Driving from Brisbane to Burleigh Heads looks like a lot of highway. But with a couple of minor detours, it can become a veritable food trail of some of the best bites between the two.
If you’ve just jumped off a flight and need a set of wheels to get to the Gold Coast, there’s an Avis in Brisbane Airport. Set yourself up with a free Avis Preferred membership so you can skip the queue for keys and paperwork and head straight to the car as soon as you land.
Strapped in? Here’s where to veer off the M1 from Brisbane towards Burleigh Heads – including a choose-your-own-adventure hive of restaurants and a neighbourhood bistro.
Road trip snacks
It’s all but law that a good road trip begins at a bakery, but here we’re swapping the curbside pie (that comes later) for the baked goods from Agnes Bakery. The acclaimed bakery began as a lockdown pivot for the restaurant Agnes, but has since become a standalone operation. It pumps out cult-loved Basque burnt cheesecake, sandwiches and pastries from an old Queenslander-style corner shop on James Street, just across from the Calile Hotel. Buy a snack or two for the road, then take a 10-minute walk up Harcourt Street for a postcard-perfect view of the CBD behind the Story Bridge, which you’ll later cross to get on the M1 towards Burleigh Heads.
Suburban pit stop
Before things speed up on the highway, take the Klumpp Road exit towards Sunnybank for a quick meal to fuel you up for the trip. In the ’80s, Chinese, Taiwanese, Korean and Vietnamese communities turned the semi-rural suburb into a centre for Asian culture in Brisbane. One of the benefits is restaurant-quality shopping centre meals at Market Square and Sunnybank Plaza.
Some of Market Square’s restaurants aren’t open for lunch service, but there are no bad choices here – Indonesian cafe Kusuka Corner and Fen Ku’s Guilin-style noodles are a good start. Or, for a Japanese-inspired brunch, continue cruising down the highway towards Nerang and try suburban-gem cafe Chanoyu.
Burleigh bites
Like Barbie’s boyfriend Ken, the only must-do in Burleigh Heads is “beach”. But it’s also had a food evolution in the last few years, now rivaling Byron Bay in trendiness with good food and drink meeting a relaxed beachside atmosphere.
Burleigh, like Byron, has its scene-y side. The Burleigh Pavilion (aka The Pav) is popular among influencers because the bar might as well be on the beach. And in the northern corner of The Pav, there's a full-service restaurant The Tropic with a Mediterranean-inspired menu.
For something quieter and cosier, Rosella’s is a love letter to the Gold Coast of yesteryears with Australiana-inspired cocktails such as the Blinky Bill, Matildas, and an ode to Fantales made with house blend rum and Daintree dark chocolate. Restaurant Labart is a neighbourhood bistro with a European-style menu, while Light Years’ colourful Burleigh outpost has Asian-inspired plates and tropical cocktails. Justin Lane is the spot for pizza and cocktails. But for something less assuming, you can easily get pub grub on waterfront real estate as many of the larger community surf clubs operate as bars and restaurants.
The next day
On Saturday mornings, there’s a community market from 6.30am to midday with farm produce and flowers, plus wares collected and made by locals. Grab some fruit at the market (best eaten on the beach) or head to a local cafe for breakfast. Commune is a staple in the suburb as one of the first in the wave of new food in Burleigh Heads, while Tarte Bakery has French and New York-influenced pastries. Tarte’s second location is on a lively spot on the mouth of Currumbin Creek, a popular spot to try stand-up paddleboarding as it’s right next to picturesque Currumbin Beach, but without the waves.
Looking for more to do? Head 20 kilometres inland to Cougal Cascades. The forest-lined drive through Currumbin Valley is reason enough for the detour, but another is the 1.6-kilometre track to the natural pool: a scenic and swimmable (and approachable) corner of Springbrook National Park.
Heading home
To make a sandwich of this road trip, it must close out with a best-for-last pie from Yatala Pies. The storied Queensland institution, which has been written about in the New York Times, has been an essential motorist pit stop for more than 100 years. Take exit 38 off the northbound side of the motorway – you’ll know you’re in the right place when you see a giant pie on a metres-tall pole. Inside, find pies with all the classic fillings alongside a Tradie pie (steak, bacon, cheese, tomato and egg) and a lamb coconut curry number. After dusting the crumbs off, it’s time to head back to the airport for a quick and easy car drop-off.
This article was produced by Broadsheet in partnership with Avis. Avis Preferred members can go straight to their rental car in Brisbane Airport; you’ll receive a notification when you land with details of the car park bay where your rental is waiting unlocked with the keys inside, so you can jump in and effortlessly take to the road. Conditions apply for Avis Preferred membership. Service benefits will vary by Avis location.