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| I used to drive from Cairns
down to Macksville in NSW and sometimes to Sydney too with my
lovely dog Ceilidh. As I drove along the highway North of Brisbane, through the hinterland
of the Sunshine Coast, I would catch a glimpse of an imposing
rock which I later found out formed part of the Glasshouse Mountains. I felt the rock was calling me, each time I passed that way I was drawn to it. As it happened, the rock was Tibrogargan and he wasn't calling me, he was just looking out to sea. |
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The Aboriginal Legend of Glass House Mountains
It is said that Tibrogargan, the father, and Beerwah, the mother, had many children. Coonowrin the eldest, Beerburrum, the Tunbubudla twins, the Coochin twins, Ngungun, Tibberoowuccum, Miketebumulgrai, and Saddleback. There was Round who was fat and small and Wildhorse who was always paddling in the sea.
One day, Tibrogargan was gazing out to sea and noticed a great rising of the waters. Hurrying off to gather his younger children, in order to flee to the safety of the mountains in the west, he called out to Coonowrin to help his mother Beerwah, who was again with child.
Looking back to see how Coonowrin was assisting Beerwah, Tibrogargan was greatly angered to see him running off alone. He pursued Coonowrin and, raising his club, struck the latter such a mighty blow that it dislodged Coonowrin’s neck, and he has never been able to straighten it since.
When the floods had subsided and the family returned to the plains, the other children teased Coonowrin about his crooked neck. Feeling ashamed, Coonowrin went over to Tibrogargan and asked for his forgiveness, but filled with shame at his son’s cowardice, Tibrogargan could do nothing but weep copious tears, which, trickling along the ground, formed a stream that flowed into the sea. Then Coonowrin went to his brothers and sisters, but they also wept at the shame of their brother’s cowardice. The lamentations of Coonowrin’s parents and of his brothers and sisters at his disgrace explain the presence of the numerous small streams of the area.
Tibrogargan then called to Coonowrin, asking him why he had deserted his mother. Coonowrin replied that as Beerwah was the biggest of them all she should be able to take care of herself. He did not know that she was again pregnant, which was the reason for her great size. Then Tibrogargan turned his back on his son and vowed that he would never look at him again.
Even today Tibrogargan gazes far out to sea and never looks around at Coonowrin, who hangs his head and cries, his tears running off to the sea. His mother Beerwah is still heavy with child, as it takes a long, long time to give birth to a mountain.
Aboriginal Legend from the website Glasshouse Country |
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What fascinates me, as you drive around the Glass House Mountains they have a different presence depending upon the angle and the time of day. My friend Pat and I spent four days in the area and we stayed at the Eco Lodge which is almost beneath Tibrogargan (above). When I stood at the lookout far on the hill I was drawn to this area and without knowing it we decided to stay at the eco lodge right in the presence of the mountain itself. The lodge was comfortable enough, being eco though our room did not have air conditioning but was quite cool anyway. They have railway carriages which have a fully equipped kitchen with food you can buy and cook yourself, you can bring your own or you can go eat locally at the Beerwah pub or the township of Glass House Mountains. There is also a lounge, a library and an orchard with some interesting artworks hidden around the place. You are encouraged to help yourself to the fruit. The mosquito's were fierce when we were there, in fact the whole district was alive with them so take plenty of insect repellent. Some of the photos are tagged so if you point at them information may pop up |
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Early the first morning Pat and I decided we would walk around Tibrogargan. The mountain is only a few metres up the road from the eco lodge but we drove to the car park seeing as we were not sure how long or tough the walk was. There were a couple of walks, one around the perimeter of the rock, one which climbed part way up and another which included a longer hike into the bush. We opted for the walk around the perimeter. We ambled along and stopped about every half hour to reapply the mozzie spray, they were amazingly keen that day but armed with enough spray we didn't get bitten. There were benches along the way and we paused and reflected, the bush was very quiet and serene. I sat a while and began to think about the aborigines whose sacred place this was. There is little evidence of them in the area it is as though they existed and left no footprints, their spirits are probably around but did not seem intrusive. Below are some photos taken on this walk |
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Of course they are not proper mountains, not like Kilimanjaro, Ben Nevis or the Alps. Mt Beerwah is the tallest at 556 metres which is over 1500 feet, but you must admit they are interesting to look at and they are high enough for me.
