Shortly after Steve Smith (2no) brought up his 10,000th Test run with a quick single to mid-on, Australia went to lunch in control at 2-145 in Galle.
Steve Smith acknowledges the crowd after completing his 10,000 Test runs milestone. (AP PHOTO)
Head's opening partner Usman Khawaja (65no from 98 balls) was unbeaten next to the stand-in captain with his highest Test score of a hot-and-cold summer.
Smith was dropped by Prabath Jayasuriya shortly after his milestone in a list of missed chances for the hosts, who lost the toss.
The toughest to swallow would be the call not to review an LBW shout that would have sent Head packing on 23 early in the first session.
Instead, Head reprised his form from the side's last subcontinent visit in 2023 and brought up the equal sixth-fastest half-century by an Australian in Test history.
The hosts missed another chance, this time to dismiss Khawaja on 54 just before lunch, with Dhananjaya de Silva dropping a tough slips chance off Jayasuriya.
But the captain made up for it by holding onto a shaky Marnus Labuschagne (20) at slip off Jeffrey Vandersay just 10 minutes before lunch.
Labuschagne never looked comfortable and earlier had to scamper back into his crease as Osahada Fernando missed a run-out chance from short leg.
Marnus Labuschagne never looked comfortable in his brief innings of 20. (AP PHOTO)
Head looked to be doing it more easily and raised his bat to the healthy Australian contingent of the crowd after only 35 deliveries in 46 minutes.
By the time he holed out to Dinesh Chandimal on the rope at long on searching for his second six, Head (57 from 40 balls) had powered Australia to 1-92 on a dusty pitch tipped to become trickier for the batters as the match progresses.
Khawaja picked up where Head left off and swept Jayasuriya to deep backward square for his half-century after 71 deliveries - a speedy knock by anyone's standards but Head's.
The firepower is likely to continue for the Aussies, who named spin specialist Josh Inglis for his Test debut at Head's usual No.5 spot and left out opening wunderkind Konstas.
Selector Tony Dodemaide told the touring Australian press the decision to drop Konstas was "difficult", but Head would have eased the anxiety with three boundaries from the opening Asitha Fernando over.
Usman Khawaja (l) and Travis Head (r) got Australia off to a flying start. (AP PHOTO)
It was a sign of things to come; Khawaja and Head's 50-run partnership came up midway through the ninth over.
Head continued to pounce on anything too short, riding his luck after de Silva opted not to send up an LBW shout from Asitha Fernando that ball-tracker revealed as plumb.
Sri Lanka then burned a review on another LBW shout that was well off the mark.
Australia named a spin-heavy attack at the toss on Wednesday, with all three off-spinners Nathan Lyon, Matt Kuhnemann and Todd Murphy picked ahead of second front-line quick Scott Boland.
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