It’s pretty hard to miss the magnificence of The Glasshouse Mountains when you are visiting the Sunshine Coast region. The gnarled and hulking peaks that captured Captain Cook’s eye as he sailed by in 1770 are just as impressive today.
They reminded him of the cone-shaped glass furnaces of county Yorkshire. And it’s the purity of glass that lends its name to one of the most striking guest properties in the Glasshouse Mountains region.
“Glass on Glasshouse” is a series of three architect-designed cottages, each of which exploits extraordinary views with floor-to-ceiling glass along the entire length of one wall. Whether you’re in the lounge, bathroom or bedroom, stunning mountain scenery is on show – and yet the cottages’ seclusion on 8 acres ensures privacy.
Designed by local architect Normal Richards, the cottages cater mainly for couples. Romantic features include a generous spa-bath and blue-flame, two-way fireplace that burns ‘green’ ethanol fuel. There’s a kitchen for do-it-yourself-dining but take a lazy stroll over the ridge and you’ll come to the Glasshouse Mountains Lookout Café, overlooking lush mango orchards and the distinctive spire of Mount Coonowrin.
For those hauling a big appetite, there’s an all-day breakfast menu, along with Devonshire Teas and light lunch meals. And ‘sweet tooths’ will find it hard to resist something from the daily selection of home-baked treats. Mixed Berry & White Chocolate Cheesecake.
Drive a kilometre up the road (or walk if lunch was substantial!) and you’ll find the Glasshouse Mountains Lookout. Picnic shelters, tables and gas BBQ’s make this a good spot for a BYO lunch – but the views are the real feast.
From the elevated platforms, those prehistoric peaks line up in one breath-taking panorama. A series of interpretive maps helps identify the different mountains.
Want to learn more about those majestic peaks and the hinterland country surrounding them? Head back onto Steve Irwin Way and stop in at the Glasshouse Mountains Visitor Information Centre. The centre is open daily and sells local arts and produce. Interactive displays share the region’s natural and social history.
One panel tells the story of sisters Etty and Jinny Clark who, in 1912, bicycled all the way from Brisbane to the Glasshouse Mountains, climbed both Mount Tibrogargan and Mount Coonowrin and then pedalled all the way home – all in one day.
How’s that for a whirlwind adventure holiday?
