Glass House Mountains National Park

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Coonowrin, one of the mountains of the Glass House Mountains

Glass House Mountains is a national park in Queensland (Australia), 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 mountains would once have had pyroclastic exteriors, but these have eroded away.

The Glass House Mountains are:

Mount Beerburrum, 276 m
Mount Beerwah, 555 m
Mount Coochin, 235 m
Mount Coonowrin or Crookneck, 377 m
Mount Elimbah, 129 m
Mount Miketeebumulgrai, 199 m
Mount Ngungun, 253 m
Round Mountain
Mount Tibberoowuccum, 220 m
Mount Tibrogargan, 364 m
Mount Tunbubudla or the Twins, 312 and 293 m
Wild Horse Mountain, 123 m

1 Origin of name
2 Fact sheet
3 Aboriginal legend
4 Agriculture
5 See also
6 External links

[edit] Origin of name

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 Endeavour. They were so called as the shape of the mountains reminded him of the huge glass furnaces (glasshouses) back in his native Yorkshire.

[edit] Fact sheet

Area: 8.83 km²
Coordinates: 26°50′51″S, 152°57′15″E
Date of establishment: 1994
Managing authorities: Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service
IUCN category: II

[edit] 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.