Save our summits "Access Australia Series"

mt Beerwah opening day event

Report by Andy Flanagan

Our inaugeral event was a great sucess with mother nature putting on a beautiful crystal-clear morning for our celebration of the re-opening of Mt Beerwah on the 12th of August 2023. Ive arrived at 5am to see the sunrise from it's summit with my son, Rohan, and a first timer, Tess. There is a slither of moon in the sky, it's very dark and the sky is sparkling with stars. The car park already has more than a dozen cars and lots of excited people milling around with their head torches chatting and waiting for friends to arrive. We are all very excited because QPWS has had this mountain closed for over 2 months due to some ugly vandalism on its rock.

Tess is a bit nervous, Roh and I have done this many times so we assure her that she will be safe. This climb is to a magnificent 550m high razor back summit and should be treated with great respect, not for beginners or people with a fear of heights. We recommend first timers always go with someone who has lots of experience on this peak. As with, I dare say, every mountain on the planet there have been fatal accidents here.

There are toilets at the head of the trail but no drinking water. This hike/climb will take us about 2-3 hours so we recommend taking a day pack to keep both hands free. Include all the usual like water, first aid, phone, snake bandage and a snack. A head torch is also essential at this time of day. Appropriate shoes with sticky soles are very important, approach shoes with vibram soles highly recommend.

We set off up the trail towards the start of the climb which begins with The Slab. It’s a good qualifier, so if this first 30m section proves beyond your skill set turn around now as there is plenty more sections like this. I know Tess is up for this as she successfully tackled Tibrogargon for the first time a few weeks ago without much trouble. I prefer to have 2 experienced climbers to guide beginners, one to go above and one go below.

The golden glow of predawn on the rock is magical as we slowly and carefully make our way up, winding left and right picking the easier lines but also preferring to stay on the rock and away from the fragile flora. This rock is igneous and was formed about 25million years ago. Unlike volcanoes of similiar age that have all but eroded away, the Glass House peaks were never classified as volcanoes as they never saw the light of day when they were forming so the molten rock hardened under pressure causing it to have a small crystalline structure making it very hard and strong.

We arrive at the top just as the sun clears the ocean horizon revealing a magnificent crystal-clear winters day. There are about 20 happy smiley chatty people already here to welcome us. The 360-degree view is spectacular with Mt Warnings 1170m summit visible 170Km to the south (closed for dubious reasons), Mt Coolum, Tibrogargon, Coonowrin and all the other Glasshouse peaks scattered across the coastal plain. All these magnificent climbs open for those with adventurous souls to enjoy, for now.. (except Coornwrin). The current management plans for some of these peaks reveals that they will likely be closed over the coming years, very surprisingly Mt Coolum being on this list.

Tess is ecstatic to be on Beerwah’s summit for the first time. We cant stay long as I’ve volunteered to guide another couple of friends up later plus I have a short speech to deliver at 8am about the recent closures of summits across Australia. The trip down is slow, careful and very social, with lots and lots of very happy & familiar faces enjoying Beerwah’s re-opening.

If you’d like more information on these climbs please contact us via our facebook group or email. Thanks again for all your support to get this beautiful summit opened. www.SaveOurSummits.org