Although six miles out to sea, Lt James Cook named Cape Mor[e]ton, Glass House Bay and “the Glass Houses”, as the peaks reminded him of the glass furnace kilns in his home county of Yorkshire.

James Cook’s log book states on 17 May 1770

The shore forms a wide open Bay which I have named MORTON BAY ...some on board was of the opinion that there is a River there because the sea looks paler than usual….

Sir Joseph Banks recorded the following entry for the same day:  The sea in this place suddenly changed from its usual transparency to a dirty clay colour, appearing as if much charged with freshes. from whence I was led to conclude that the bottom of the bay might open into a large river.

Cook would not have been able to see Bribie Island at that distance.

Compiled by Lynne Hooper from information sourced from the public domain.