The Glass House Mountains area in Queensland has high geotourism potential. The Brumby Geotrail will take you along the area's unique geological features. Abiotic features can be connected with the biotic and the cultural (indigenous) to create a new geotrail. A next step for the area to utilize its full potential can be the establishment of an international geopark.

1. Brumby Geotrail
Glass House Mountains, QLD

2. Geotourism
Comprising Geodiversity, Biodiversity and Cultural Elements.
Incorporating all types of ‘nature-based’ tourism:
Cultural, Agri-, Eco-, Heritage, and Indigenous tourism.
Key driver for Geoparks and Geotrails.

3. 1. Geosite:
location with particular geological or geomorphological significance
and/or with cultural or heritage significance
2. Geotrail:
journey linked by an area's geology and landscape as the basis for
providing visitor engagement, learning and enjoyment
3. Geopark:
single, unified geographical area where sites and landscapes of
international geological significance are managed with a holistic concept
of protection, education and sustainable development
Delivery

4. - Meld the geological heritage features of a region with a cohesive story.
- Incorporates and packages in the biodiversity and cultural components of
the region.
- Constructed around routes currently used by tourists (logical journeys).
- Has widespread appeal.
- Does not compete with land management or access issues.
- Relatively easy to establish.
- Represents a very cost-effective means of enhancing regional
development.
- Can form the basis of a geopark.
Geotrail

5. Design
• Design with the help from indigenous
Australians
• Aboriginal culture is one of the world's longest
surviving cultures
 One of its aspects:
all elements in the landscape were left by
the Creation Ancestors, its appearance has
a story to tell
• Look at the map of an area from the
perspective of an Aboriginal storyteller: does
the appearance on the map have a story to
tell?

6. Glass House Mountains
Look at the map
from the
perspective of an
Aboriginal
storyteller
A connected area of parks,
townships, reserves and
forests creating a ‘wild
horse’ shaped figure.
Wild horses use powerful
kicks, often with both back
legs at the same time, to
ward off predators.

7. • Link with the Glass House Mountains:
 one of the mountains is named Wild Horse Mountain
• Brumby
 bush name in Queensland for 'wild' horse
 descendant of escaped horses from the early European settlers
 most likely from Aboriginal word Baroomby (= wild)
• Captive and distinctive design
useful for marketing activities
helps in becoming an individual famous brand
Brumby Geotrail

8. • The story of the Glass House Mountains
 is told in an entertaining manner
 by creating a cycling geotrail along the 11 mountains
 featuring hotspots
(places where the story is visually illustrated for the visitor)
 focusing on a specific theme or storyline
 based on subtrails starting at an expedition gate, f.e.
 museum
 look out
 visitors center
 sacred place
Story

9. 1. Vents and bulges
2. Rocks and erosion
3. Traditional owners
4. European settlers
5. Valuables
6. Inspiration
7. Biodiversity
8. Changes
Brumby
Geotrail
6
5
1
2
3
4
7
8

10. Theme : Origin of the Glass House Mountains
Subtrail 1: ‘Vents and bulges’
i
Mount Coochin
Mount
Beerwah
Glass House Mountains
16 km
STAGE 1: ON THE MOVE
1. Start in the Visitor Centre and see how
the Australian continent separated from
the Antarctic (85 mya)
2. See the resulting drift of
Australia to the north
3. Understand the effect of a
tectonic plate crossing a hot spot
STAGE 2: VOLCANIC ERUPTIONS
1. Learn about the eruption of volcanoes
around Maleny and how basalt lava
flows filled its valleys (29 mya)
2. Find out how dome-like plugs of magma
were forced through surrounding rocks, filling
volcanic vents or subsurface bulges (25 mya)
3. Move on to Mount Coochin to
experience a subsurface bulge or laccolith
STAGE 3: COOLING DOWN
1. Observe the rhyolite rocks and try to
understand the process of cooling
magma
2. Bike to Mount Beerwah
and admire the “The Organ
Pipes” (cooling columns)
3. Compare the cooled trachyte
magma of Beerwah with the
rhyolite from Coochin

11. Theme : Shaping of the Glass House Mountains
Subtrail 2: ‘Rocks and erosion’
Mount Ngungun
Mount Beerwah
18 km
STAGE 3: EROSION
1. Climb the Jack Ferris Lookout for a
great view on some of the mountains
2. Learn about the difference in erosion by
wind and water of soft and hard rocks
3. See the result of differences in
erosion on the landscape
STAGE 2: ROCKS
1. Understand the process of igneous rocks being
changed into layers of sediment by weathering and
erosion at Mount Coonowrin
2. Realize the geological hazards related
to general slope stability and individual
block stability
STAGE 1: MINERALS
1. Identify the main minerals of the volcanic
rocks at the base of Mount Beerwah
2. Taste the famous volcanic spring water
of Beerwah
3. Make a stop at Mount Ngungun and
visit the old quarry at its eastern side
Mount Coonowrin
Jack Ferris Look Out
3. Find out why it's so pure and
rich of natural minerals

12. Theme : First settlers of the Glass House Mountains
Subtrail 3: ‘Traditional owners’
Landsborough
Historical Museum
Mount Tibrogargan Aboriginal Bora Ring
STAGE 1: DREAMTIME
2. Go to Mount Tibrogargan to listen
to the Dreamtime legend of the Glass
House Mountains
3. Understand why Traditional owners
do not climb the mountains and ask
others to pursue
1. Start at Mount Tibberoowuccum to
find out how Jinbara and Gubbi Gubbi
people originally lived in the rainforest
STAGE 2: SACRED PLACES
1. Gather at the Aboriginal Bora ring
off Johnston Road and find out how it
was made by women and why
2. Get familiar with an Aboriginal
initiation ceremony
3. See the remains of a kippa ring
used by males for educational and
ceremonial purposes
STAGE 3: DAILY LIFE
1. Check the grooves that were formed in the
process of making axes at Little Rocky Creek
2. Be informed about the daily life of
the traditional owners
3. In the Landsborough Historical Museum, learn
about the first contacts with European settlers
Little Rocky Creek
24 km
Mount
Tibberoowuccum

