Burleigh Head National Park

Burleigh Head National Park created by dburtt

Rate this walk

Summary

Enjoy one of the Gold Coast's most popular walks, through beautiful sub-tropical rainforest, past a hidden beach, and along the coast, all with great views

Description

Find out more

If you're looking for a nature walk on the Gold Coast it's hard to go past Burleigh Head National Park.

It's tiny by national park standards, but packs a lot into a small space. This walk takes you through beautiful sub-tropical rainforest, past a hidden beach, along a coastal walk through the pandanus trees, with great views, all in less than an hour. No wonder it's so popular!

The park is on the traditional lands of the Kombumerri people, who called the Burleigh headland Jellurgal. It was first set aside as a reserve for public purposes in 1886 and became a national park in 1947 . It is now the only Gold Coast rocky headland that remains largely in its natural state. The Department of Environment and Science calls it "a living museum and habitat for many rare species."

While we were there we heard the distinctive call of whipbirds and saw plenty of brush turkeys, who were quite tame. If you are lucky (or patient) you might see a whale in the winter or spring. The forest has a range of interesting plants and trees.

We've rated this walk as easy because it's quite short, but it is a bit of a climb over the hill, so you'll get some decent exercise.

"Amazing to have such a beautiful walk and so easily accessible here on the Gold Coast. This should be high on the To Do list for locals and tourists alike." - Pai Ying, Google review

Enjoy!

Notes:
- Sorry, no dogs allowed in the National Park
- There are no facilities in the park, but there are public toilets available by the start of the walk at John Laws Park.
- This walk is only a short stroll from the Burleigh Heads shops, with heaps of cafes etc. If you're not driving, a number of bus routes go through Burleigh Heads.

Rate this walk

1274 Views

Points of Interest

1. Picnic spot

The walk starts and ends at one of the Gold Coast's most popular hangouts, with views out to sea and down the coast to the skyline of Surfer's Paradise. Great sunsets apparently.

2. Pandanus trees

In the more exposed areas along the coast you walk through pandanus groves, which can withstand stress from wind, heat and salt spray. And they look pretty cool.