Burleigh Heads, Queensland

Burleigh Heads
Gold Coast, Queensland

A beach in Burleigh Heads with high rise developments further in the background
Population 9,188 (2011 census)[1]
Postcode(s) 4220
LGA(s) Gold Coast City
State electorate(s) Burleigh
Federal Division(s) McPherson
Suburbs around Burleigh Heads:
Varsity Lakes Burleigh Waters Miami
Reedy Creek Burleigh Heads Pacific Ocean
Tallebudgera Elanora Palm Beach

Burleigh Heads is a suburb on the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia. At the 2011 Census, Burleigh Heads had a population of 9,188.

The suburb boundary extends as far north as Miami Headland, Miami, and as far south as Tallebudgera Creek, Palm Beach. To the west, is the township of West Burleigh, with its shopping mecca, and thriving industrial area, and Burleigh Waters, a quiet suburbia, beautified by a man made lake and many council parks and gardens. The centre of neighborhood is James Street, which consists of cafes, delis, hairdressers, retailers, chemists, restaurants and charity stores.

Burleigh Heads is renowned for its surf break, which attracts many surfers throughout the Gold Coast and beyond. The headland of Burleigh, locally known as "The Point", is a favourite for weekend barbecues, cricket, and if the surf is up, spectators appear. On a Sunday afternoon, the local musicians and fire-twirlers come out to the park beside Burleigh SLSC for a jam and dance session.

History

A 1940s postcard of Burleigh Heads

Indigenous Australians inhabited the area of Burleigh Heads for thousands of years prior to European settlement.[2] The Indigenous tribe were known as the Kombumerri people who had named the area 'Jellurgal'. In 1840, James Warner was commissioned to survey the coastline near Moreton Bay. Warner named the headlands near Tallebudgera Creek, 'Burly Head' because of its massive appearance.[3] Decades later the name was adapted to the more genteel spelling of 'Burleigh Heads' and was declared a town reserve by the Queensland Government in 1871. On 11 November 1879, the Queensland Government created 74 division of local government which saw Burleigh Heads zoned into the Nerang Division. On 9 December 1948, as part of a major reorganisation of local government in South East Queensland an Order in Council replaced ten former local government areas between the City of Brisbane and the New South Wales border with four new local government areas. Despite being a part of the Nerang Shire prior to the reorganisation, Burleigh Heads was claimed by the newly created Town of South Coast, joining fellow coastline suburbs Southport and Coolangatta.

View of Burleigh Heads c.1940
Burleigh Heads beach, 2008
Burleigh Heads Beach with the Gold Coast skyline in the distance, 2003

The northern section appears to have been subdivided by the mid 1950s, but was the site of extensive sand mining in the following decades. The broad beachfront park is a legacy of that activity.

Burleigh township itself is much older and was the site of early development including restaurants and guest houses to support the increasing interest in bathing that took place in the last years of the 19th century and the first of the 20th century. It has been the centre of beach activities and an extremely popular camping site for many years.[4] The commercial centre of James and Conner Streets was established by the 1930s and began to boom during the postwar period.[5]

Heritage listings

Burleigh Heads has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:

Demographics

In the 2011 Census the population of Burleigh Heads is 9,188, 52.2% female and 47.8% male.

The median/average age of the Burleigh Heads population is 40 years of age, 3 years above the Australian average.

69.3% of people living in Burleigh Heads were born in Australia. The other top responses for country of birth were New Zealand 6.8%, England 4.6%, Brazil 0.9%, Scotland 0.8%, South Africa 0.6%.

85.2% of people speak English as their first language 0.8% Portuguese, 0.5% Italian, 0.4% German, 0.4% Japanese, 0.3% French.

Geology

The area of Burleigh Head was formed between 20 and 23 million years ago from molten lava due to numerous eruptions of Mount Warning. Flowing lava reached the shore in the area to form Burleigh headland and Point Danger.[8] Geological processes that shaped the region resulted in a variety of different rock types, influencing the landscape, vegetation types and the animals they sustained. Queensland University geologists and students began coming to the area to collect specimens in the 1920s.[9]

Ecology

Burleigh Headland is part of a wildlife corridor connecting coastal forests south to the Queensland New South Wales border ranges.[10] Burleigh Ridge Park Reserve has a diverse habitat due to its geology. Conservation of the area has preserved many local plants that indigenous people would have used over 200 years ago. There are Eucalypt forest species favoured by Koalas. Other native wildlife include flying foxes, gliders and over 60 bird species.[11]

Transport

Gold Coast Highway travels along the eastern side of the suburb passing through the heart of suburb. Gold Coast highway connects Burleigh Heads with all the coastal suburbs on the Gold Coast. West Burleigh Road (State Route 80) eventually becomes Reedy Creek Road after an intersection in front of Stocklands Burleigh Heads, connects the heart of the suburb with the Pacific Motorway and Varsity Lakes railway station.