Why are they called "The Glasshouse Mountains"
It was Captain James Cook who named them on 17 May 1770, he said: "These hills lie but a little way inland, and not far from each other: they are remarkable for the singular form of their elevation, which very much resembles a glass house, and for this reason I called them Glass Houses."
At first I thought he must have been on drugs if he thought these lumps resembled glasshouses but I spent the 4 days in the area and saw them in the early morning light as well as midday and at sunset and when the eastern sun hits them they do actually look quite glassy, especially Tibrogargan, Coonowrin looked glassy at sunset, so perhaps he was not as silly as I thought. In any case it is a nice name. |
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| Tibrogargan |
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A few pictures of the different faces of Tibrogargan. we spent the 4 days driving around the area looking at the different mountains from all angles. We only walked around Tibrogargan, there are lots of walks to take in this region. There is a wonderful visitor centre in the Township of Glass House Mountains on Steve Irwin Way so I recommend you drop in there no matter why you have come to the area.
The photos do not do the mountains justice and obviously cannot convey the magnetism I felt in the area. It is a place I would consider moving to. The area from Glass House Mountains through to Yandina and Buderim have always been favourites of mine.
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Coonowrin |
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Beerwah |
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Sorry there are so many photos, I am a bit obsessed by the mountains, mostly just the three main ones as you can tell, they feature a lot here. But do not stop now, not content with sleeping almost beneath one mountain, walking around it, and driving to the others and walking around a bit I just had to have one more view didn't I? Being an excessive and not knowing the meaning of moderation we took to the air in a hot air balloon but first let me tell you a little bit about the technicalities of the mountains. |
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Between 30 and 22 million years ago, this region of south-east Queensland was rocked by prolonged volcanic activity, caused by the continent moving over a 'hot-spot' in the Earth's mantle beneath the crust. In the Maleny district about 29 million years ago one or more volcanoes began to erupt basalt lava flows, filling many of the valleys of the district and eventually building up broad, gently sloping plains and shield shaped mountains (shield Volcanoes).
The Glasshouse Mountains are the remnant cores of volcanoes active about 25 million years ago. They were formed as molten rock was forced out of vents from within the earth. As these flows of magma cooled over a period they solidified into conal shapes of hard rocks. (rhyolite and trachyte).
Erosion of the surrounding softer sand stone over millions of years has lowered the ground level to where we live to day. The only testimony to this violent volcanic era are the Mountains we see.
Mount Beerwah at 556 metres high is the "Mother by legend" and the grandest of all the mountains.
Mt.Tibrogargan is relatively smaller at 364 metres but still impressive with it's distinctive Aboriginal face looking east towards the Pacific being very visible from Glasshouse Mountains Road. At 375 metres high Mt.Coonowrin (Crookneck from the legend) is possibly the most striking of the group with a bare tooth like appearance. Very photogenic from the Old Gympie Road area.
To the south are The Tunbubudla or sometime called The Twins at 338 and 294 metres. Somewhat smaller but still very dominant in size.
A total of 15 mountains of various sizes cover an area of over 600,000 hectares from Mt Mellum in the north to Round Mountain south of Elimbah, to the lesser Wild Horse Mountain at 123 metres high on the Bruce Highway to the east. |
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Just in case you think we spent the entire 4 days completely obsessed with mountains I thought I best tell you about our little diversions. We did drop into Maleny, mostly to take pictures from the lookout not far from there and for me to see the township as I had heard a lot about it. We wandered around the shops and had lunch at the pub. Maleny is rather well known for its alternate type lifestyle a little like Kuranda up near Cairns. We didn't see much evidence of that but there are a lot of spiritually and artistically oriented people living around there and the countryside is stunning. The header to this page is a photo taken from Mountain View Road near the Mary Cairncross Scenic reserve. We didn't get to Montville which is another arty kind of place and I must go there one day.
We also lunched and dinner ed a lot and we decided we liked the pub at Glass House Mountains better than the recommended Beerwah pub. The Beerwah pub was packed and obviously the place to go for visitors and locals but I preferred the menu at the GHM Pub and there was no queue for ordering food.
