Trek your way across this great country, playing some of the best courses in the world. Seven remarkable golf courses across three different states which all have their own unique flavour. From ocean wonders such as NSW GC to links heaven in Barnbougle, Tasmania and the widely heralded sandbelt courses in Melbourne. This is something special! This 14 day experience also includes fantastic local cuisine, and experiences across vastly different landscapes.
When to go: November - April
Price: From AUD$24,100 pp
Ideal length: 10 - 14 days
GOLF COURSES
Ocean Dunes incorporates a challenging 18-hole course, set amidst rolling dunes, and features unsurpassed views along two kilometres of majestic, King Island coastline – land made for golf, and reminiscent of the links of Scotland and Ireland. With 360-degree ocean views on nearly every hole, highlights include two spectacular par 3's that cross the surging ocean, plus a number of exciting, risk-and-reward, short par 4's. The 'inland' holes follow the coastal creek that flows through the course.
Location: Currie, King Island
Designed by renowned US golf architect, Mike DeVries, Cape Wickham sits on a magnificent piece of coastal land at the far North Western tip of King Island, in the windswept waters of Bass Strait. The course is gently undulating and interspersed with giant sand dunes and ridges, and has already captured the attention of international golf writers, with one recent review commenting... “Add jaw-dropping vistas into the mix and, for golfing purists, this surely ranks among the most important courses to have opened in living memory.“
Location: Cape Wickham, King Island
Rated the #2 Golf Course in Australia by Australian Golf Magazine (2013) and #11 in the World by U.S. Golf Digest, Barnbougle Dunes, is a links course unlike any other in Australia, or the world. The elder of the two courses at Barnbougle, The Dunes is a spectacular example of traditional links golf that meanders along Tasmania’s dramatic North East coast – it’s where breathtaking scenery and thrilling golf truly come together.
Location: Bridport, Tasmania
Just a short pitching wedge across the river from The Dunes, lies Barnbougle’s second golf course – Lost Farm. Despite Lost Farm’s close proximity to The Dunes, it is remarkably different, featuring 20 holes that wind along the coast and through the coastal dunes. Ranked as the #2 public course in Australia by Golf Australia Magazine, and #23 in the World by US Golf Digest, the Lost Farm course is an exciting challenge for golfers of all levels of experience.
Location: Bridport, Tasmania
Kingston Heath is one of Australia's best golf courses and consistently ranks in the top 50 courses in the world. The course is renowned for its natural approaches created by its superbly crafted greens and stupendous bunkering. The combination of this ageless design has helped Kingston Heath remain a supreme test of one’s golfing smarts. In 2010 it was rated by Australian Golf Digest as the premier course in Australia, qualifying it as the most outstanding course in terms of layout, shot making, condition and strategy. It is also the preferred Australian venue of the R&A for the staging of International Final Qualifying for The Open Championship, held each year in January.
Location: Moorabbin, Melbourne
The origins of Royal Melbourne date back to 1891 when a group of prominent Melbournians formally introduced the Royal and Ancient game to Victoria by establishing the Melbourne Golf Club on leased land near an inner-city railway station. As urban encroachment threatened, the search for a permanent home brought the club to the heathland scrub of Sandringham in the city's south. What they uncovered among the undulating sand dunes was the ideal location for their new links. Much has been written on the qualities of its West Course but put simply it is the combination of great land, great design and great construction. Indeed it is certainly hard to imagine that the game of golf gets any better than Royal Melbourne.
Location: Moorabbin, Melbourne
Tucked away quietly in Melbourne’s southeast, just fifteen minutes from the CBD, The Metropolitan Golf Club is one of the renowned Sandbelt courses and for almost a century has been regarded as one of the finest championship courses in Australia. Over the years the course has moved with the demands of the times and staged its first Australian Open in 1930, after modifications suggested by the famous Scottish course architect Dr Alister MacKenzie in 1926. With magnificent plantings and some of the purest couch fairways and bent grass greens on the planet, a round at Metro is an exceptional experience. The Metropolitan Golf Club was the host of the 2014 Australian Masters.