13. Theme : Pioneers of the Glass House Mountains
Subtrail 4: ‘European settlers’
Caboolture Historical Village
STAGE 1: LOGGING
1. In the Landsborough Historical
Museum, see how pioneers started to
fell areas of timber for farming and
stock
2. Learn about the early timber-
processing practices in Queensland
3. Check out the old farming and
timber getting equipment
STAGE 2: TRANSPORT
1. Have a tea or coffee with damper and syrup at
the Australian Teamsters Hall of Fame
2. Follow the presentation about Cobb & Co and
the story of the teamsters
3. View the different modes of transport that
were used by European settlers
STAGE 3: DAILY LIFE
1. Visit buildings from a bygone period in
the Caboolture Historical Village
2. See demonstrations of historical
skills such as the village blacksmith,
wood crafting and others
3. Board the train and be inspired by
tales and anecdotes from the age of
pioneers
Australian Teamsters Hall of Fame
33 km
Landsborough Historical Museum

14. Theme : Significance of the Glass House Mountains
Subtrail 5: ‘Valuables’
Mount Elimbah
STAGE 3: CULTIVATION
1. Bike along rich volcanic soil that produce
strawberries, bananas, pineapples, and
pawpaw
3. Enter the Railway museum in
Woodford for information about the
development of the sugar cane industry
2. At Mount Tunbubudla, look for
native Australian trees (Tea Tree!)
that are cultivated abroad
STAGE 1: MOTIVATION
1. Move on to the lower
slopes of Mount Elimbah
2. Experience how WW II soldiers
were trained and motivated on these
slopes
3. Find out about the soldier settlements
that were set up to help and motivate
returned WW I soldiers
33 km
Mount Tunbubudla
Mount Miketeebumulgrai
STAGE 2: CONSERVATION
2. Learn how to identify local bird
species based on several characteristics
1. Go to Mount Miketeebumulgrai to be introduced to
unique birds of the Glass House Mountains
3. Spot present bird species and
notice the actions to conserve them

15. Theme : Arts in the Glass House Mountains
Subtrail 6: ‘Inspiration’
STAGE 1: EXPRESSION
1. Start at the Woodford water tower
and enjoy the window-like art panels
2. Follow the Windows of Woodford Art
Trail and get an impression of the
town’s rich history
3. Get a lesson in
landscape painting
or drawing yourself
Woodford water tower
31 km
3. Go to the former Beerburrum School of Arts to share
your masterpiece and to get input from an expert
2. Time to create your own painting
of the Glass House Mountains
STAGE 2: RECREATION
Glass House Mountains Look Out
1. Enter the Woodford Folk Festival
terrain and hear about one of the biggest
annual cultural events in Australia
2. Get an impression of the yearly
music acts, circus, cabaret, comedy,
street performance, workshops etc.
3. Relax at Lake Gkula and enjoy this
beautiful conservation and
recreation lake
STAGE 3: CREATION
1. Stop at the Glass House Mountains Look Out
for an astonishing view of the mountains
Beerburrum School of Arts

16. Theme : Species of the Glass House Mountains
Subtrail 7: ‘Biodiversity’
Mount Beerburrum
STAGE 1: COMPLEXITY
1. Move to and walk through the
rainforest of Mount Beerburrum
3. Observe some of the world’s
most endangered plant species
2. Enjoy the rainforest and
understand its structural complexity
STAGE 3: PROTECTION
1. Find your way through the state forest and check
how it’s managed for protection of biodiversity
2. Understand the importance of corridors for
ecological and evolutionary processes
3. Follow Coochin Creek and discover what
species of fish are common in this creek
30 km
Wild Horse Mountain
1. Climb Wild Horse Mountain and have a
clear view on the Beerburrum State Forest
Coochin Creek
2. See how a mixture of planted pine, native eucalypt
forest and coastal wallum gives the forest diversity
3. Get an introduction of a wide variety of iconic
Australian animals that live in this forest
STAGE 2: DIVERSITY

17. Theme : Future of the Glass House Mountains
Subtrail 8: ‘Changes’
STAGE 1: SEA LEVEL RISE
1. Kayak or paddle the Pumicestone Passage
and enjoy this beautiful, vulnerable estuary
2. Be informed about the expected rise in
sea level in these coastal areas
3. Try to understand the impact of the rise on this
vulnerable environment and its inhabitants
STAGE 2: EXTREMES
STAGE 3: SURVIVAL
1. Find out the importance of zoos to the
survival of wildlife in a world of rapid change
2. Discover which native animals are most
vulnerable for climate change, pollution etc.
3. Be informed about some of the animal
programs Australia Zoo supports
28 km
Coochin Creek
Australia Zoo
1. Bike along the creek and realize the increasing risk
of flooding due to more extensive rainfall
2. Understand the increased bushfire risk due
to more frequent drought and heath
3. Relax at the Maddock dam and understand the size and
impact of extreme weather events on this water supply
Ewan Maddock Dam

18. Summary
Brumby Geotrail:
• a complete story of the Glass House Mountains area
• told in 8 subtrails
• based on outstanding landscapes and geology
• incorporating biodiversity
• incorporating cultural characteristics
• indigenous
• (post) European settlement
• completely explorable by bike
• max. 2 hours distance each
• a good example of how to design an Australian geotrail
• by connecting with Aboriginal culture
• based on existing routes and facilities