Another diversion was a nice drive through all the little townships in the area. It is just gorgeous countryside. We visited the Chenrezig Tibetan Buddhist Centre, spending time meandering around, ringing the bells and spinning the prayer wheels (Stupa). We chilled out and felt very peaceful and calm as we headed back down the stairs to the car park. Unconsciously Pat swatted a mosquito on her arm and then said "shit" I didn't mean to do that" (buddhist philosophy does not permit the killing of living creatures) and then she said "oh damn, I didn't mean to swear". Being an enlightened being can be difficult sometimes. Chenrezig has certain days for visitors when the cafe and information centre is open so if you are going to visit please see their web site for details |
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At left is the Namgyalma Stupa.
"This Namgyalma or Long Life Stupa is dedicated to the remembrance of Lama Thubten Yeshe, and the the long life of his present incarnation Tenzin Osel Rinpoche. Built over a period of 3 years it was completed in 1993.
A stupa symbolizes the enlightened mind of Buddha; that is a mind that is free of all negativity and has attained perfect compassion, wisdom and power. Each separate level of the path to the stupa represents a stage to the of enlightenment.
The long life stupa commemorates Shakyamuni Buddha's prolongation of his life by three months when he was 80 years old. It contains many holy objects including images of Buddha, sacred mantra and blessed relics of Buddhist saints. The Namgyalma statue in the niche at the front of the stupa is the female deity for long life.
Circumambulating this Stupa in a clockwise direction creates merit, or positive energy, the cause of happiness now and in the future"
We circumambulated it as directed, there it is spinning below. Pity about the dead mosquito, we were doing well up until then
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| From the Air |
If you think it is pretty amazing that hot air balloons fly with all those people in the basket hanging below them, let me tell you that it is nothing compared to me getting out of bed before the sun has risen. Some things are worth putting yourself out for, this was one of them. The background to this page is also the dawn sky on the clouds.
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I went hot air ballooning on the Atherton Tablelands a couple of years ago but with Raging Thunder you arrive in the dark and the balloons are already assembled and inflated because they have a large crew to do the work for you. In The Glass House Mountains is the company you go with and you meet Andy Davis in the dark at Beerwah Hideaway Bed and Breakfast, you climb in the troop carrier with your fellow passengers, the balloon on the trailer on the back and off you go into the night. When you get to this empty space you get to help get the basket and balloon and gas bottles off the trailer and assemble and inflate the balloon. Well the others did I was too busy taking pictures of the sunrise. |
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Almost ready for the off. Before we go let me tell you about my friends and why we were there. I am a bit like Toad of Toad hall. When i see something I want it. I didn't actually see the hot air balloon, I was standing in the information centre and suddenly through wouldn't it be good to fly over the mountains so I asked about hot air ballooning and we were in luck. When I say "we" I guess I mean I was in luck. My friend Pat had been given a hot air balloon trip for her birthday and she was very nervous about the idea and wasn't sure she would cope. I assured her it was not scary, but then again that just means I am not scared, mostly because I am so busy hanging over the side looking at the view that I forget I am perched in a very small basket beneath a bit of silk or nylon or whatever balloons are made of, reliant on a bit of gas to keep it up in the air. Since Linda was joining us for the day when we would be up there we had to ask if she wanted to go, she was more nervous than Pat but she gritted her teeth and said yes. We were also in luck, Sky drifter had three spare places on the balloon and the weather was fine. Just look at that gorgeous dawn, almost worth getting up early for every morning. Almost but not quite, at least I have this picture I can look at any time of the day. |
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I look pretty blissed out and relaxed but Linda and Pat were smiling through gritted teeth. They settled down though and ended up enjoying the ride. The chap in the photo above is Andy Davis, the owner of Skydrifer , the only company that does hot air ballooning over the Glasshouse Mountains. I find it so hard to believe that there is only one company doing it, it is such a top spot for ballooning. There are scenic flights which run from the coast but I think Ballooning is the only way to go. Here is an after shot of Pat and Linda once they got used to the idea that they couldn't just climb out and walk home |
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It's hard not to shriek when the flames roar out but it seems quite safe. Andy said it was amazing how many panels of a balloon you could burn out and the balloon would still fly. He said they have to learn that at pilot school, the hard way. The first ballooning experience I had with Raging Thunder, not only had the balloons up and ready to go but the baskets were bigger too. In this little one we were close to the gas and the flame so it was hotter, we also seemed to need to use the gas a lot, probably because there was very little wind that day to make us drift. I did enjoy the ride though. |
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We landed on a pineapple plantation, we managed to miss the pineapple fields otherwise we would have had lots of scratches on us and might have been chased by an irate farmer. I had no idea this was not part of the plan but hot air balloons go where the wind takes them and, although they have a rough idea of wind direction, we tested it with weather balloons twice before we went to the trouble of assembling the balloon, the wind will do as it does. The man who owned the place drove up to see what was happening and there I was chatting away to him about his nice plantation and his rows and rows of pineapples when Andy came over with a bottle of champagne. Apparently if you land in someone's property tradition has it that a bottle is appropriate. Not for our man though, he said "I don't like champagne, how about a bottle of Bundy" (Bundaberg Rum). Well you don't get if you don't ask. Always obliging Andy said he would drop one by later.
