Overview
- Features: 27-hectare rainforest reserve with plenty of bird life and several walking trails
- Opening Times: 24 hours
- Cost: Free
- Duration: Half a day
- Transport Options: Car
- Walking tracks: 2
- Grade: 3
- Facilities: Disabled access, car park, picnic area, public toilet, shaded area, viewing platform, visitor information centre, walking tracks
- Activities: Bird watching, beach fishing, surfing, wildlife viewing, bushwalking, whale watching
- Best Time to Visit: Spring & winter (between June and November)
- Address: Goodwin Terrace, Burleigh Heads, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia
- Contact: 13 7468 (Tollfree)
- Type: National Park
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Summary
If you’re in Burleigh Heads and looking for an outdoor activity for the entire family, Burleigh Head National Park tops the list. With two walking tracks along the rocky foreshore and through rainforest, the chance to see whales in spring and sea-eagles soaring along the coast, this is Gold Coast outdoors at its best. So if you’re heading to Burleigh Head National Park, check out the details below for two of the best walking tracks in the park.
Best Walking Tracks of Burleigh Head National Park
At Burleigh Head, where ancient volcanic columns meet the sea, Burleigh Head National Park features rainforest, eucalypt forest, pandanus groves, tussock grassland, coastal heath and mangroves. Its northern side is one of Australia’s most famous surfing point breaks. Visitors may glimpse humpback whales breaching in coastal waters during winter and spring, see white-bellied sea-eagles riding the ridge updrafts, or watch birdwing butterflies feeding on rainforest nectars in mid-summer.
Graded walking tracks allow visitors to walk through the national park and appreciate the beauty of the park and it’s most interesting features. The two best walking tracks listed below are graded Class 3 according to Australian Standards.
- Gently sloping, well-defined track with slight inclines or few steps.
- Caution needed on loose gravel surfaces and exposed natural lookouts.
- Reasonable level of fitness and ankle-supporting footwear required.
Burleigh Head National Park Map
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Burleigh Heads National Park Walking Tracks
Below are two of the best walking tracks in Burleigh Head National Park – Oceanview Walk and Rainforest Circuit. Each showcases a different side to the park so it is worth doing both walks which should take about half a day. You can make a full day of a visit here with a picnic lunch at Echo Point or Burleigh Heads township.
1. Oceanview Walk
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Distance: 1.2 km one-way
Time: 30 mins
Grade: Class 3
The Oceanview walk skirts the coastline leading around the rocky headland from Tallebudgera Creek to the southern edge of Burleigh Heads township. Along the track you can look at the tumbled masses of six-sided basalt columns. Before returning to the starting point, you can relax by the creek at Echo Beach. Access to Echo Beach is by designated stairways only.
You can either return by the same path or via the Rainforest circuit and Tumgun lookout (see below).
For the safety of visitors, a section of Oceanview walk may be temporarily closed before, during and after severe weather, due to the increased risk of rock falls.
2. Rainforest Circuit
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Distance: 2.3km return
Time: 45 mins
Grade: Class 3
The Rainforest circuit climbs the hill to the summit which is about 88 m above sea level. Explore this track by wandering through a living museum of plants, and spot Australian bush-turkey nesting mounds, seabirds and water dragons along the way.
Most of this track is an easy grade, but there is a steep section in the middle near Tumgun lookout. The lookout is a good place to watch for humpback whales splashing offshore in winter and spring.
Burleigh Head National Park Amenities
A council picnic area and toilets are located near the northern entrance to the park along Goodwin Terrace. Toilets are also located near the southern entrance in the car park.
How to get to Burleigh Head National Park?
Burleigh Head National Park is located at Burleigh Heads in the Gold Coast, 90 km south of Brisbane. If travelling from Brisbane on the Pacific Motorway, take exit 89 and drive into Burleigh Heads. Turn right onto the Gold Coast Highway.
To reach the northern entrance of the park, turn off the Gold Coast Highway into Goodwin Terrace. The car park is at the end of Goodwin Terrace.
To reach the southern entrance of the park, turn off the Gold Coast Highway at the traffic lights immediately north of Tallebudgera Creek.
Burleigh Head National Park Address
Goodwin Terrace
Burleigh Heads
Gold Coast
Queensland
Australia
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