The Glass House Mountains comprise a series of ancient volcanoes that rise sharply from the flat surrounding landscape. The peaks are positioned west of Highway near Brisbane, Queensland. Amongst these, Mt. Tibrogargan and Mt. Beerwah are the steepest accessible peaks, with Mt. Coonowrin having been closed due to falling rock.Mt. Tibrogargan stands 364m above sea level and forms a gorilla-like silhouette against the sky. My wife and I climbed this mountain during a visit in December 2007. The car park is located directly beneath the mountain and a steep track winds through the forest and quickly reaches the base of the scramble.
Almost immediately one has to climb a vertical chimney to achieve a large ledge. Above the ledge an open slab cuts through the dense vegetation. The slab continues to steepen as it rises until a short, near vertical section breaks the slab. Beyond this break the angle relents and the steep path continues through sub-tropical forest to the summit.For those familiar with Snowdonia, the scramble was not unlike the north ridge route on Tryfan.
Friction is your friend on the slabs and we were lucky to climb during a dry spell. However, during our stay at Caloundra we saw how quickly the weather could change and I should imagine these slabs are a very different affair when wet. In addition, a slip from the upper part of the slab could see you tumbling a considerable distance to the forest below. For this reason climbers may wish to carry a rope and some slings (there are plenty of trees on-route) to allow an abseil to be set up to descend if the weather changed. Several companies in Brisbane also operate guided tours of these mountains, with Mt. Beerwah being particularly popular.
Don’t forget to visit the nearby Australia Zoo where you can marvel at the poisonous spiders and snakes that are indigenous to the region. Hopefully this will be the only time you see them!!!!!!!!!!!!
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