I didn't take pictures of the deflation and dismantling of the balloon, although there were some funny shots I was too busy talking to the farmer. I looked around at one point and saw several of my fellow passengers prostrate atop the balloon which was, by now, half stuffed back into its cover. If you have ever been camping and tried to get your tent or sleeping bag back into the cover you will know what I am talking about, only the balloon is just sooooo much bigger. Apparently they had not collapsed or had fallen asleep, they were trying to get the air out of it so they could stuff a bit more into the bag. Once that job was over and the whole lot back on the trailer we were off to breakfast and what a feast it was too.
The Beerwah Hideaway Bed and Breakfast provides the starting point of the trip as well as the breakfast at the end. A word of warning though, if you arrive in the early hours of the morning and are sneaking past the pool to use the facilities you are likely to be shocked by a a little voice saying hello, its a parrot and it fair dinkum scared the life out of me I can tell you.
Before we got to eat we helped ourselves to a glass of champagne and gathered around for a brief history of ballooning and a ceremony to declare us all "Balloonatics" it was a nice touch, thanks Andy. On the dining room walls were lots of sketches of famous people done by the owner Tony Sacre. Very interesting and he is so talented.
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The Bora Ring |
Pat and I did one more thing before we left and that was to visit a Bora Ring, made by local aborigines. It was not well signposted and we got our directions from the owner of the Eco Lodge. It is not spectacular to look at but those who have traveled with me before know I like to explore local history and culture.
"Bora grounds once resounded with the sound and colour of Aboriginal gatherings. People gathered here for business, dancing and ceremonies. In this region boras are called durns. The durn is a raised circle of earth made by women. A smaller circle, known as a kippa, was located about 60 metres away and was connected to the durn by a pathway. Male initiates used the Kippa for learning and ceremony."
The reference to being made by women might apply only to Durns in this region as other reference sources say women are forbidden from entering a Bora so I would assume they would not be making them either.
Pat and I also visited the Kippa ring at Kippa-ring in Brisbane. Apparently there are hundreds of these rings dotted down the south east of Australia.
