The Dreamtime Legend of the Glass House Mountains

Our route over the past few weeks looks a bit like the holding pattern of a 747 waiting to land at Heathrow. That's because we are in a holding pattern of sorts, while we wait for the weather on the east coast to improve a bit before we continue our journey south. It's a bit like waiting for the ping pong balls to fall in the right order and make us millionaires. But we're not complaining one bit, because it means we get to spend time with family near beautiful Noosa, where we're being thoroughly spoiled.

Today we took a trip to the towns of Maleny and Montville in the Sunshine Coast hinterland where the Kabi Kabi and Jinibara peoples are the traditional custodians of the land.

It's a beautiful drive over rolling green hills with stunning views of the coast all the way from Noosa to the Gold Coast and Brisbane. We also had a great view of the Glass House Mountains, which we've been seeing from different angles on our meanderings over the past couple of weeks.

According to Google the Glass House Mountains were formed by a series of volcanic eruptions 27 million years ago. We prefer the Jinibara dreamtime version:

"Tibrogargan and Beerwah had many children. Coonowrin the eldest, Beerburrum, the Tunbubudla twins, the Coochin twins, Ngungun, Tibberoowuccum, Miketebumulgrai, Saddleback and Round, who was fat and small, and Wildhorse who was always paddling in the sea.

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 him such a mighty blow that it dislodged Coonowrin’s neck, and he has never been able to straighten it since.

When the floods had subsided and the family returned to the plains, the other children teased Coonowrin about his crooked neck. Feeling ashamed, Coonowrin went over to Tibrogargan and asked for his forgiveness, but filled with shame at his son’s cowardice, Tibrogargan could do nothing but weep copious tears, which, trickling along the ground, formed a stream that flowed into the sea. Then Coonowrin went to his brothers and sisters, but they also wept at the shame of their brother’s cowardice.

Tibrogargan then called to Coonowrin, asking him why he had deserted his mother. Coonowrin replied that as Beerwah was the biggest of them all she should be able to take care of herself. He did not know that she was again pregnant, which was the reason for her great size. Then Tibrogargan turned his back on his son and vowed that he would never look at him again.

Today Tibrogargan gazes far out to sea and never looks around at Coonowrin, who hangs his head and cries, his tears running off to the sea. His mother Beerwah is still heavy with child, as it takes a long, long time to give birth to a mountain."

http://www.glasshousecountry.com.au/legend.htm

After admiring Tibrogargan and his clan from Mary Cairncross Park near the quaint little town of Maleny, we went on to equally quaint town of Montville for lunch, but were chased away by dreaded midges. We do not like midges.