Hiking Beerburrum for Great Glass House Mountains Views

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A short steep track to great 360 degree views

Mt Beerburrum is the southernmost peak in the Glasshouse Mountains, , and gives you a good view of all the peaks laid out to the north as well as 360-degree views from the fire watch tower on the summit. It is a 3.5 km return walk from the trailhead, with half the walk being a very steep concrete path, but well worth doing for the views and it is a nice spot to hike for a sunset.



About Mt Beerburrum

The Glasshouse Mountains on the Sunshine Coast is a series of 13 hills formed from or around the molten cores of long-extinct volcanoes that have worn down over tens of millions of years to mostly leave only the cores behind. At 278 metres above sea level, Mt Beerburrum is in the middle range of height in comparison to the rest of the hills, but it is overlooked because it doesn't look that spectacular. The main reason to hike it is the views of the other hills.



The Hike

The Mt Beerburrum Access road is closed to traffic, so you can no longer drive halfway up for a shorter hike. However, you can walk up or down this road, which is the easier option if you plan to hike up or down in the dark for sunrise or sunset. Instead, the hike starts at the Mt Beerburrum Trailhead Parking Lot. If you are putting this into Google Maps, the old parking lot is called the Mt Beerburrum Track Parking Lot, which means your GPS could lead you to the wrong spot. The new trailhead is also the start for the Soldier Settlers Trail and the track up Mt Beerburrum is also the start of the Yul-yan-man track .



The first part of the walk is along a rough track leading mostly gently up to the old starting point for the Mt Beerburrum Track. This spot includes an information sign and a bench if you want a rest before or after tackling the steep track up Mt Beerburrum. You can see 2 tracks leading off from here, one leading off to the Yul-yan-man track and the one on the left going up Mt Beerburrum.



The last part of the track up Mt Beerburrum is a concrete path that starts off gently before getting much steeper. The track remains steep all the way to the top but it is not a long hike, and if you have a reasonable level of fitness, take your time and use the 2 stone seats provided on the way up, you can do it.



There are some views through the trees as you head up which can also be motivation or an excuse to stop and enjoy the view as you proceed. But generally, the track is not very interesting and most people just keep their head down and focus on making it to the top.



The path is flat but the concrete surface is rough so it provides good grip in all conditions. I would probably lean toward hiking the track in cross-trainers rather than hiking shoes, but it ultimately doesn't really matter.



At the top, there are rewarding views. While sitting up at the top waiting for the sunset I noticed that everyone who made it to the top made the same sound. This was a combination of a gasping sigh of relief after an ordeal and a sigh of appreciation for the view.



The lower publicly accessible gantry of the fire watch tower gives you almost complete 360-degree views. The shed beside the tower partially blocks your view to the west, but the view is still spectacular. You would get a clearer sunrise than sunset view. However to the east, the landscape is mostly flat and featureless, or in other words, boring. Sunrise walks are worth it, but I just don't want to oversell Mt Beerburrum as a spot for this.



You will also notice that people have made a little path to the west of the tower. This is actually a better spot for watching the sunset, especially in winter when the sun is further north in the sky. There are a few rocks here to sit on while you enjoy the view.



Going back down is pretty straightforward. If you did it as a sunset hike like I did, you want to head down fairly quickly after sunset or take a flashlight to light the way. I would also suggest then following the road down if hiking in the dark.

Getting to Mt Beerburrum

Lying on the t-junction between Beerburrum Road and Steve Irwin Way, and not far from Bruce Highway, many people visit Beerburrum as a stop on the way to or from the coast or hinterland. Others head here to hike multiple hills in the Glass House Mountains or they hike Beerburrum as a side walk to the Yul-yan-man track . You can also get to Beerburrum on the train. It is 450 metres from the trailhead from the train station. Trains run into the evening and typically are scheduled an hour or an hour and a half apart.



After the hike

The township of Beerburrum has a single cafe, Cafe Phillies, that is open 7 days a week from early in the morning through to 3 pm. Nearby is a little fruit shop that is worth checking out as the Sunshine Coast grows a lot of tropical fruit, and the last time I was there we picked up pineapples at a very cheap price.

Overall

Mt Beerburrum is the overlooked hike in the Glass House Mountains that provides great views of the rest of the mountains. The hike is steep for the last section but really worth doing, especially for sunset.

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