FIRE Carriers

Hello OLA Community! 

I’m Ben, one of the 2023 F.I.R.E Carriers and this newsletter edition is about the Glass House Mountains. Recently I was on a holiday in the Sunshine Coast, Queensland and I had a great view of the Glass House Mountains on the way to Australia Zoo. 

The Glass House Mountains is a group of mountains in one of Australia’s most beautiful national parks, inland from Bribie Island. These magnificent rocky cliffs were active volcanoes over 20 million years ago, and about 50 thousand years ago this area was inhabited by Indigenous Australians. Currently it is a ceremonial place for First Nations history and is on the land of the Kabi Kabi and Jinibari peoples. 

The Dreamtime story of how the Glass House Mountains are made is that Tibrogargan (the largest mountain) the father and Beerwah (the next largest) the mother, had many children. Coonowrin the eldest, Beerburrum, the Tunbubudla twins, the Coochin twins, Ngungun, Tibberoowuccum, Miketebumulgrai, and Saddleback. One day, Tibrogargan was gazing out to sea and noticed a great rising of the waters. Hurrying off to gather his younger children, in order to flee to the safety of the mountains in the west, he called out to Coonowrin to help his mother Beerwah, who was again with child. Looking back to see how Coonowrin was assisting Beerwah, Tibrogargan was greatly angered to see him running off alone. He pursued Coonowrin and, raising his club, struck the latter such a mighty blow that it dislodged Coonowrin’s neck, and he has never been able to straighten it since. Beerwah is said to still be heavy because it takes a long time to give birth to a mountain.

The Glass House Mountains was named by Lieutenant James Cook in 1770, he wrote in his journal. “These hills lay but a little way inland and not far from each other, they are very remarkable on account of their singular form of elevation, which very much resemble glass houses which occasioned my giving them that name…” But the real name of Glass House Mountains is ‘Daki Comom’ means ‘stone standing up’.

If you ever visit the Glass House Mountains, please acknowledge the original custodians on the land and learn more about the history of the mountains.