Scrolling through my socials last week, I nearly spat out my morning cuppa as I read the words: “Queensland’s own Bondi” in an article on Burleigh’s real estate boom. My childhood was spent at Bondi. My father was a Bondi lifesaver. Today, Burleigh is my beloved local beach village. Both carry unique qualities and character in their own right. I wondered if such comparisons were necessary or indeed, helpful.
The Gold Coast is a young city. Some of our earliest buildings were rudimentary and purpose-built for holiday-making and early European settlement. They are rarely glamorous or originally intact. Despite the constant development that’s taken place over the last century, some places have stood the test of time. They remain, providing not just a reminder of our past, but are also important foundations in ensuring we know who we are. They’re icons, drawcards that make Burleigh, Burleigh!
If the beaches are the crown of the Gold Coast, Burleigh, and its imposing headland, is the jewel. This wasn’t an arbitrary human decision. Nature decided.
Known as Jellurgal to local Indigenous groups, it’s a significant place in Aboriginal Cultural Landscapes. For millennia, the estuary and swampland provided ample fresh water and food sources and hosted many gatherings. The headland gave security and informed through lines of sight. Character and amenity is culturally expressed in the Dreaming story of Jabreen.
With the construction of the South Coast railway line, the tracks to Burleigh became better worn. Nature-lovers and holidaymakers from Brisbane were now turning up en masse, thrilled to explore the biodiverse wilderness and beautiful seaside location.
Burleigh’s popularity, however, was creating problems. It was soon under threat of being over-loved. Stunning wildflower and fern patches were picked to extinction. Sanitation and infrastructure was poor. A spectacular freshwater lagoon polluted and filled in, now a bowling green.
In 1916, Councillor William Brake responded to proposals to resurvey Jellurgal for allotment with, “...the only high ground in the township, much appreciated by visitors. To cut this up would considerably reduce the attractions of the place.”
Backed by strong protests, the proposal was binned and the reserve went into Council care in 1918. The headland’s environmental values continued to be held in high regard and Jellurgal was gazetted as a National Park in 1947. As a major eco-tourism drawcard today, conservation has clearly proven to be progress.
In the 1930s, infrastructure dramatically improved in Burleigh village and the prominently-placed DeLuxe Theatre, now known as Old Burleigh Theatre Arcade, was constructed. With a stage and dance floor, the DeLuxe was a frequent venue for a wide variety of events including balls, concert, indoor skating, fetes, religious congregations and community meetings.
In 1954, the iconic building bore the full brunt of a cyclone and it was severely damaged. Its popularity as a community hub and entertainment venue saw rapid reconstruction. In the 1970s the theatre was converted into an arcade with retail, dining and offices.
Burleigh was the centre of the surfing universe by the 1970s. Arcade tenants included Montezumas, an institution to the surf community for 42 years. Regular customers included the Neilsen clan, surf empire pioneers who dominated in Burleigh’s waves. In later years, Sean Scott’s gallery showcased surf photography. Stories of surf culture in the DeLuxe proliferate in living memory today.
In 2019 the DeLuxe was listed on the local heritage register. Although little of the original fabric remained, the building’s status as a local landmark and ongoing gathering place was recognised. Community sentiment for the aging, patchworked building is strong through all its incarnations.
The foreshore’s appeal is irresistible and eternal. Across the road, natural oyster beds had been a significant indigenous meeting place for centuries and later protected for public amenity as their bounties continued to please.
By the 1950s, sea folly attractions ‘Rollerdrome’ outdoor skating rink and Burleigh’s first swimming pool were on the foreshore. The 1954 cyclone destroyed the skate rink. Jack Evans’ ocean pool, built only the year before, proved its sturdiness surviving the storm. Over decades, the pool continued to grow in popularity and use. Burleigh Pavilion was constructed and its indoor pool continued to be used for generations.
Many years ago, I was shocked to see spray paint had been taken to the publicly-owned building. This was no vandalism though. It was a tribute done under cover of darkness. I immediately recognised the clean stencil effigy as that of surfing legend, Michael Peterson, or ‘MP’. I soon learned the culprits were friends of mine. I tentatively awaited their fate as news spread. To my relief they were not arrested. In fact, their work was celebrated! So iconic, it still adorns the southern wall today, being an attraction in itself.
It could’ve been the algorithms last week because another post about Burleigh appeared in my feed, as if to counter the “Bondi” article. It was a drawing by Gold Coast Illustrator of MP’s wall. Locals celebrating locals celebrating locals. This homage is organic, authentic place-making in action.
Bondi is lovely and all but...we are Burleigh.
Explore Burleigh and find the stories of the people behind these places:
● Parky the koala
● Norfolk Pines, The Esplanade
● Justins Park playground
● John Laws Park look out
● Bora Ring
● West family grave
● Sarah Duncan grave
● Indigenous Fish Traps
● Jabreen’s ‘fingers’
● Burleigh Heads Tourist Park and Caretaker’s Residence (1959)
IMAGE: Summer weekend at Burleigh Heads, 1955. By late afternoon, a few would go on to either the Bluff Hotel or the Burleigh Hotel for a refreshing beverage. In the evening, to the DeLuxe Theatre. Jack Evans' swimming pool can also be seen (Kodachrome by Betty Fleay, sister of Stephen Fleay)