The Glass House Mountains are a distinctive and spectacular landform feature of South East Queensland. Rising abruptly from the coastal plain as group of isolated volcanic plugs silhouetted against the predominantly flat skyline, these mountains embody significant landmark qualities for the community and evoke strong emotional responses. They are a dominant and instantly identifiable landform from a number of distant observation points. The aesthetic characteristics of the Glass House Mountains noted by Captain Cook in 1770, have inspired a number of works by significant Australian artists in a range of media including music, painting, poetry, photography and film. Some of these artists and their work are recognised at the international level and include Judith Wright, Conrad Martens, David Malouf and Fred Williams. The Glass House Mountains represent the best example of an eroded central volcano complex in Australia. Because the volcanic bodies did not reach the surface during their formation, with the exception of Mount Beerwah, they are free from erosional complexities, and form a spectacular example of intrusive volcanic bodies. The site is important for elucidating the volcanic history of the eastern Australian mainland. Recent research at the site has shown that there was more than one volcanic migration trend in eastern Australia, and that the Glass Houses were part of an older migration trend separate from the main migration line. This recent research at the Glass House Mountains has led to a greater understanding of the dynamic tectonic processes that generated the older chain of volcanoes, and their relative ages, and to the geochemical evolution of the rock types making up these volcanic centres. This research has also resulted in more accurate measurement of the rate of movement of sections of the Australian plate.