Burleigh Heads, Queensland

Burleigh Heads is a suburb in the City of 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 shopping and industrial areas, and Burleigh Waters, a suburb with a man-made lake, council parks and gardens. The centre of the neighborhood is James Street, which consists of cafes, delis, hairdressers, retailers, chemists, restaurants and charity stores.Burleigh Heads' surf break attracts surfers from the Gold Coast and beyond. At the headland of Burleigh, locally known as "The Point", barbecues and cricket matches are held, and spectators can watch the surfers. On Sunday afternoons, local musicians and fire-twirlers often come out to the park beside Burleigh SLSC for a jam and dance session.HistoryIndigenous Australians inhabited the area of Burleigh Heads for thousands of years prior to European settlement. 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. 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.