Beerwah, Queensland

A small, friendly town with lots of charm, located in The Glasshouse Mountains. It offers views of the 13 volcanic peaks that dominate the Sunshine Coast landscape. The industry of the region it services includes pineapple, citrus fruit, tobacco and macadamia nut plantations.
Location: 69 km from Brisbane
Origin of name: some of the names the Kabi Aborigines gave to the Glasshouse Mountains are perpetuated in the area. Beerwah is one such name. At 555m, Beerwah is the highest of the peaks. The name is derived from "birrawaman", "birwa" or "birroa", in the Kabi language, Turrbal dialect indicating, broadly, up in the sky, from "birra" sky and "wandum" climbing.
Brief history: The Glass House Mountains were named by Lieut. James Cook, who thought they resembled the glass foundries near his Yorkshire home, but more importantly they stand as a timeless reminder of Kabi Aborigines, for whom they had enormous Dreamtime significance. The Kabi Aborigines were quickly displaced by European settlement. The railway arrived in 1890, establishing Beerwah as the major town of the region.
Built features: Beerwah forms part of a collection of small towns namely Beerburrum, Glass House Mountains, Beerwah, Landsborough, Peachester and Mooloolah.
Natural features: Glasshouse Mountains National Park
Heritage features: scattered stone tools, long disused bora rings, middens and scarred trees of the Kabi Aborigines are found throughout the region; Australia Zoo.