Golf in Australia
A golfing nation with two world class clusters and a deep field in between. The Melbourne Sandbelt holds the finest collection of inland courses on earth, and the dunes of Tasmania and King Island deliver coastal golf to rival anywhere. The courses that matter, the regions, the season and how to plan the long flight south.
Photograph: The Australian Golf Club, Jimmy Braithwaite, via Google
Why golf in Australia
Australia punches far above its population in golf, and it does so on two fronts. The Melbourne Sandbelt, a band of free draining sandy soil across the city's south east, carries Royal Melbourne, Kingston Heath, Victoria, Metropolitan, Commonwealth, Yarra Yarra and more within a short drive of one another, the densest concentration of great inland golf anywhere. Royal Melbourne's Composite Course, drawn from Alister MacKenzie's work, has sat in the world top ten for the best part of a century. No other city on earth offers a week of golf at this level inside thirty minutes of the airport.
The second front is the coast. In the last twenty years Tasmania and King Island have become a pilgrimage, with Barnbougle Dunes and Lost Farm in the island's north east and the soaring Cape Wickham Links on King Island regularly topping the national rankings. Add the rugged links land at New South Wales in Sydney, the resort golf of Queensland's Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast and the wine and golf of the Mornington Peninsula, and Australia rewards the long flight with a fortnight that a closer destination simply cannot match.
The regions
The Melbourne Sandbelt
The heart of Australian golf, a cluster of Sandbelt classics on perfect sandy soil across Melbourne's south east, led by Royal Melbourne and Kingston Heath, with MacKenzie bunkering and the firmest greens in the country.
Tasmania and King Island
The dunes pilgrimage, with Barnbougle Dunes and Lost Farm in the north east and Cape Wickham and Ocean Dunes on King Island, public access links golf set against the Bass Strait.
Sydney and the coast
The rugged clifftop links of New South Wales Golf Club at La Perouse and the harbour city's leafy championship courses, an easy add at the start or end of a trip into Sydney.
Queensland
The warm weather golf of the Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast, from Sanctuary Cove to Hope Island and the Greg Norman designs, the best option for a winter sun round and a beach.
The Mornington Peninsula
South of Melbourne, the cool climate wine country home to The National, St Andrews Beach and Moonah Links, dunes and clifftop golf an hour from the Sandbelt.
Western Australia
Perth's Lake Karrinyup and the spectacular Cape Wickham of the west coast, along with the remote Nullarbor Links, for the golfer who wants to see the other side of the country.
The courses that matter
Royal Melbourne, West Course
The benchmark of Australian golf and a permanent fixture in the world top ten, a MacKenzie masterpiece on the Sandbelt whose Composite Course, blending the West and East, hosts the country's biggest events.
Kingston Heath
Many good judges' pick as the finest single course on the Sandbelt, a tight, brilliantly bunkered par 72 laid out by Dan Soutar in 1925 with a bunkering scheme from Alister MacKenzie.
New South Wales Golf Club
MacKenzie's coastal Sydney layout at La Perouse, a rugged, wind exposed course on Botany Bay with the famous tee shot to the 6th played out over the ocean, long ranked among the world's best.
Barnbougle Dunes and Lost Farm
The course that started the dunes pilgrimage, the Dunes by Doak and Clayton opened in 2004 and the Coore and Crenshaw Lost Farm in 2010, two public access links on the Tasmanian coast.
Cape Wickham Links
The clifftop sensation on the northern tip of King Island, which has reached number one in Australia in the national rankings, with holes hard against the Bass Strait and a closing stretch on the beach.
The National Golf Club
A 72 hole golf estate on the cliffs and dunes south of Melbourne, including the Greg Norman and the Ocean courses, the largest premium golf club in the country and a natural partner to a Sandbelt week.
Designers and years verified June 2026. Royal Melbourne's Composite Course is drawn from the West and East. Private Sandbelt clubs are accessed mainly by member introduction or through an organised trip. Course profiles are added across the site as the directory grows. Always confirm access and fees directly before booking.
