| Glass House Mountains National Park | |
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IUCN Category II (National Park)
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Mount Coonowrin, Glass House Mountains |
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| Location | Queensland, Australia |
| Nearest city | Brisbane |
| Established | 1994 |
| Governing body | Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service |
| Official website | |
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 plugs, the cores of extinct volcanoes that formed 27 million to 26 million years ago.[1][2] 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.
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The Glass House Mountains 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.[3] They were so called as the shape of the mountains reminded him of the huge glass furnaces (glasshouses) back in his native Yorkshire.[4][5]
The peaks rise prominently from the surrounding landscape and generally have steep sides.[6] The Glass House Mountains are:
Mount Beerwah is the highest peak within the park at 555 m (1,821 ft). Mount Coonowrin 377 m (1,237 ft)is the second highest and Mount Tibrogargan at 364 m (1,194 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.[7]
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.[3] 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 (pronounced Gubbi Gubbi). Other endemic plants include Gonocarpus effusus, Grevillea hodgei, Westringia grandifolia and Leptospermum oreophyllum [8]
Camp grounds are available at Coochin Creek, west of Beerwah.[6] Lookouts have been built at several of the summits. Access is via the Glass House Mountains Road turnoff from the Bruce Highway.[6]