Mt Tibrogargan – a summit to be proud of!

Posted On May 9, 2022

Where is it?

Mt Tibrogargan is a part of the Glass House Mountains on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland.

We drove there from Brisbane City and it took us an hour. We went north on the M1 and took the exit onto Steve Irwin Way. After 5.4km turn left onto Glass House Mountains Rd. Then at Matthew Flinders Park Rest Area there is a left hand turn onto Evans Rd.

This road sweeps around behind the rest area and we took the second left under the train crossing. This is Berteaus Rd and followed this up and around to the Mount Tibrogargan Rock Climbers Car Park. We got there alot later then we were expecting but there were still a number of cars parked in the carpark. You will see the signs below at the top of the carpark and as you walk through the trail.

How long does it take to summit Mt Tibrogargan?

We weren’t too sure how long this climb was going to take. We did plan on getting there around midday. But it was my birthday and we’d been out with friends celebrating the night before. So we weren’t in the best of shape, but we managed to pull ourselves here by 4pm for the climb.

We pretty much smashed it. Possibly as a result of being hungover. Or maybe the fear we had for the sun disappearing before we could climb back down. But we were at the top in 41 minutes. But depending on your fitness level I would allow a good hour to get up. I think our height helped a lot too – I am 5’8 and Laws is 6’2. So that definitely assisted in the hard to reach places. It took us about the same to climb back down. We were still in a bit of a hurry cause there wasn’t much light left. We made it back to the car pretty easily.

How hard is it really to climb to summit Mt Tibrogargan?

So you may have heard people say it is hard, theyve attempted and failed, or got stuck half way up. Well it actually is hard! The initial walk around the base is basic, a flat walk through a nice path in the bushland. Just before the climb to the summit, there is a slight uphill, but other than that it is relatively flat and easy. The climb on the other hand, the initial part is really quite hard. I guess its the mountain saying – if you cant get passed this bit then I wouldn’t bother.

It really is a challenging climb. I like scrambling up the rocks, I find it quite easy. If you think about how you are going to get down then maybe you would never climb anything – so my advice is – dont think ahead! These shots below are me coming back down the first part of the climb. Its close to the hardest bit of the summit to climb, in my opinion. The rest of the climb is more manageable. Unless you are scared of heights!

When got past this first bit (images above of me scrambling) there were two people sitting there, the chicki babe said she was too scared to go any further and her friend didn’t want to go on without her. Which is a good call, don’t do it alone! But I know heaps of people who have tried this climb and been too scared to do the whole thing. So don’t feel too upset if that happens to you! Its very common!

I must admit, I did this climb when I was younger, and I feel like I felt it a lot more at this age! I won’t say I was scared, but looking down definitely got my heart racing like never before.
if you look on the pictures below, you can see the track that goes up the mountain. The white track to the right side of the mountain, thats what you climb.

Is it worth the scramble?

100% yes! It is definitely a climb worth doing, if you like adventure and you enjoy beautiful views of the world than this climb is for you. It wasn’t easy though, there was one part where Laws had to monkey grip me and pull me up cause I just had no chance of getting up. There was probably another way to get to where he was but I couldn’t see it at the time.

At the top of the summit, there are a few tracks to walk around and you can have a look at the view from every which way around the mountain. There was a cleared section where it looked like people had previously had a camp fire and there was enough room to set up camp. I flew the drone from the top of the mountain, I was a bit like we have no time to fly maybe we should just go down. Laws was like – we are here just fly it. So I am happy he goes places with me and pushes me to fly it when I am cautious☺️ Cause the photos are beautiful!

Its definitely a hard climb, great fun, a great challenge and rewarding views. Check it out if you are in the area and let me know how you go – leave a comment below.

If you want some more information on Mt Tibrogargan or the Glass House Mountains check out https://parks.des.qld.gov.au/parks/glass-house-mountains or https://www.queensland.com. Both pages have more information on the area.

Looking for more things to do in the area?

Check out my other posts below for more ideas and to follow our advenures!

Mount Cooroora – scramble to the top for 360 degree views

Day trippin’ through the Sunshine Coast Hinterlands

Kenilworth Bluff Campgrounds – a camping dream