Tibrogargan

Tibrogargan. Oil, enamel on plastic. 120 x 160 cm.

This incredible mountain clearly has the face of an Aboriginal man on it as you drive the Steve Irwin Way on the Sunshine Coast. This was painted when my art studio was based at the foot of Tibrogargan in 2016. This mountain is a powerful and mystical presence in the Australian landscape.

The First Nation's people have a dreamtime legend of the Glasshouse Mountains which  tells of pregnant Beerwah and her son Coonowrin and husband Tibrogargan.  Coonowrin is the son of Tibrogargan (father) and Beerwah (mother). Tibrogargan asked Coonowrin to look after his mother in a storm. Instead of looking after his pregnant mother, he ran off, then his father hit him on the back of the head and he hasn’t been able to straighten his neck ever since. Coonorwrin is also locally known as Crookneck Mountain.