Mount Coolum National Park
Encyclopedia
Mount Coolum is a mountain in a national park in a suburb
of the same name in Queensland
, Australia
.
Mount Coolum is located on the Sunshine Coast
101 km north of Brisbane. It lies between the Sunshine Motorway
to the west, the shoreline to the east, Coolum Beach township to the north and Marcoola
township to the south.
which forms regular columns and jointing patterns. A disused quarry occupies the eastern foothills of the mountain.
The walk up and back can be completed in 30 minutes; it should not be started after rain or when rain or dusk threaten. The peak hosts a cage containing an aircraft hazard obstacle light, necessary because of the mountain's close proximity to the Sunshine Coast Airport
. On average about 140 people climb to the summit each day.
forest, coastal wallum
, paperbark wetland, rare coastal montane heath
and some rainforest
.
A pair of Peregrine Falcon
s are reported to nest on the cliffs.
Mount Coolum, Queensland
Mount Coolum is a suburb in the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia.-External links:* *...
of the same name in Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
Mount Coolum is located on the Sunshine Coast
Sunshine Coast
There are several places around the globe that use the name Sunshine Coast. They are collections of coastal towns and/or cities that have banded together, usually for tourist promotional reasons...
101 km north of Brisbane. It lies between the Sunshine Motorway
Sunshine Motorway
The Sunshine Motorway is a thirty-three kilometre Australian motorway on the Sunshine Coast region of Queensland, just north of Brisbane. It was initially a tolled motorway before these were removed in 1993 after excessive complaint regarding any such need of a toll.-Overview:The Sunshine Motorway...
to the west, the shoreline to the east, Coolum Beach township to the north and Marcoola
Marcoola, Queensland
Marcoola is a suburb on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia. It includes the developments of Town of Seaside and Mount Coolum Shores as well as being a popular destination for tourists....
township to the south.
Formation
The mountain is a volcanic dome, roughly circular in plan with tall cliffs on the southern side. It rises abruptly from the coastal plain to a 208 m peak, resembling the Glasshouse Mountains to the south. Mount Coolum is largely formed from 25 million year old rhyoliteRhyolite
This page is about a volcanic rock. For the ghost town see Rhyolite, Nevada, and for the satellite system, see Rhyolite/Aquacade.Rhyolite is an igneous, volcanic rock, of felsic composition . It may have any texture from glassy to aphanitic to porphyritic...
which forms regular columns and jointing patterns. A disused quarry occupies the eastern foothills of the mountain.
Climbing Mount Coolum
A 800 m long track climbs Mount Coolum from the east, starting at a carpark on Tanah Street West off David Low Way in the suburb of Mount Coolum. The lower part of the track is deceptively well-formed and gentle but it quickly deteriorates to become very steep, very rough and dangerously slippery when wet.The walk up and back can be completed in 30 minutes; it should not be started after rain or when rain or dusk threaten. The peak hosts a cage containing an aircraft hazard obstacle light, necessary because of the mountain's close proximity to the Sunshine Coast Airport
Sunshine Coast Airport
Sunshine Coast Airport is an Australian airport serving Sunshine Coast, Queensland. It is the gateway to holiday destinations such as Noosa, Maroochydore, Mooloolaba and Caloundra...
. On average about 140 people climb to the summit each day.
Ecological values
The park is noted for its remarkable botanical diversity; more than 700 different species of plant have been identified there. Vegetation types include eucalyptEucalypt
Eucalypts are woody plants belonging to three closely related genera:Eucalyptus, Corymbia and Angophora.In 1995 new evidence, largely genetic, indicated that some prominent Eucalyptus species were actually more closely related to Angophora than to the other eucalypts; they were split off into the...
forest, coastal wallum
Wallum
Wallum, or Wallum country, is an Australian ecosystem of coastal south-east Queensland, extending into north-eastern New South Wales. It is characterised by floristically-rich shrubland and heathland on deep, nutrient-poor acidic sandy soils and regular wildfire. Seasonal changes in the...
, paperbark wetland, rare coastal montane heath
Heath
-Habitats:* Heath or heathland, low-growing woody vegetation, mostly consisting of heathers and related species* Heaths in the British National Vegetation Classification system...
and some rainforest
Rainforest
Rainforests are forests characterized by high rainfall, with definitions based on a minimum normal annual rainfall of 1750-2000 mm...
.
A pair of Peregrine Falcon
Peregrine Falcon
The Peregrine Falcon , also known as the Peregrine, and historically as the Duck Hawk in North America, is a widespread bird of prey in the family Falconidae. A large, crow-sized falcon, it has a blue-gray back, barred white underparts, and a black head and "moustache"...
s are reported to nest on the cliffs.