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SURF WIRE
August 3, 2012

Burleigh Heads: Queensland's iconic pointbreak, narrated by Jay 'Bottle' Thompson

Burleigh Heads looms large in Australian surfing, both figuratively and literally.

A government surveyor J.R. Warner named this large headland Burly Head in 1840 because of its imposing dimensions. By 1880 it had become known as Burleigh Heads. It was formed by the massive volcanic eruption and lava flows from Mount Warning, or Wollumbin, 25 million years ago. It has long been home to the Kombumerri people of the Yugambeh nation, who knew it as Jellurgul, and signs of Indigenous occupation endure -- from shell middens and fish traps to ceremonial "bora rings" and other sacred sites.

For surfers, Burleigh Heads is synonymous with long, powerful, sand-bottomed barrels and the birth of pro surfing, and has been a high performance testing ground for generations of Gold Coast surfers and shapers.

There are four distinct sections to Burleigh -- the ominously named Sharkies, the Cove, the Point and the End Section. On smaller swells and depending on sand banks, a section known as Rock Break peels close to the rocky shoreline. On ideal conditions, with a straight easterly swell and the right configuration of sand, these sections can link up into one fast, freight train barrel. (As evidenced in Mick Fanning's recent triple barrel featured on Surfine).

Burleigh has provided a hothouse for a rich lineage of surfing talent, from Keith Paull, Peter Drouyn and Paul Neilsen in the '60s and '70s, Joe Engel, Thornton Fallander and Peter Harris in the '80s, to Michael "Munga" Barry, Dave Rastovich and Jay Thompson in the '90s and 2000s. Renowned shapers Dick Van Straalen, Nev Hyman, Al Byrne, Tony Dempsey and Chris Garrett have found the ideal testing ground for their designs in Burleigh's long, fast, hollow waves.

It was here that the modern era of pro surfing was launched at the '77 Stubbies Classic, where colorful contest director Peter Drouyn unveiled his revolutionary man-on-man format, still used today. At the time, it was a breakthrough for fairer judging and elevated performance and was the scene of Michael Peterson's last great competitive triumph before vanishing into a hazy, drug-induced twilight world.

High profile visitors from Coolangatta, only 12 miles to the south, have frequently ventured north to Burleigh to refine their surfing -- from MP, Peter Townend and Rabbit Bartholomew, to the Cooly Kids Mick Fanning, Joel Parkinson and Dean Morrison.

Strong currents and a rocky foreshore make it a challenging paddle-out and most surfers walk round the Point as far as Sharkies or beyond before attempting the paddle. On large swells they might trek as far as the Tallebudgera Creek mouth on the southern side of the headland to pick a line out through the pounding waves. On truly big swells, when paddling is almost impossible, it has become a popular tow-in location. Notorious for fierce localism, it is a place to mind your manners and show respect. It is also the scene of the annual Burleigh Single Fin Classic, a celebration of vintage surfboard designs and timeless lines.

Burleigh Heads was declared a National Surfing Reserve, along with the other Gold Coast point breaks in June this year, in recognition of its special significance to the surfing community.

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Tim Baker is the best-selling author of numerous surfing books, including Occy, High Surf , Bustin' Down The Door, Surf For Your Life, Thrust, and his latest book Surfari, on the great Australian surfing road trip.
Find out more at: http://www.amazon.com/Tim-Baker/e/B0069H4U8Q