If you’re visiting on a Saturday morning, start at the Burleigh Farmers Market, which runs from 7am to midday at Burleigh Heads State School. Among fresh produce and deli products, find food trucks and coffee vans – an ideal spot to begin a weekend away.

On any other day of the week, you can’t really go past a morning start at Commune Espresso on the highway. It’s hard to go wrong with the menu, but we recommend the Super Greens Bowl (add haloumi and thank us later), accompanied by freshly squeezed juice. Otherwise, head down the road to Helen’s Heavenly Wholefoods Cafe on James Street and pick up a takeaway acai bowl to indulge in on the beach.

You could easily spend the day just lazing on the sand (or surfing the world-class point break), but there’s also the option of the 3.1-kilometre Burleigh Head Oceanview and Rainforest Circuit. The round hike takes about an hour, and you’ll be rewarded with gorgeous sweeping views of the ocean and city. Next, try an early afternoon snack at Paddock Bakery. Take a seat in the outdoor area and order a few pastries to share.

At night, stop by Light Years for dinner. With outposts in Noosa, Byron Bay and Newcastle, the modern Asian diner opened just a few doors down from Commune in 2019. The menu includes the likes of firecracker chicken, eggplant katsu bao and Singapore chilli prawns, as well as a very healthy selection of cocktails.

Sounds like an ideal weekend to us.

Looking for somewhere to stay? We’ve rounded up the best Airbnbs on the Gold Coast. Or you could check-in to this just-opened retro-revived motel.

This article first appeared in Domain Review, in partnership with Broadsheet.

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