Burleigh Head National Park: Gold Coast Travel Guide (4.8★)

A volcanic headland between two beaches

Burleigh’s headland is old lava. The grey hexagonal basalt columns stacked above the Oceanview track formed as lava flows cooled. The flows are generally linked to the ancient Tweed volcano, whose remnant is Wollumbin (Mount Warning). Below the columns, boulders spill straight into the surf.

On one side is the Burleigh point break, with surfers lined up off the rocks. On the other, Tallebudgera Creek runs out to sea in pale green water. Between them is a pocket of rainforest, with pandanus and casuarina where it meets the salt air.

The Yugambeh people call the headland Jellurgal. It remains a place of cultural significance, and that story is told at the Jellurgal Aboriginal Cultural Centre near the creek end.

Two tracks, one loop

The park has two main walks. Both start near Goodwin Terrace and finish near Tallebudgera Creek.

• Oceanview track: a paved, mostly flat path along the seaward face, under the basalt columns. It reaches Tumgun Lookout above the creek mouth.
• Rainforest circuit: climbs over the top of the headland under the canopy. It’s steeper and shadier, and the sea is mostly out of sight.

Go out on one and back on the other. The full loop takes about an hour at a steady pace, longer if you stop at the lookouts. Rockfalls sometimes close the Oceanview track, so check the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service park alerts before you go.

Watch for brush turkeys scratching through the leaf litter and lace monitors on the path edges. Koalas live here too, but they’re hard to spot. From roughly June to November, humpback whales pass offshore on their migration, and Tumgun Lookout is the obvious place to watch from.

Arriving at Goodwin Terrace

The northern entrance is on Goodwin Terrace, just past the Burleigh Heads shops and the beachfront park. The southern access is off the Gold Coast Highway at Tallebudgera Creek.

Parking on Goodwin Terrace fills early on sunny weekends. The creek end often has more room. By public transport, Translink buses along the Gold Coast Highway stop within walking distance. The G:link light rail doesn’t reach Burleigh.

Bring water, because there’s nowhere to buy it along the tracks. Dogs aren’t allowed in the national park.

Timing the headland on a weekend-heavy coast

The park never closes, but weekends are crowded. On Saturdays and Sundays it’s busiest from 8am–7pm. During those hours the Oceanview track carries prams, runners and tour groups shoulder to shoulder. If you can, come on a weekday.

On weekdays the quietest window is 9pm–11pm. The tracks aren’t lit, so use that time for a short walk to the first lookouts with a torch, not the full loop.

How the locals use it:

• Runners go up the rainforest circuit and come back on the flat Oceanview side.
• Keep left on the paved track so faster walkers and runners can pass.
• Afterwards, swim at the beach on the creek side, which is usually calmer than the surf at the point.
• Stay behind the railings on the Oceanview track. The rock above is unstable, and that’s why the track keeps closing.