Burleigh Heads
Also known as: Burleigh
A world-class right-hand point wrapping a national-park headland - long, hollow, powerful, and a spiritual home of Australian competitive surfing.
Best time to surf
Year-round; winter (peaks ~Jun) delivers the cleanest S groundswells; cyclone swells Jan-Apr feed it too
Shoulder season: High - autumn and spring reliably productive
The wave
Break type: Point break (right)
Bottom: Sand over rock/basalt boulder edge (Rockbreak section over boulders)
Wave direction: Right
Typical wave length: Long - hollow walling ride with multiple sections (Cove, The Point, Rockbreak)
Ideal swell: S-SSE groundswell (ground and windswell); 3-6ft
Ideal wind: W to SW (offshore)
Working tide: Lower tides best; surf at all stages
Difficulty & skill
Difficulty (1-5): 4
Skill level: Intermediate to advanced
Options for a mixed group: Tallebudgera Creek (~5 min south, flat tidal water - ideal learn-to-surf); Burleigh Beach north (patrolled beachie)
Safety & hazards
Basalt boulders along the point, strong point current, crowds, shallow sections at low tide
Surf Life Saving Queensland clubs patrol adjacent beaches (volunteer weekends Sep-May; council lifeguards otherwise); Gold Coast University Hospital, Southport; 000
Crowd, access & conditions
Crowd & localism: Crowded and localised when on; established pecking order at the top of the point
Access & parking: Goodwin Terrace / Burleigh Heads National Park headland; street parking fills early; walking path around the point
Surf schools & rental: Godfathers of the Ocean and Paramount Adventures (lessons at Burleigh Beach and Tallebudgera Creek, not the point)
Water temp & wetsuit: ~20-27 C (warmer ~26-27 C Feb, ~20-22 C Jul); boardshorts/rashie summer, 2mm springsuit or 3/2 winter
Crowds, access and local conditions change - confirm locally before you paddle out.
Around the break
Facilities: Burleigh - National Park walks, toilets, showers, extensive cafe/restaurant strip, patrolled beach
For non-surfers: Patrolled swimming, headland lookouts (Point Danger, Burleigh NP), coastal Oceanway walks, Coolangatta/Burleigh cafes and markets
Location
Nearest hub: Gold Coast (QLD)
-28.0920, 153.4590 (approximate)
Live conditions
Today's swell, wind and tide are a runtime layer - check the live sources: Burleigh Heads Mowbray Park SLSC; SLSQ Burleigh Beach; Surfline Burleigh
This profile is desk research, compiled from public sources - not a first-hand surf report. Coordinates are approximate.