Mount Beerwah is the highest of the ten

volcanic plug A volcanic plug, also called a volcanic neck or lava neck, is a volcano, volcanic object created when magma hardens within a Volcanic vent, vent on an active volcano. When present, a plug can cause an extreme build-up of high gas pressure if risi ...

s in the

Glass House Mountains The Glass House Mountains are a cluster of thirteen hills that rise abruptly from the coastal plain on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia. The highest hill is Mount Beerwah at 556 metres above sea level, but t ...

range, north of

Caboolture Caboolture () is a town and suburb in the City of Moreton Bay, Queensland, Australia. It is located on the northern side of the Caboolture River. In the , the suburb of Caboolture had a population of 29,534 people. Geography Caboolture is ...

South East Queensland South East Queensland (SEQ) is a Bioregion, bio-geographical, Megalopolis, metropolitan and Statistics, statistical Regions of Queensland, region of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland in Australia, with a population of ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

. It was formed 26 million years ago during the

Oligocene The Oligocene ( ) is a geologic epoch (geology), epoch of the Paleogene Geologic time scale, Period that extends from about 33.9 million to 23 million years before the present ( to ). As with other older geologic periods, the rock beds that defin ...

Epoch of the

Paleogene The Paleogene Period ( ; also spelled Palaeogene or Palæogene) is a geologic period and system that spans 43 million years from the end of the Cretaceous Period Ma (million years ago) to the beginning of the Neogene Period Ma. It is the fir ...

Period. Geologists estimate it may be only a third of its original height due to intense erosion. Mount Beerwah has two peaks, the taller of which is high. It is one of the most visually prominent mountains in southeast

Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

. The first European settlers to ascend the peak were

Andrew Petrie Andrew Petrie (June 1798 – 20 February 1872) was a Scottish-Australian pioneer, architect and builder in Brisbane, Queensland. Early life Andrew Petrie was born in June 1798 in Fife, Scotland, to parents Walter Petrie and Margaret (''née'' ...

and his son

John Petrie John Petrie (15 January 1822 – 8 December 1892) was a Scottish-born Australian politician, architect, stonemason and building contractor in Brisbane who became the city's first Mayor. Private life John Petrie was born 15 January 1822Too ...

. Its name comes from the words "birra", or "sky", and "wandum", "climbing up". In the traditional Aboriginal story of the region, Mount Beerwah is the pregnant mother and Mount Tibrogargan the father of all the other mountains in the area. Local Aboriginal people consider the mountains sacred. The mountain is composed almost entirely of

trachyte Trachyte () is an extrusive igneous rock composed mostly of alkali feldspar. It is usually light-colored and aphanite, aphanitic (fine-grained), with minor amounts of mafic minerals, and is formed by the rapid cooling of lava (or shallow intrus ...

. One side features a dramatic, overhanging cliff face known as the Organ Pipes. At its base are a number of small caves.

Public access

Mount Beerwah summit trail was controversially closed to climbing from 2009 to 2016, due to rock instability from bush fire. The

Sunshine Coast Regional Council The Sunshine Coast Region is a Local government in Australia, local government area located in the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Sunshine Coast region of South East Queensland, Australia, from which it takes its name. It was created by the amalg ...

spent $400,000 on removing dangerous rocks and improving warning signs. As at 2019, Mount Beerwah along with Mount Tibrogargan, Ngungun, and the rest of the mountains with tracks remain open with maintained walking trails with the exception of Mount Coonowrin (which was permanently closed to public access in March 1999 due to the high risk of rock falls that had previously killed and injured climbers). There is a trail up from a state government maintained parking lot. The start of the trail is a "level 5 difficulty" walk that turns into a climb that can be done without equipment. Even experienced hikers should not attempt this trail unless they have at least three hours of daylight and there is no chance of rain. Depending on fitness, climbers should plan on taking two to three litres of water per person.

References

External links

Photos of Mount Beerwah, Glass House Mountains
{{DEFAULTSORT:Beerwah, Mount Glass House Mountains (Queensland) Mountains of South East Queensland Glass House Mountains, Queensland Sacred mountains of Australia

Public access

See also

References

External links