Mount Superbus
Encyclopedia
Mount Superbus lies 150 km (93 mi) south-west of Brisbane
and is South East Queensland
's highest peak at 1375 metres (4500 feet). At this elevation it is the third highest peak in Queensland
. Only Mount Bellenden Ker
at 1593 m and Mount Bartle Frere
at 1622 m in Far North Queensland
are higher.
It has an extensive logging history dating back to the mid-19th century. Mount Superbus was originally covered in dense hoop pine forests. Red cedar
and other valuable timbers were also heavily logged in the area. It is now part of the Main Range National Park
.
The peak is a remnant of the Main Range shield volcano
which erupted between 25 and 22 million years ago.
On the southern most peak just below the summit lies the wreck of a World War II Lincoln bomber. It crashed into the mountain in the early hours of Easter
Saturday morning on 9 April 1955, during a medical evacuation of a sick baby from Townsville
to Eagle Farm airfield in Brisbane
. The crew of four RAAF personnel and the two passengers were all killed in this tragic accident. Most of the wreckage still lies near the summit and is a popular day walk for bushwalkers.
The Condamine River
rises from a spring located on the western slopes of Mount Superbus. Teviot Brook, a major tributary of the Logan River
, has it headwaters on the eastern facing slopes of the mountain.
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...
and is South East Queensland
South East Queensland
South East Queensland is a region of the state of Queensland in Australia, which contains approximately two-thirds of the state population...
's highest peak at 1375 metres (4500 feet). At this elevation it is the third highest peak in 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...
. Only Mount Bellenden Ker
Mount Bellenden Ker
Mount Bellenden Ker is the second highest mountain in Queensland, Australia. It is named after the botanist John Bellenden Ker Gawler. Located 60 km south of Cairns near Babinda, it is adjacent to Mount Bartle Frere, the state's highest peak, part of the Bellenden Ker Range which is also...
at 1593 m and Mount Bartle Frere
Mount Bartle Frere
Mount Bartle Frere is the highest mountain in Queensland at an elevation of 1622 metres. The mountain was named after Sir Henry Bartle Frere, a British colonial administrator and then president of the Royal Geographical Society by George Elphinstone Dalrymple in 1873. Bartle Frere was British...
at 1622 m in Far North Queensland
Far North Queensland
Far North Queensland, or FNQ, is the northernmost part of the Australian state of Queensland. The region, which contains a large section of the Tropical North Queensland area, stretches from the city of Cairns north to the Torres Strait...
are higher.
It has an extensive logging history dating back to the mid-19th century. Mount Superbus was originally covered in dense hoop pine forests. Red cedar
Toona
Toona is a genus of five species of trees in the mahogany family, Meliaceae, native from Afghanistan south to India, and east to North Korea, Papua New Guinea and eastern Australia...
and other valuable timbers were also heavily logged in the area. It is now part of the Main Range National Park
Main Range National Park
Main Range is a mountain range and a national park in Queensland , 85 km southwest of Brisbane. It is part of the World Heritage Site Gondwana Rainforests of Australia . It protects the western part of a semicircle of mountains in South East Queensland known as the Scenic Rim...
.
The peak is a remnant of the Main Range shield volcano
Shield volcano
A shield volcano is a type of volcano usually built almost entirely of fluid lava flows. They are named for their large size and low profile, resembling a warrior's shield. This is caused by the highly fluid lava they erupt, which travels farther than lava erupted from more explosive volcanoes...
which erupted between 25 and 22 million years ago.
On the southern most peak just below the summit lies the wreck of a World War II Lincoln bomber. It crashed into the mountain in the early hours of Easter
Easter
Easter is the central feast in the Christian liturgical year. According to the Canonical gospels, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. His resurrection is celebrated on Easter Day or Easter Sunday...
Saturday morning on 9 April 1955, during a medical evacuation of a sick baby from Townsville
Townsville, Queensland
Townsville is a city on the north-eastern coast of Australia, in the state of Queensland. Adjacent to the central section of the Great Barrier Reef, it is in the dry tropics region of Queensland. Townsville is Australia's largest urban centre north of the Sunshine Coast, with a 2006 census...
to Eagle Farm airfield in 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...
. The crew of four RAAF personnel and the two passengers were all killed in this tragic accident. Most of the wreckage still lies near the summit and is a popular day walk for bushwalkers.
The Condamine River
Condamine River
The Condamine River, part of the Murray-Darling Basin, drains the northern portion of the Darling Downs, an area of sub-coastal southern Queensland, Australia...
rises from a spring located on the western slopes of Mount Superbus. Teviot Brook, a major tributary of the Logan River
Logan River
The Logan River is a river in South East Queensland. The catchment is dominated by urban and agricultural land use. Near the river mouth are mangrove forests and a number of aquaculture farms.-History:...
, has it headwaters on the eastern facing slopes of the mountain.