Anny Chih

Sitting on a Fallen Scribbly Gum

As of two weeks ago, I could officially say that I’ve gone proper bushwalking!

My roomie (Dan) and I decided to hike the Glass House Mountains because I heard there were decent trails there and he hadn’t gone on any of them before. We set out with two trails in mind for the day (Mount Ngungun and the Tibrogargan circuit) but only made it through one (around Mount Tibrogargan) because the journey to the Jack Ferris look-out that was supposed to take 25 minutes turned into a three hour quest up and down an unknown and unmarked mountain. Bushwalking. Proper.

Here are a few things I learned from this trip:

Random Tidbits About the Glass House Mountains

1. In the picture of Mount Beerwah and Mount Tibberoowuccum, you’ll see a distinct divide of “Christmas trees” and gumtrees. The gumtrees are what you’re supposed to find in this area, and the “Christmas trees” have been planted for harvesting.
2. The scribbles on the gumtrees in this area are made by burrowing insect larvae.
3. The Glass House Mountains were named after the large glass furnaces they had in England back in the 1700’s when explorer James Cook arrived in the area.
4. There is an aboriginal story about the Glass House Mountains that tells the tale of a father (Mount Tibrogargan), mother (Mount Beerwah) and son (Mount Coonowrin). One day, the sea was rising so Tibrogargan told Coonowrin to help his mother to safety. Coonowrin was cowardly and fled leaving his mother behind. Tibrogargan was so infuriated by Coonowrin’s cowardice, that he chased him and broke his neck. Coonowrin still hangs his head in shame.
5. Along the trails surrounding the Glass House Mountains, you’ll find areas where it looks like someone just decided to dump a bunch of sand. I’ve been told it has to do with the Glass House Mountains being extinct volcanoes.

[Show as slideshow]

[View with PicLens]

Bushwalking Tips

1. A compass doesn’t do much good if you don’t have a proper map.
2. Sometimes, the sign posts are robbed of their signs. Why? I don’t know. But because they’re sometimes missing, a proper map is very handy.
3. If you plan on going proper bushwalking, wear long socks that cover your shins. You’ll be scratched to bits if you don’t (I’m living proof).
4. If you want a good walking stick, find some grass trees (they look like big fountains of grass with a big stick growing out of the middle — we saw some that were 2 metres high). The sticks from the grass trees eventually break off and they make very sturdy walking sticks.
5. Tip for hiking the Glass House Mountains: Try to avoid wearing very breathable running shoes because the sand on the trails goes right through the mesh and you’ll want to stop every once in a while to dump it all out.