In my goal to climb all of the Glass House Mountains this year, Wild Horse Mountain was the next to be conquered… well, ok, it can hardly be called ‘conquering’, and if you want to get technical, I wouldn’t really call it a climb either. Rather, it is a pleasant stroll up a slight incline.
So, there are eleven Glass House Mountains and Wild Horse Mountain was climb/stroll number six for me. It is easy enough to get to, simply by taking the Wild Horse Mountain exit (Exit 171) from the Bruce Highway – you would perhaps have seen the lookout many times passing up and down the highway, and maybe even wondered what it was.
Wild House Mountain boasts the label of the ‘smallest’ of the Glass House Mountains – a massive (*sarcasm) 123m in height, so in comparison with Mt Beerwah’s 556m, it is a little more then a pimple on the landscape. But do not under estimate its scenic value without at least one visit, as it is probably one of the more assessable, natural scenic vantage points on the Sunshine Coast (and busy). It takes its name from the wild brumbies, that used to roam the area… alas, I didn’t see any…
The carpark is at the end of Johnston Road at the base of a locked road that leads 700 metres to the summit lookout. The fire tower at the top is filled with some interesting facts on the surrounding features and is good little spot to sit and have a rest and take in the landscape.
The day itself was pretty hazy, but the views were wonderful. Not as dramatic as from some of the other Glass House Mountain vantage points, but definitely no less beautiful. You have a 360° panoramic view of the Pumicestone Passage, the other Glass House Mountains and the picturesque patchwork of pine plantations, native forest, coastal suburbia and ocean expanse beyond.
For the fit and able, it is an easy walk, but for those not so, it is a nice, even (although steep), surface that you can navigate quite easily, if you take your time. Where the other Glass House Mountains do need a degree of fitness or competency, a bottle of water will suffice on this one.
So, now I have an easy one out of the way, and only the smaller mounds to go, I need to do some research on which of the Glass House Mountains to tackle next.
This story was written by Petra Frieser – Pebbles + Pomegranate Seeds