A Translink bus along the Gold Coast Highway, Burleigh Heads

Burleigh Heads is serviced by Translink services, a subsidiary of the Department of Transport and Main Roads, who operate an integrated ticketing system throughout South East Queensland. Burleigh Heads Bus stop is the main bus stop in the suburb, located on the Gold Coast Highway. Buses run at reqular and high frequency intervals that connect Burleigh Heads with the Gold Coast Airport, Tweed Heads, Robina and Broadbeach.

Schools

There are several schools servicing the Burleigh area including two state primary schools, Caningeraba State School located in Burleigh Waters and Burleigh Heads State School. Burleigh Heads State School was established in 1917 as the Burleigh School, with its name changed to Burleigh Heads State School in 1927. It moved to its present site on the Lower Gold Coast Highway, Burleigh Heads, in 1935.

There are no state high schools in Burleigh Heads with students attending Miami State High School or Elanora State High School.

The largest school in the area is Marymount College, a catholic day school educating both boys and girls from Prep to Year 12. The school has over 2000 students combined across the two campuses, Primary and Secondary, which are located on the corner of West Burleigh Rd and Bermuda St, Burleigh Waters.

Burleigh Heads and Tallebudgera Creek from south of the headland

Burleigh beach

The north-east facing beach is protected by the point to the south and offers one of the best swimming, body boarding and surfing beaches on the Gold Coast. A mature stand of Norfolk Island Pines — originally planted by the Justins family and reputably some of the earliest planted at the coast — and more recent plantings together totalling some 450 Norfolk Pines; form an attractive backdrop and are home to native birds.[12][13]

Events

Burleigh Heads State School is home to The Village Markets.[14] A bi-monthly event that promotes local emerging designers and artists.

Sport and recreation

Surfing

Others

Landmarks

See also

References

  1. ↑ Australian Bureau of Statistics (31 October 2012). "Burleigh Heads (State Suburb)". 2011 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 5 April 2013.
  2. ↑ Candice Marshall and Peter Scott (20 December 2012). "Burleigh Heads: the indigenous side". abc.net.au. Retrieved 20 August 2013.
  3. ↑ Burleigh history, City of Gold Coast
  4. ↑ "Camping at Burleigh Heads.". The Brisbane Courier (Qld. : 1864 - 1933) (Qld.: National Library of Australia). 1 January 1912. p. 6. Retrieved 17 January 2016.
  5. ↑ "Burleigh Heads Heritage & Character Study" (PDF). Gold Coast City Council. November 2010. p. 22. Retrieved 9 November 2015.
  6. ↑ "David Fleay Wildlife Park (entry 601389)". Queensland Heritage Register. Queensland Heritage Council. Retrieved 19 June 2013.
  7. ↑ "West Burleigh Store (entry 602547)". Queensland Heritage Register. Queensland Heritage Council. Retrieved 16 November 2014.
  8. ↑ Burleigh Head National Park: Nature, culture and history. Department of National Parks, Recreation, Sport and Racing. Retrieved 5 April 2013.
  9. ↑ "Geology Excursion Monday 27 May 1929". The Brisbane Courier. Retrieved 5 December 2013.
  10. ↑ "Burleigh Green Space Conservation Reserves Management Plan". City of Gold Coast. Retrieved 5 December 2013.
  11. ↑ "NaturallyGC Program". Gold Coast Parks. Retrieved 5 December 2013.
  12. ↑ "BURLEIGH HEADS.". The Courier-Mail (Brisbane, Qld. : 1933 - 1954) (Brisbane, Qld.: National Library of Australia). 22 September 1936. p. 10. Retrieved 17 January 2016.
  13. ↑ "BURLEIGH HEADS.". South Coast Bulletin (Southport, Qld. : 1929 - 1949) (Southport, Qld.: National Library of Australia). 5 April 1940. p. 10. Retrieved 17 January 2016.
  14. ↑ Burleigh Tourism Events.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Burleigh Heads, Queensland.

Coordinates: 28°06′14″S 153°26′10″E / 28.104°S 153.436°E / -28.104; 153.436

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