'The birth of

modern climbing'

Henry ‘Harry’ Mikalsen (pictured left) was born within sight of Coonowrin or Crookneck in the Glasshouses and as a boy, had searched the north face, working out a possible route to the summit. On 11 March 1910, climbing alone, he carefully picked his way up through the huge loose boulders and occasional overhangs and he was on top. The ‘unclimbable’ spire had fallen to a 23 year old local lad, attracting barely a mention in the local press: ‘The feat was not accomplished without difficulty and danger; but although he was urged by his friends and family not to make the attempt, he was fully determined to get to the top. Once there he was satisfied. He stayed for an hour on the summit, and made the descent without mishap. The trip took about three hours from start to finish, and as his home is at the foot of the mountain, he was watched with anxious eyes and could be seen the whole time.’ Mikalsen’s achievement was recognised in Thomas Welsby's writings—the first major historical work to include climbing activity in Queensland, possibly Australia—and Mikalsen's success on Crookneck is identified by some as the beginning of climbing ‘as a pastime’ in Australia.

Picture: The Discoverers of the Brisbane River, Thomas Welsby.