Burleigh Heads provides a tranquil atmosphere in the heart of the Gold Coast, roughly halfway between Surfers Paradise and Coolangatta. It's a place to pause and soak up the tropical beauty of the Queensland coastline. The golden beach has a twin appeal, with the rocky Burleigh Heads helping to provide some of the region's calmest sheltered waters. Yet surfers can find large surf breaks on the exposed side of the headland.

The beach is the main attraction in Burleigh Heads and it attracts two distinctive audiences. Families can always find a protected corner to swim while the breaks are revered by more advanced surfers. By following the headland south along the coast, visitors enter the Burleigh Head National Park, where a native rainforest provides an awning of shade.

Oceanfront dining is another attraction here, along with a blossoming cafe culture. Burleigh Heads also offers a large shaded parkland with various places to picnic and barbecue using free public facilities.

Burleigh Heads is a major intersection for the Gold Coast bus network. Direct buses go to the central and northern suburbs as well as the Gold Coast Airport. Varsity Links is the closest train station and taxis are readily available.

The area was originally named Jellurgal by the Kombumerri Aboriginal people, who had fished and hunted here for some 22,000 years before Europeans arrived. It was surveyed in 1840 by James Warner who declared it Burly Head, due to the size of the headlands. Burleigh Heads was considered a more appealing spelling when a township was established here.