark Endeavour
HMS Endeavour, also known as HM Bark Endeavour, was a British Royal Navy research vessel commanded by Lieutenant James Cook on his first voyage of discovery, to Australia and New Zealand from 1769 to 1771....
. They were so called as the shape of the mountains reminded him of the huge glass furnaces (glasshouses) back in his native Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
.
Peaks
The peaks rise prominently from the surrounding landscape and generally have steep sides.The Glass House Mountains are:
- Mount Beerburrum, 276 m
- Mount BeerwahMount BeerwahMount Beerwah is the highest of the ten volcanic plugs in the Glass House Mountains range, 22 km north of Caboolture in South East Queensland, Australia. It was formed 26 million years ago during the tertiary period....
, 555 m - Mount Coochin, 235 m
- Mount CoonowrinMount CoonowrinCoonowrin is one of the Glass House Mountains, located in Queensland, Australia, located 19 km north of Caboolture or about one hour's drive north of Brisbane. It is easily distinguished because of its rocky formation at the top.- Dreamtime mythology :...
or Crookneck, 377 m - Mount Elimbah or The Saddleback, 129 m
- Mount Miketeebumulgrai, 199 m
- Mount Ngungun, 253 m
- Round Mountain
- Mount Tibberoowuccum, 220 m
- Mount TibrogarganMount TibrogarganMount Tibrogargan is one of the many mountains in the Glass House Mountains National Park, north-northwest of Brisbane, Australia. It is a volcanic plug of hard alkali rhyolite that squeezed up into the vents of an ancient volcano 27 million years ago....
, 364 m - Mount Tunbubudla or the Twins, 312 and 293 m
- Wild Horse Mountain, 123 m
Mount Beerwah is the highest peak within the park at 555 m (1,820.9 ft). Mount Coonowrin 377 m (1,236.9 ft)is the second highest and Mount Tibrogargan at 364 m (1,194.2 ft) is the third highest. Walking tracks normally allow access to the summits of Mount Beerwah, Mount Tibrogargan (although Mount Beerwah summit track is closed as of April 2009) and Mount Ngungun, however climbing Mount Coonowrin is prohibited due to the danger of rock falls.
Flora
The montane heath
Heath (habitat)
A heath or heathland is a dwarf-shrub habitat found on mainly low quality acidic soils, characterised by open, low growing woody vegetation, often dominated by plants of the Ericaceae. There are some clear differences between heath and moorland...
is particularly rich in threatened and endemic species many of which can be found nowhere else. In total there are 26 species of rare vegetation on the heaths. The Glasshouse Mountains Tea Tree Leptospermum leuhmanii is restricted to the peaks and is notable for its beautiful smooth orange bark. The Mount Beerwah Mallee Red Gum Eucalyptus kabiana is also endemic and is named after the local Aboriginal Tribe and traditional owners the Kabi Kabi . Other endemic plants include Gonocarpus
Gonocarpus
Gonocarpus is a genus of flowering plants in the family Haloragaceae. The species, which are native to Australia, New Zealand and Malesia, include :*Gonocarpus acanthocarpus Orchard *Gonocarpus benthamii Orchard...
effusus, Grevillea
Grevillea
Grevillea is a diverse genus of about 360 species of evergreen flowering plants in the protea family Proteaceae, native to Australia, New Guinea, New Caledonia, and Sulawesi. It was named in honour of Charles Francis Greville. The species range from prostrate shrubs less than 0.5 m tall to trees...
hodgei, Westringia
Westringia
Westringia is a genus of Australian shrubs. As with other members of the mint family their upper petal is divided into two lobes. There are four stamens - the upper two are fertile while the lower two are reduced to staminodes...
grandifolia and Leptospermum
Leptospermum
Leptospermum is a genus of about 80-86 species of plants in the myrtle family Myrtaceae. Most species are endemic to Australia, with the greatest diversity in the south of the continent; but one species extends to New Zealand, another to Malaysia, and L. recurvum is endemic to Malaysia.They...
oreophyllum
Facilities
Camp grounds are available at Coochin Creek, west of BeerwahBeerwah, Queensland
Beerwah is a town on the Sunshine Coast hinterland in Queensland, Australia. It is situated north of Glass House Mountains, approximately 80 km north of Brisbane, and just south of Landsborough. The main road through Beerwah is called Steve Irwin Way. It was formerly known as the Glasshouse...
. Lookouts have been built at several of the summits. Access is via the Glass House Mountains Road turnoff from the Bruce Highway
Bruce Highway
The Bruce Highway is a major highway in Queensland, Australia. Commencing in the state capital, Brisbane, it passes through areas close to the eastern coast to Cairns in Far North Queensland. The route is a part of the Australian National Highway and also part of Highway 1...
.