There is not much to see, being only a raised circle of earth, this one has a fence around it a a sign asking people not to enter the circle as it is fragile. I find it fascinating to think that here is an example of Aboriginal culture with a circle, a small circle and a pathway between them. When I was in the UK is saw Avebury, a very grand stone circle with earth works, mounds and ditches, a great avenue of stones leading from one circle to another. In Tulsk in Ireland I saw a similar structure, originally it would have had a wooden wall but there was a great mound, an earthwork avenue and some other circular earthworks at the other end. There was evidence of these circles and avenues in the Orkney Isles too. Cultures so far apart in distance and years and yet they still have the same concept of leaving one area of preparation to walk through something significant to a greater circle. The Inauguration Mound near Tulsk is said to have had fires at one end of the avenue to burn and cleanse and water which one walked through before entering the circle in a ritual of preparation and cleansing. |
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| When I was in Hawaii and also in places in the Uk there was always a definite energy around sacred places. I sat here in reflection awhile but there was not much to feel, just a sense of things being serene. In Hawaii near the Heiau (temples) I always felt a strong barrier or kapu, being forbidden to get close to the structures. I felt a lot of strong energy in Hawaii and in the UK but my experience of this region as far as ancient energies and sacred places is concerned it is as though there is little impact on the earth, perhaps it was with the participants themselves. Aboriginal culture has a respect for the land and I think that this is why they have not "imprinted' their energy upon it. |
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Travel with me to ..... |
Hawaii |
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Hilo, Hawaiian Tropical Botanic Gardens,
Honomu Village, Night Flight over Volcano, Day flight over
volcano, Mauna Kea observatories, native village and Holualoa |
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Holualoa, Kailua Kona, Kilauea Iki, Pu'ukohola
Heiau |
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Lahaina, The Road to Hana and some beautiful
sunsets |
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The Chicken Island - Oops I mean the garden
isle |
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I spent 6 days on Oahu and in Waikiki and
2 days on the way out |
Asia |
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I spent 10 days here having fun with Martha
and Jan |
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A stopover on my way to and from England |
Australia |
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In the Hinterland north of Brisbane |
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Crikey !! The Late Steve Irwin's Zoo in Beerwah, Queensland |
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The Village in The Rainforest |
England, Ireland Scotland and Wales |
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Radley Oxford, Abingdon, Cheltenham, Belas
Knapp, Cotswolds, Guiting Power, Oxford Castle Medieval Fair |
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Bus lotto in London, the Tower of London,
Trafalgar and Hen racing at the Radley Fete, |
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Oxford City, St Mary The Virgin Church,
Christchurch College, Blenheim Palace, Woodstock, Bourton
on the Water |
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The Forest is just beautiful. Soudley,
Coleford, Rhaglan Castle, Newent Gloucestershire, The Shambles
Victorian Village, Chepstow, Symonds Yat, Monmouth, Tintern |
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Journey to Ireland and the adventures of
two mad women on the loose. Corwen, Betws y Coed, Snowdonia
mountains, Anglesey,
Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch
better known as Llanfair pg, Dublin, Amagh, Port Rush, Giants
Causeway |
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Boyle, Mullaghroe, Tobercurry, Gorteen
County Sligo, Drumanone Dolmen, Arigna Mine. Ballina, Ceide
Fields County Mayo, Killala, Strokestown, Tulsk, Elphin Windmill,
Mullingar, Roscommon Town, Lough Key |
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From top to bottom what a maginficent place.
Galway, Cnoc Suan, Spidall, Ailwee Caves, The Burren, Listowel,
Valentia, Portmagee, Skellig Michael, Waterford Crystal, Wexford |
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Martha and Adam did a charity walk along
an ancient route, I played chauffeur, did some sightseeing
and got stuck in Swindon. West Wycome, Wayland Smithy, Barbury
Castle, Avebury |
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Cardiff Castle, St Fagans |
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Newquay, Boscastle, Museum of Witchcraft,
Tintagel, Lands End, Minack Theatre, Mousehole,
Jamaica Inn on Bodmin Moor |
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Banbury Cross, Coventry City and Cathedral,
Spon Street, Lady Godiva, Althorpe (Lady Dianna Spencer's
home) and Manchester |
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Ing near Kendall, Lake Windemere, Gretna
Green, Glencoe, Inchcree, Invergary, Loch Duich, Kyle of Lochalsh,
Portree, Isle of Skye, Kilmuir, Uig, Dunvegan, Dumnadrochit,
Loch Ness, Corrimony Cairn |
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Inverness, Cullodden Battlefield ,Brora,
John O'Groats, Orkney Islands, Flotta, Burwall, Stromness,
Skara Brae, Ring of Brodgar, Standing Stones of Stenness,
Kirkwall, Edinburgh Castle, Cheviot Mountains, Newcastle,
Segedunum, Hadrians Wall, Sandford Loch, London airport, Singapore |
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Contact
Details |
My
Mobile Telephone is 0438 318 180 |
My
Home telephone number is : 07 4031 8181 (61 is country code) |
Address:
P.O Box 7666, Cairns Qld 4870, Australia |
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