Glass House mountains (3)

A last look at the Glass House Mountains for now...no, I am not one of them! I thought just for a change I'd include myself ...sometimes it's good to see the blogger!


Behind me is Mount Tibrogargan again. It's Monday here, so hope you all have a great week.

Glass House Mountains (2)

This is the view from a small cafe, overlooking the grove of mangoes and Mount Coonowrin, or Crookneck (377m). What better way to start the day, sitting here, enjoying a cooked breakfast. 


In Aboriginal Dreamtime mythology, Coonowrin is said to be the son of Tibrogargan and Beerwah. During a violent storm, Tibrogargan commanded his son Coonowrin to take his mother Beerwah and his siblings and help them move to safety. Being scared of the storm, Coonowrin instead ran off, and when his father found him he hit him on the back of the head, resulting in Coonowrin's crooked neck. Tibrogargan was so ashamed of his son's cowardice that to this day he sits with his back to Coonowrin.

Glass House Mountains (1)

I'm going to take you on another small tour of this part of Queensland. Hope you enjoy it. If you drive north out of Brisbane and head towards the Sunshine Coast hinterland, in just 45 mins you can find yourself in the Glass House Mountains. Rising abruptly from the plains south of Caloundra, craggy volcanic peaks tower over plantations and bushland. Here we see Mt Tibrogargan (364 m).


The name was given to these mountains by Lieutenant James Cook (later Captain) on his voyage along the east coast of Australia in 1770. Apparently they reminded him of glasshouses (glass furnaces) of his native Yorkshire. They are, in fact, volcanic plugs, the cores of extinct volcanoes that formed 27 to 26 million years ago. The pyroclastic exteriors have eroded away over the millions of years. The lookout has some nice mosaics set into the pathway depicting each mountain. 

Feeling Blue?

Wednesday, and it's 'hump day' ...I'm having a quiet, relaxing day. Hope you are too. After flying around frantically these past few days I need to rest...rather like this beautiful blue dragonfly.

New Heights

Another look at Q1 on the gold Coast. In a bid to grab more of the 'tourist dollar' Q1 has now opened "SkyPoint Climb" where the intrepid thrill seeker can climb on the outside of the tower, 270m high and get 360 degree views. If you look on the top of Q1 and look at the point just below the spire...That's it! 


The inspiration for the design of the building was the Olympic torch which was used for the Sydney Olympics in 2000. 

High Living

This is Q1. The tallest residential building in Australia and in the Southern hemisphere, and ranks fifth of the world's tallest all-residential buildings. I'm sure that this record won't last long as the trend seems to build as high as possible. 

Sun Shade

The Gold Coast at Surfers Paradise is mostly high-rise with massive apartment blocks and hotels. It seems that they are constantly building, and with land at a premium, the only way to go is up. Once the sun starts to drop in the sky, huge shadows are formed over the beach...natural sun shade form those harsh rays! The tall building you can see is called Q1. Come back tomorrow to see more.

Between The Flags

Over Easter, with perfect beach and surf weather, where else would you be other than at the coast. The only safe place to swim is between the distinctive flags, where the surf rescue are on patrol in case of any problems. The certainly had their work cut out with high numbers of people and some dumping surf. Hope your weekend is relaxing.

Golden Light

Finally back from the Easter break. It's nice to know that you don't have to travel far to feel as if you have really had a change and to re-charge the batteries. The Gold Coast is only 'down the road' from Brisbane and about an hours drive. From the hotel there was this magnificent sunset looking towards the hinterland of the Gold Coast. 

Odd One Out!

Looking around the sky the other day, all of the clouds were wispy other than this one rogue cloud that dared to be different. I wonder where this one came from...and where it was going?


I'm taking a few days off for Easter and will be back next week. Happy Easter to you all.

Wintergarden

If you enlarge the picture, you should be able to see more butterflies and possibly get some feeling of being in a distorted garden wonderland! I get the feeling that whoever designed this was on drugs...but I like it. This is the façade of the new development of the Wintergarden shopping centre in Queen Street Mall. 

Beware of.......

....low-flying giant butterflies! I'll show you what this is all about tomorrow.

Alex Bay

Alexandria Bay is often just known as Alex Bay and is a beautiful stretch of golden sand here in Noosa National Park. This is an unofficial 'clothes optional' (nudist) beach, and with this glorious weather you'd need a lot of sunscreen! We'll be returning to Brisbane tomorrow, so hope you have enjoyed the short trip here to the coast. Have a good week.

Waves

“I have always loved the beach. 

The smell of the salty water, the wind in my face, 

the gentle roar of the waves all combine 

to create a sense of peace and calm.”

~Anonymous~

Hell's Gates

On a beautiful day like this it seems that this inlet has been given the wrong name; 'Hell's Gates'. On this visit there were sea turtles swimming around the calm waters, but I've seen it when there is an angry grey swell, and it could well be the entrance to Hades.