Cape Wickham Links
On the wild northern tip of King Island, marooned in Bass Strait between Tasmania and the mainland, lies one of the most spectacular links courses built this century. Cape Wickham wraps itself around the tallest lighthouse in Australia, with the sea in play on hole after hole and a closing stretch along a curving white beach that has to be seen to be believed. Opened in 2015, it was an almost instant number one public course in the country.
Photo: Cape Wickham Golf Links via Google.
The verdict
Cape Wickham is the kind of course golfers cross the world to play, and the journey to a remote island in Bass Strait is part of the romance. Mike DeVries, working with the Australian writer and architect Darius Oliver, was handed a piece of coastline so dramatic that the hard part was restraint, and the result is a routing that touches the sea on the great majority of its holes, swinging out along clifftops, around the historic Cape Wickham lighthouse and down to the shore of Victoria Cove. The wind off the strait is relentless and ever changing, the fescue turf runs firm and fast, and the scenery is simply staggering.
It opened in October 2015 and was almost immediately rated the number one public access course in Australia by the country's leading panels, a status it has largely held since, while ranking among the best modern courses in the world. This is not a manufactured resort course dressed up as links; it is the real thing, exposed and natural, where the ground game and the management of the wind matter more than raw length, and where the closing par 4 along the beach is among the most photographed finishing holes anywhere. Our verdict is simple. If you can get to King Island, Cape Wickham is unmissable, one of the great golfing experiences of the southern hemisphere.
Cape Wickham Links at a glance
- Type
- Links
- Par
- 72
- Length
- About 6,150 m (6,725 yds)
- Opened
- 2015
- Region
- King Island, Tasmania
- Access
- Public, visitors welcome
Designers, opening year, par and yardage verified June 2026 from the club and leading course databases. Green fees are indicative for the 2026 season and move with currency and demand; always confirm directly before booking.
The holes worth the trip
The closing 18th is the hole everyone comes to play, a par 4 that sweeps downhill and around the curve of Victoria Cove with the white sand beach hard against the right side of the fairway and the green set just above the shore. The beach is technically in play, the temptation to bite off the corner is real, and few finishing holes in golf marry beauty and risk so completely. Stand on that tee on a bright, breezy afternoon and you understand instantly why the course made its name.
The stretch around the Cape Wickham lighthouse, the tallest in Australia, is the dramatic heart of the round, with holes running along the clifftops and the dark rocks and surf of Bass Strait far below. The exposure is total, the views unbroken to the horizon, and the wind dictates the entire strategy, turning short holes into brutes and long holes into reachable gambles depending on the day.
The short holes are a highlight throughout, a set of par 3s played across inlets, along the cliff edge and into the prevailing wind, each demanding a different flight and a clear head. Cape Wickham is not a long course on the card, but the combination of firm fescue, severe natural contours and the unceasing sea breeze means it rewards the imaginative, ground hugging links golfer far more than the one who only flies the ball high and far.
How to get on
| What to know | Detail |
|---|---|
| How to book | Cape Wickham is a fully public course and welcomes visitors. Tee times are arranged directly with the club by phone or email, and a stay and play booking on the island is the simplest way to secure your golf. Book well ahead, as access to King Island is limited. |
| Visitor green fee | Indicative 2026 rates are around AUD 235 for 18 holes for domestic visitors and around AUD 315 for international visitors, with all day rates higher and discounts for in house hotel guests (indicative; always confirm directly before booking). |
| Getting there | King Island sits in Bass Strait, reached by short flights from Melbourne (Moorabbin and Essendon) and from Tasmania. There is no ferry for general visitors, so plan flights and island transfers as part of the trip. |
| Caddies and carts | A fleet of motorised carts is available and should be booked in advance given the remote location; pull buggies are complimentary, and walking with a caddie, arranged ahead, is the purest way to experience the links. |
| Dress code | A relaxed but neat dress code applies: tidy golf attire, tailored slacks or shorts, and soft spike golf shoes. The exposed setting means windproof and waterproof layers are essential whatever the forecast. |
| When to play | The Australian golf season runs through the southern spring, summer and autumn, roughly October to April, for the warmest and longest days, though the wind is a constant companion year round on this exposed coast. |
Access rules and fees are set by the club and change; the figures here are indicative for the 2026 season and should always be confirmed directly before booking. Travel to King Island requires advance planning. Check tee time availability.
Where to stay nearby
Most golfers play Cape Wickham as part of a stay on King Island, and the club offers its own on site accommodation with an attractive arrangement that gives in house guests all day golf for the price of a single round, the easiest way to play the course more than once. The island also has lodges, cottages and guesthouses, and a hire car is essential to get around given the remote, rural setting.
King Island is increasingly a two course pilgrimage. Cape Wickham at the northern tip is paired by many travelling golfers with Ocean Dunes on the west coast near Currie, giving a superb links double on one small, wind blown island. Beyond the golf, King Island is famous for its produce, its beef, cheese and crayfish, which makes the off course side of a trip as memorable as the on.
Looking for a base? See our recommended hotels and resorts near King Island.
Play Cape Wickham on a King Island golf trip
Tell us when you want to play Cape Wickham and whether you would like to add Ocean Dunes and the rest of an Australian links tour. One concierge arranges the flights, the island stay and the tee times, and costs the trip to the head, with no obligation.
Cape Wickham Links questions
Can anyone play Cape Wickham Links?
Yes. Cape Wickham is a fully public course that welcomes visitors, with tee times arranged directly with the club and a stay and play booking on King Island the simplest way to secure your golf. Access to the island is limited, so book flights and tee times well in advance, and always confirm current availability directly.
How much does it cost to play Cape Wickham?
Indicative 2026 green fees are around AUD 235 for 18 holes for domestic visitors and around AUD 315 for international visitors, with all day rates higher and a discount for in house hotel guests. These figures move with currency and demand, so always confirm the current fee directly with the club before booking.
Who designed Cape Wickham and when did it open?
Cape Wickham was designed by the American architect Mike DeVries working with the Australian architect and writer Darius Oliver, and it opened in October 2015. It plays as a par 72 of about 6,150 metres, roughly 6,725 yards, around the Cape Wickham lighthouse on the northern tip of King Island.
How do you get to King Island to play Cape Wickham?
King Island lies in Bass Strait between Victoria and Tasmania, reached by short flights from Melbourne and from Tasmania. There is no general passenger ferry, so a trip is built around flights and island transfers, with a hire car needed on the island. Many golfers pair Cape Wickham with Ocean Dunes for a King Island links double.
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Researched and written by the GolfForKings editorial desk. Designers, opening year, par, yardage and indicative green fees verified June 2026 from the club and leading course databases. Last reviewed June 2026.