What’s not to love about Burleigh? Seriously. The surf break, the people, the lifestyle and (finally) some of the Gold Coast’s best restaurants and cafés have arrived. This place truly is world-class.
There are lots of reasons people flock to Burleigh and every summer, more and more people drive straight past the attractions of Surfers Paradise and take Exit 85 direct to our magical headland.
Why is that?
There’s just something about this place. There’s a noticeable frequency in the air and it hits you as soon as you see that beautiful grassy hill. Nestle in, visit Marcus from The Nook and grab a coffee while you look out over the rocks, with the Surfers’ city skyline a calming distance away.
And then you notice just how special those waves breaking below your feet truly are.
The Break
Burleigh Heads is, hands down, one of the world’s best sand-bottom pointbreaks. It’s a fast wave and gets quite heavy when cyclones loom, and it presents itself as a standout location for world-renowned surfing events.
The World Surf League’s first pit stop on the WSL World Tour (the Quiksilver Pro) holds Burleigh Head as one of three backup options, should Snapper Rocks not be turning on the conditions for a great event. To be considered by the surfing authorities and world’s best surfers as a potential place for the year’s first WSL event speaks volumes.
The Flight Centre Burleigh Breaker Pro (recently also known as the Burleigh Breaker Pro) has been an awesome event, where locals can perch upon the Goodwin Terrace hill and watch some of the world’s and Burleigh’s best surfers battle it out at the iconic pointbreak. You rarely get so close to the action anywhere in the world.
The Burleigh Boardriders are perhaps best known by some locals for their awesome event, the Single Fin Classic. They’ve revived the magic of a long-gone era of single fin surfboards, and you’ll delight in watching today’s best surfers (the likes of World Champion Joel Parkinson and friends) tearing down the point, bringing the old single fins back to life.
The People
Becoming a world champion, or even world-class in any realm is something to behold. World Champions truly are amazing people and getting close enough to learn and speak with the best performers in the world from any sport or business can be an uplifting experience.
Did you know Burleigh is home for a bunch of world champions?
Some of them have even opened their doors here at Burleigh, where locals are getting full access to a lifetime of world-class lessons, fitness classes, and even the world’s best beers.
Meet….
James “The Sledgehammer” McSweeney – McSweeney’s Fight Factory
At any given time, James might be found anywhere in Canada, USA, Europe or Thailand as a highly-esteemed guest, running seminars on Mixed Martial Arts, Muay Thai, Wrestling, or Jiu Jitsu. But the English heavyweight now calls the Gold Coast home and has opened doors at Burleigh with James McSweeney’s Fight Factory.
James provides MMA programs to local schools, provides a “Junior Sledgehammer” MMA program and promotes amateur and pro fighters at his Legends MMA events, held at the Gold Coast.
James is a 6 x Muay Thai Heavyweight World Champion, a 2 x Bare Knuckle Muay Thai World Champion, 3 x Mixed Martial Artist Champion, Official K1 Veteran, UFC Veteran, One FC Veteran, and a KSW Veteran. He’s also a genuine, all-round nice guy.
Learn more about James’ journey and career right here.
‘John’ Wayne Parr – Boonchu Gym
At the time of posting, John Wayne just won his Bellator Debut via a head-kick knockout. Congrats JWP, from all of us at Burleigh Space!
John Wayne “The Gunslinger” Parr is a 10 x Muay Thai World Champion, CMT Promoter and owner of Boonchu Gym at Burleigh Heads. John Wayne Parr is held in extremely high order around the globe by martial artists and mixed martial artists alike.
Any day of the week, you’ll see him running along West Burleigh Road, sometimes alone, sometimes with a few Boonchu Gym members. And what an experience those guys and gals have, training alongside a living Muay Thai legend, and definitely Australia’s best ever Muay Thai martial artist.
See the Gunslinger’s documentary “Blessed with Venom” right here.
What a classy bunch of brewers! Burleigh Brewing have (in their own words) “Out-Germaned the Germans” by winning Best German Style Wheat Beer at the 2012 World Beer Cup – the Olympics of beer.
They’ve won the Telstra Business of the Year. They’ve won the Gold Coast Business Excellence awards. They’ve won Best of Show at the RNA Royal Queensland Beer Awards, and Best Queensland Beer, Best Australian Beer, and Best International Beer multiple times over.
And yes, they open their doors to us locals. Burleigh Brewing are known to host events where you can experience their beers alongside a bite of food and some festivities. If you haven’t already been along to the brewery, I recommend you get amongst it.
Here’s a clip on Burleigh Brewing’s success from a short while ago.
The Lifestyle
Live, work or play. Burleigh has you covered. Eating out, living well, getting fit, enjoying community events and local festivals are all a part of the attraction for Burleigh locals and tourists alike.
Burleigh’s café, restaurant, and bar scene has certainly stepped up in recent years, and here are some of our favourites to visit.
These guys are Burleigh legends. With a presence at the Burleigh Waters shopping centre ‘Tree Tops’, and now with the new hang at Burleigh on the Gold Coast Highway, they’re naturally a go-to for a quality breakfast, a lunchtime burger, and now, and afternoon beer and chill.
Not an ideal hang-out for the local vegan or vegetarian… Burleigh Space had our Christmas dinner at Harry’s last year, and let us tell you, you ain’t had steak on the Gold Coast until you’ve taken a seat at Harry’s.
Need a great place down here to work?
We know. There aren’t many places you can get business done, escape the café crowds, the noisy tourists (or the kids) to knuckle down and punch out a couple of hours.
Burleigh Space is coworking in the heart of Burleigh Heads. We’ve got locals who are remote employees from Sydney, Brisbane, and Melbourne-based businesses. We’ve got startups and entrepreneurs. We’ve got creatives, technical experts and lifestyle businesses that operate out of the space.
Burleigh Space members also get free networking event space, so everyone in our coworking community can focus on business development and building the relationships they need to boost their business, without the burden of extra costs.
Whether you’re visiting Burleigh for a day or two, starting a Burleigh-based business, working out of home or just need a community vibe to help you through your work day, maybe coworking can offer you something special.
With a view of Burleigh beach and cafés, bars, and restaurants at our doorstep, it’s hard to beat this space as a coworking workplace.
Come on down for a visit!
Tim Dive
We strengthen Australian businesses by removing operational and compliance barriers that stand in their way. HR Cartel serves Australian business owners by providing the kind of HR and employment expertise traditionally out of reach for small, independent and growing businesses.