Mount Ngungun the only one of the Glass House Mountains which you can climb. The Glass House Mountains are made up of 12 volcanic peaks which formed approximately 20 million years ago, just south of the Sunshine Coast.
The Glass House Mountains are just down the road from the Irwin family's famous Australia Zoo, so you can combine the two for a fantastic getaway.
COMING SOON → Check out my guide to visiting Australia Zoo!
We're currently living full-time in our campervan, a 2018 Mercedes Sprinter, and exploring Australia, with a plan of "driving the lap" (completing the entire perimeter of the country). I first visited Australia in 2019, following the classic backpacker route, mostly visiting big cities, staying in hostels and traveling by public transport. This time, with the freedom of our campervan, we're trying to hit the lesser known spots and go slower.
For thousands of years, the Kabi Kabi and Jinibara peoples have lived on this land.
Captain James Cook spotted the Glass House Mountains during his charting of Australia's east coast in 1770, writing:
"These hills lie but a little way inland, and not far from each other: they are remarkable for the singular form of their elevation, which very much resembles a glass house, and for this reason I called them the Glass Houses: the northern most of the three is the highest and largest; there are several other peaked hills inland to the northward of these, but these are not nearly so remarkable…"
Every single spot (and more) that I mention in all my blog posts about Australia can be found in my Australia | Ultimate Map!
This is a digital map featuring hundreds of my favourite restaurants, campgrounds, accommodations, shops, photo spots, museums, beaches, lakes, animal spots, bridges, viewpoints, hikes and SO much more in Australia, including its three external territories.
Each pin includes exact locations, images, detailed information, the ability to open and save the spot in your Google Maps and a link to my relevant blog post to read more.
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Mount Ngungun is one of the 12 Glass House Mountains located inland from the Sunshine Coast, near the town of Beerwah and the Australia Zoo. The hike up Mount Ngungun begins on Fullertons Road.
By car: The best way to reach the Glass House Mountains is with your own wheels. Driving takes just over half an hour from the Sunshine Coast or ten minutes south of the Australia Zoo. There is free parking on Fullertons Road where the hike begins.
By train: It is possible to reach Mount Ngungun by train; the start of the hike is 2.6km from Glass House Mountains train station so totally feasible for adding on to your trek.
→ Plan your visit to the Glass House Mountains by train.
By guided tour: There are a number of guided tours of the Glass House Mountains (or longer tours that include a stop here) primarily from Noosa and Brisbane. Most seem to include a tour of the region with photo stops; I am not sure if any actually include the hike up to Mount Ngungun.
After our hike in the Glass House Mountains, we headed to the nearby town of Beerwah in search of a post-hike dinner. Beerwah is located halfway between the Glass House Mountains and the Australia Zoo.
I can recommend stopping in Beerwah for amazing Thai food at Little Sukhothai, which is a really cute place with lovely service on the main road. We liked it so much, we went back the next day after our day at Australia Zoo, too!
When: year-round
Where: the start of this hike begins on Fullertons Road in the Glass House Mountains
Difficulty: intermediate
Length: from the start of the trail on Fullertons Road, we hiked a 2.8km return trail to the summit which took us about an hour
Directions: from the parking lot on Fullertons Road, there is a clear trailhead marking the beginning of the hike up Mount Ngungun and a clearly marked walk all the way up to the summit. Return the way you came.
→ Check out my exact route on Strava!
Bathrooms: no
The start of the hike
Heading back down from the summit
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Hi! I’m Jana, a Dutch-German-British-Canadian with a dream of seeing every country in the world. I am a storyteller, photographer and adventurer passionate about documenting and sharing my travels.
