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Description
Glass House Mountains is a national park in Queensland, 70 km northeast of Brisbane. It consists of a flat plain punctuated by volcanic plugs, the cores of extinct volcanoes that formed 25 million to 27 million years ago.
The Glass House Mountains were named by 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. They were so called as the shape of the mountains reminded him of the huge glass furnaces (glasshouses) back in his native Yorkshire.
Mt Beerwah is the highest of these peaks at 556 metres. Mt Coonowrin 377 metres is the second highest and presently illegal to climb by Queensland government regulations due to its unstable composition, especially near the summit. Mt Tibrogargan 364 metres is the third highest of these magnificant volcanic plugs.
Since gaining World Heritage listing in 2006 Mt Beerwah has become a mecca for international tourists and environmentalists. It is legal to climb Mt Beerwah and Mt Tibrogargan however many visitors become intimidated by the steepness of these peaks and fail to fully appreciate the grandeur of the area from their summits.
Aboriginal legend
In the Aboriginal legend the mountains are members of a family with the father being Mount Tibrogargan and the mother Mount Beerwah. All of the other mountains are sons and daughters with the eldest being Mount Coonowrin.
Tibrogargan, the father, observes that the sea is rising and asks that Conowrin the eldest son help their pregnant mother to safety. Terrified, Coonowrin instead flees. Infuriated by his sons cowardice Tibrogargan pursues him and strikes him so hard that he dislocates Coonowrin's neck.
Once the danger passes Coonowrin feels tremendous guilt for his actions and asks his father, brothers and sisters for forgiveness but all wept with shame. This is said to explain the many small streams that flow through the area. Tibrogargan turned his back on Coonowrin and gazes out to sea refusing to look at his son Coonowrin who continues to hang his head in shame and cry.
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