The locality is bounded on the north and east by the Brisbane River and to the north-west by its tributary Sandy Creek. It is bounded to the south by the Warrego Highway and to the south-west and west by the Brisbane Valley Highway.
The original inhabitants of the Pine Mountain area were the Ugarapul Aboriginal people. In 1824, the explorers John Oxley and Allan Cunningham mentioned meeting an elderly Aboriginal man who had been fishing with a spear near Upper Blackwall. Cunningham described his friendliness and his "open frankness of countenance" as he provided them with information regarding convenient places to cross the river and travelled with them to the foot of Pine Mountain.
Pine Mountain (the mountain) was originally named Pine Ridge by John Oxley on 21 September 1824, but later became known as Pine Mountain. The locality takes its name from the mountain.
By the 1850s, loggers had moved into the area due to abundant timber provided by the hoop pine. Some logs were transported to Ipswich using bullock teams, while others were transported down the Brisbane River.
After tracts of land were cleared farming commenced, with the early settlers producing lucerne, maize and cotton. Orchards were started and dairying became important. A small butter factory, a school and several churches were established. Of these only the Catholic Church remains.
The Congregational Church commenced services at Pine Mountain circa 1863. In May 1873 a Congregational Chapel was erected on a 3.5-acre (1.4 ha) site with a chapel that was relocated from Bremer Mills (at Bundamba). This chapel was used to house a provisional school under teacher Mr Bryce with an enrolment of 50 to 60 children and an average attendance of about 30 children.
Riverside Pine Mountain Provisional School opened in late 1876 and closed on 1882.
On Sunday 24 February 1865 St John's Catholic Chapel was opened by BishopJames Quinn. It was built from pine on land donated by John Barnes with contributions from many in the community, both Catholic and Protestants. It was described as the second church erected in the district. The chapel was destroyed by fire on Monday 14 September 1874. In 1879 St Andrew's Catholic Church was erected. In 1934 a new St Michael's Catholic Church was erected.
A United Methodist Free Church opened at Pine Mountain on Sunday 13 September 1874 with a service conducted by the Reverend David Porteus of Ipswich. The church building was described as being built of pine at the very top of the mountain on the southern side, a site donated by Reuben Worley.
St Peter's Anglican Church opened circa 1886. It closed circa 1962.
Demographics
In the 2016 census, Pine Mountain had a population of 1,667 people.
In the 2021 census, Pine Mountain had a population of 1,695 people.
Education
There are no schools in Pine Mountain. The nearest government primary schools are Brassall State School in neighbouring Brassall to the south, Haigslea State School in Haigslea to the south-west, and Glamorgan Vale State School in Glamorgan Vale to the west. The nearest government secondary school is Ipswich State High School, also in Brassall.
^Blake, Thom. "St Andrew's Catholic Church". Queensland religious places database. Archived from the original on 25 April 2022. Retrieved 20 September 2021.
Rossiter, John (28 March 2015). Mahon, Mary (ed.). 150 years of Catholic worship 1865-2015 : a history of Pine mountain : the progress of the Catholic Church over the last 150 years. Illustrated by Alan Purnell. Pine Mountain & Districts Historical Society Inc (published 2015). ISBN978-0-646-93454-9.