Glass House Mountains Road (Steve Irwin Way) is a continuous road route in the

Moreton Bay Moreton Bay is a bay located on the eastern coast of Australia from central Brisbane, Queensland. It is one of Queensland's most important coastal resources. The waters of Moreton Bay are a popular destination for recreational anglers and are ...

and Sunshine Coast local government areas of

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

, Australia. Part of it is designated as part of State Route 6. It is a state-controlled road (number 490), part regional and part district.

Route description

Glass House Mountains Road (

Steve Irwin Stephen Robert Irwin (22 February 19624 September 2006), known as "The Crocodile Hunter", was an Australian zookeeper, conservationist, television personality, wildlife educator, and environmentalist. Irwin grew up around crocodiles and ot ...

Way) commences with no route number at an intersection with the

Bruce Highway The Bruce Highway is a major highway in Queensland, Australia. Commencing in the state capital, Brisbane, it passes through areas close to the eastern coast on its way to Cairns in Far North Queensland. The route is part of the Australian Na ...

in . It runs north-west into the locality of and then turns north, passing Beerburrum Road to the west. It leaves Beerburrum and passes through before entering , where it passes the exits to

Kilcoy–Beerwah Road Kilcoy–Beerwah Road is a continuous road route in the Moreton Bay and Sunshine Coast local government areas of Queensland, Australia. It is designated as part of State Route 6. It is a state-controlled regional road (number 492). It is par ...

to the west and Roys Road to the east. Here it becomes State Route 6 and Tourist Drive 24, and continues to the north, passing

Australia Zoo Australia Zoo is a zoo located in the Australian state of Queensland on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Sunshine Coast near Beerwah, Queensland, Beerwah/Glass House Mountains National Park, Glass House Mountains. It is a member of the Zoo and A ...

, and then north-east as it reaches . It passes the exit to

Landsborough–Maleny Road Blackall Range road network is a group of roads that provide access to the mountain localities and towns from various lowland places, and enable travel between the mountain communities. The network ensures continuity of access in times of floodi ...

(Tourist Drive 23) to the north-west and continues in a north-easterly direction until it reaches the Bruce Highway at , where it ends. The physical road continues east as Caloundra Road (State Route 6). Land use along the road is mainly rural.

Road condition

The road is fully sealed, and most of it is two-lane road, with some isolated four-lane segments.

Upgrade project

A project to improve safety between Beerwah and Landsborough, at a cost of $24 million, was under construction in July 2022.

Related Bruce Highway projects

The intersection with the Bruce Highway at Elimbah is being upgraded in 2022 in conjunction with a project to expand the highway to six lanes at that point. The intersection with the Bruce Highway at Glenview was upgraded in 2021 as part of a project to expand the highway to six lanes at that point and to improve traffic flow through the intersection.

History

Elimbah was first settled by Europeans as a resting place on the road to for horses and bullocks, known as The Six Mile. In 1890 it became a railway siding known by its position on the line rather than a name, and in 1902 it was officially named Elimbah. Some European settlement in what is now the locality of Beerburrum had occurred from 1861, but it was not until 1890 when the railway arrived that the area became accessible for new settlers. In 1916, Beerburrum was chosen to be a

soldier settlement Soldier settlement was the settlement of land throughout parts of Australia by returning discharged soldiers under soldier settlement schemes administered by state governments after World War I and World War II. The post-World War II settlemen ...

with over 550 farms allocated.

Beerburrum Soldier Settlement Beerburrum Soldier Settlement was a soldier settlement in Beerburrum, Queensland, Australia, established to provide opportunities for Australian soldiers returning from World War I. It is generally regarded as a failure. History As early as ...

was the largest soldier settlement in Queensland. A coach stop on the road to the

Gympie goldfields During the Australian gold rushes, starting in 1851, significant numbers of workers moved from elsewhere in Australia and overseas to where gold had been discovered. Gold had been found several times before, but the colonial government of N ...

was established in what is now Glass House Mountains in 1868. European settlement at Beerwah began in 1877, with timber cutting and land clearing, followed by fruit growing and other forms of agriculture. In 1871 a coach stop was established at Mellum Creek, the site of the town of Landsborough, which was so named with the arrival of the

railway Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...

in 1890. Most of this road was part of the Bruce Highway when it was declared in 1934, and remained so until 1985, when the new alignment reached Caloundra Road at Glenview.Department of Main Roads Annual Report 1985-1986

Major intersections

All distances are from Google Maps. The road is within the

and Sunshine Coast local government areas.

References

{{Road infrastructure in Queensland Roads in Queensland