Captain Cook Discovers The Glass House Mountains. Glasshouse    Mountains    are    a    series    of    spectacular    volcanic plugs rising dramatically from the coastal plain.  The    first    European    to    see    the    remarkable    Glass    House Mountains was Captain James Cook. In   his   Journal   on   17   May   1770   he   wrote:   "..however,   if   any   future navigator   should   be   disposed   to   determine   the   question   whether there   is   or   is   not   a   river   in   this   place,   which   the   wind   would   not permit   us   to   do,   the   situation   may   be   always   found   by   three   hills, which   lie   to   the   northward   of   it,   in   the   latitude   of   twenty   six degrees   fifty   three   minutes.   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   the   Glass   Houses:   the northern   most   of   the   three   is   the   highest   and   largest;   there   are several   other   peaked   hills   inland   to   the   northward   of   these,   but these are not nearly so remarkable..." The   next   European   to   visit   the   area   was   Matthew   Flinders   who spent   16   days   sailing   around   Moreton   Bay   in   July-August,   1799. During   his   explorations   he   came   ashore   and   climbed   Mount Beerburrum   from   which   he   surveyed   the   whole   of   Moreton   Bay. The   excellent   booklet   Matthew   Flinders   in   Moreton   Bay   1799, published   by   the   Redcliffe   Historical   Society,   records   Flinders visit to the Glasshouse Mountains: On   the   following   morning   Flinders   took   the   boat   up   a   small creek   that   pointed   towards   the   peaks.   About   half   past   nine   he left   the   boat   accompanied   by   two   seamen   and   a   native.   The country    they    passed    through    was    swampy,    covered    with mangroves,   they   waded   through   rocky   swamps.   In   observing the   flat-topped   peak   (Tibrogargan)   it   was   considerably   nearer than   the   highest   Glass-house   (Beerwah)   that   he   had   first   meant to   visit,   but   seeing   one   of   the   round   mount   (Beerburrum)   with sloping    sides    was    nearer,    he    altered    course    for    it    and    after walking about nine miles from the boat he reached the top. "The    view    of    the    bay    and    neighbouring    country    was    very extensive,   to   the   south   there   were   several   distinct   columns   of smoke   visible.   The   mount   was   a   pile   of   loose   stones   of   many sizes,    which    had    made    the    ascent    difficult.( The    tracks    are maintained now, still difficult though ).                                                                             Glass    House    Mountains    National    Park    is    a    heritage-listed national   park   70   km   north   of   Brisbane.   It   consists   of   a   flat   plain punctuated   by   rhyolite   and   trachyte   volcanic   plugs,   the   cores   of extinct   volcanoes   that   formed   27   million   to   26   million   years   ago. The   mountains   would   once   have   had   pyroclastic   exteriors,   but these have eroded away.     The    park    was    established    in    1994.    On    23    June    2010    the Queensland   Government   announced   the   expansion   of   the   park to include an additional 2,117 hectares. Mount   Beerwah   is   the   highest   peak   within   the   park   at   555   m (1,821    ft)    however    public    access    to    the    'tourist    track'    in    the National     Park     has     been     restricted     since     2009.[7]     Mount Coonowrin    377    m    (1,237    ft)    is    the    second    highest    however public   access   to   it   has   been   prohibited   since   1999   and   Mount Tibrogargan   at   364   m   (1,194   ft)   is   the   third   highest   which   is open.    Walking    track    allow    access    to    the    summits    of    Mount Beerwah,    Mount    Tibrogargan    and    Mount    Ngungun,    however climbing   of   Mount   Coonowrin   is   prohibited   due   to   the   danger   of trachyte rock stability.  Source Wikipedia The Mountains by name and height. Mount Beerwah 555 m Mount Beerburrum,  276 m Mount Coochin,  235 m Mount Coonowrin or Crookneck, 377 m Mount Elimbah or The Saddleback,  129 m Mount Miketeebumulgrai,  199 m Mount Ngungun, 253 m Mount Tibberoowuccum,  220 m Mount Tibrogargan,  364 m Mount Tunbubudla or the Twins,  312 and 293 m Wild Horse Mountain,  123 m