On the road in the hinterland of the Sunshine Coast

On Monday, November 28th, we took a day trip to the hinterland. Although the guy at the Visitor Centre in Noosa told us to drive straight to Brisbane because there was nothing to see along the way, we were very glad that we didn't. The highlight of this region are the Glass House Mountains and they are definitely worth a visit!

In the morning after breakfast, we made our way to the Glass House Mountains Info Centre and got some information there about the best hiking trails and the places worth seeing. The lady there was very nice and she recommended a good route that we could drive. The first stop was Mount Ngungun. It is the most popular mountain in the region and from the top you have a 360° view of the landscape. The uphill path was only 1.2 km long, but it was quite steep! We ran up there in 30 minutes and the view from the top was magnificent. We were standing on a few rocks and all around us it was just straight down. Since Mount Ngungun is the central mountain of the Glass House Mountains, you could see the other mountains in all directions. By the way, the mountains were formed by magma solidifying in volcanoes 25 million years ago and the softer rock around this solid magma eroded over time. Now there are individual, steep mountains in a relatively flat plain. Looks really cool. The Aboriginal legend about the mountains refers to a family with several children fleeing from a rising sea. The name "Glass House Mountains" comes from James Cook, who named them that way when the sun reflected on the rock walls.

After a break with some cookies on the mountain top, we walked back down. Next, we went to the Glass House Mountains Lookout, from where you can see the whole region and all the mountains. There is also some information about the mountains there. It was nice there, but we thought the view from the top of Mount Ngungun was better.

After the lookout, we went to the Picnic Area at the base of Mount Tibrogargan for lunch. And after lunch, we walked a few hundred meters to a platform where you could overlook Mount Beerwah, the highest mountain at 556 m, and Mount Coonowrin.

Another lookout was actually planned as the last stop, but we didn't go there anymore because we had already seen some nice viewpoints and we didn't feel like doing another hike.

To cool off, we drove a bit north to Gardner's Falls. They were supposed to be really nice and according to a friend from the Whitsunday tour, there were also some swings to swing from the shore into the rock pool. That would have been really cool! To get to the swimming hole, you had to walk along a section of the creek and when we got there, we noticed that the place was also popular with locals. Well, it was actually quite crowded. And the waterfall itself was really not impressive. The swings that were reported to us were there, but one was at least 5 meters above the water and the other one was so close to the shore that we were afraid of hitting a rock underwater. The warning signs not to jump into the water are probably not there for no reason. All in all, we were a bit disappointed with the location. Nevertheless, we got into the water, sat down in the sun on a rock wall by the shore, and watched the crazy people jumping and swinging. Somehow, none of them laughed when jumping :D If I don't enjoy it, I just don't do it.

When we got cold because the sun disappeared behind the trees, we swam to the waterfall, climbed up the rocks, and went to our stuff. After changing, we continued to Maleny, a small town where we wanted to go for a walk. On the way there, we drove on Mountain View Road and the view of the landscape with the Glass House Mountains from there was simply breathtaking. We briefly stopped at a parking lot and crossed the road to enjoy the view. Really amazing. It was a cool thought to know that a few hours ago we were on one mountain top and looking in the direction from which we are now looking at the mountain. On the slope with the view, there were also many houses or villas. In Maleny, we happened to see some ads for buying these villas and surprisingly, they were not as expensive as I thought. Australia has many beautiful places and they have enough space in the countryside!

When we arrived in Maleny, we looked for a parking space and then walked a short boardwalk and a newly made concrete path to the Platypus Viewing Area, where we hoped to see a platypus. Although we stood there for a while, we didn't see one unfortunately. But we did see 3 water dragons. They are slightly larger lizards that stick their heads out of the water like frogs. That was cool too!

After the evening walk, we made our way to our overnight camp. It was the same rest area as the day before because it was the closest. The next day, we were going to the big city of Brisbane. That was something completely different and we were excited. I will write about our experiences in the city in the next entry :)