When to go
| Season | Conditions | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| October to April | Southern spring to autumn, firm and warm | Prime for Melbourne, the Sandbelt and Tasmania at their best |
| November to February | Southern summer, hot inland, breezy coast | Long days, ideal for Tasmania and the southern dunes |
| May to September | Southern winter, cool and short days in the south | Switch north to Queensland for warm, dry winter golf |
Australia is a southern hemisphere destination, so the seasons are reversed. The Sandbelt and Tasmania peak in the southern spring and autumn, while the tropical north plays best in the dry winter from May to October. Always confirm tee times before you travel.
Indicative costs
| Item | Indicative 2026 | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Barnbougle Dunes or Lost Farm | Around A$160 to A$250 | Public access, resort guest and walk up rates vary |
| Cape Wickham Links | Around A$200 to A$250 | Includes the King Island ferry or flight planning |
| Royal Melbourne and Kingston Heath | By introduction or organised trip | Private clubs, access arranged in advance |
| A Sandbelt and Tasmania week, all in | Around A$4,000 to A$8,000 per person | Hotels, golf and transfers, excluding flights |
Indicative third party figures for the 2026 season, shown in Australian dollars to set expectations only. We are a guide, not an operator, and never quote our own pricing. Always confirm directly before booking.
Getting there and around
Melbourne is the gateway for a Sandbelt and Tasmania trip, with the major clubs within thirty to forty minutes of Tullamarine airport and the Mornington Peninsula about an hour south. Tasmania is a short hop from Melbourne to Launceston, the closest airport to Barnbougle in the north east, while King Island is reached by light aircraft from Melbourne or Tasmania. Sydney serves New South Wales Golf Club and the harbour courses, and the Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast are an easy connection through Brisbane. A hire car makes light work of the Sandbelt and the Tasmanian drives, and the long haul from Europe or North America is best broken with a couple of nights on arrival.
Where to stay
For the Sandbelt, base yourself in Melbourne, where the city's hotels put every great club within reach and the food and wine match the golf. Barnbougle has its own lodges and cottages on site at the Dunes and Lost Farm, the simplest way to play both, and King Island has boutique accommodation near Cape Wickham. On the Mornington Peninsula the cellar door hotels and the RACV Cape Schanck resort pair golf with the wine country, while Sydney and the Queensland coast offer the full range from city to beach. One planner can sequence the flights, the ferries and the tee times into a single trip.
Plan your Australia golf trip
Tell us the courses you want and roughly when. One concierge costs the whole trip to the head and replies within one working day, with no obligation.
Australia golf questions
When is the best time to play golf in Australia?
For the Melbourne Sandbelt and the Tasmanian dunes the prime window is the southern spring and autumn, roughly October to April, with firm fairways and mild temperatures. Summer brings long days and strong coastal wind, while the south is cool and short on daylight in winter. For the tropical north around Queensland, the dry season from May to October is best.
Which is the best golf course in Australia?
Royal Melbourne, and in particular the Composite Course drawn from MacKenzie's West and the East, is the long standing benchmark and a fixture in the world top ten. Kingston Heath runs it close on the Sandbelt, while in Tasmania the Cape Wickham Links on King Island and Barnbougle Dunes and Lost Farm have risen to the top of the national rankings. Australia has a deep field rather than a single best.
How much does golf cost in Australia in 2026?
Indicative visitor green fees at the public access dunes courses such as Barnbougle and Cape Wickham run roughly A$150 to A$250 in 2026. The private Sandbelt clubs are accessible mainly by member introduction or through an organised trip, and a curated Sandbelt and Tasmania week typically lands between A$4,000 and A$8,000 per head excluding flights. Always confirm directly before booking.
Related
The Tee Sheet
Sandbelt access, the Tasmanian dunes and the trips worth the long flight south. Every other week.