Location: Moorabbin, Melbourne
Sitting along the dramatic rugged seacoast of Botany Bay near Sydney, on the spot where Captain Cook first stepped onto Australia in 1770, La Perouse is renown for its ocean views and high winds. On his brief but productive 1926 trip, Alister MacKenzie prepared a routing for the course, but it was radically altered during a 1936 remodeling by Eric Apperly and by neglect during WWII. A succession of post-war architects have slowly re-established the integrity of the design, most recently Greg Norman. Rated 30th best golf course in the world, by Golf Digest in 2016.
Tom Doak has found a beautiful relationship between the coastal landscapes of Australia and the lush, rolling hills of Scotland and Ireland, and his ability to build world renowned links style courses down under is amazing for golfers of all abilities. Located on the Mornington Peninsula outside of Melbourne, Doak designed St. Andrews Beach around the same time he was developing Barnbougle Dunes and has perfected the links style golf in an Australian coastal climate. Since 2009, St. Andrews Beach has maintained its position as one of the country's premier golf courses. With plenty of holes that require a "don't hit it there" attitude, it is easy to see why this course requires concentration on every hole. Although most links courses play different depending on the wind, the natural landscape of St. Andrews Beach offers protection through valleys and trees.
Location: Cape Schanck, Victoria
ACCOMMODATIONS
QT Bondi Beach Accommodation offers the only boutique, high-end hotel apartments on Bondi Beach. Experience an exhilarating mix of Bondi barefoot luxury with all the creature comforts you would expect to find in a world-class designer hotel. Welcome to the ultimate in chic beachside glamour.
Saffire Freycinet is Australia’s newest luxury coastal sanctuary on Tasmania’s East Coast, delivering a sophisticated and intimate ambience and an inspirational experience. Discreetly positioned overlooking the Hazards Mountains, Freycinet Peninsula, and the pristine waters of Great Oyster Bay, Saffire blends the built environment and nature with breathtaking beauty. Featuring 20 luxurious suites, an exclusive day spa, restaurant, guest lounge and bar, this is a celebration of the art of service, internal and external wellbeing, local culinary delights, ancient landscapes and abundant wildlife. Saffire is one of Australia’s most spellbinding natural wonders, where you can truly relax, restore your wellbeing, and indulge and inspire your sense.
The Henry Jones Art Hotel is a fusion of history and modernity, art and design, indulgence and discovery. Australia’s first dedicated art hotel, The Henry Jones merges one of Tasmania’s most significant industrial heritage sites, with modern design and contemporary art, to create a luxurious accommodation experience. The hotel’s 56 individually designed rooms and suites reflect Henry Jones’ characteristic fusion of art, heritage, tradition and nature. Coupled with the Henry Jones Art Hotel’s award-winning restaurants and bars, prime waterfront location and easy access to Hobart’s best attractions, this establishment offers an unparalleled experience that is far more than just five star luxury accommodation.
Lost Farm Lodge provides a stylish accommodation option for those looking to wake up right on its namesake golf course, with each suite only a short stroll to the Lodge Restaurant, Spa, Clubhouse and first tee. Lost Farm Lodge offers two types of luxury accommodation – Single and Double Queen Suites. These open plan, hotel-style rooms provide a choice of views, with the Ocean View Room or the Course View Room looking out across Anderson Bay and the Lost Farm Golf Course, respectively.
ACTIVITIES
The Bondi to Bronte walk, including Tamarama and Mackenzies Bay, is one of the most iconic walking trails in Sydney. The panoramic views of the South Pacific Ocean and the coastal cliffs are absolutely breathtaking. As you walk on top of the sandstone cliffs, between two of Sydney’s most famous beaches, the trail takes you right on top of the ocean. There are lots of vantage points along the way where you can rest up and soak in the amazing views and, if you’re lucky, you may even spot some whales and dolphins.
Don a pair of waders and visit a working oyster farm located in a beautiful setting within an internationally significant wetland and ornithological site. During this experience you will develop an understanding of wetland and marine ecology, plus a taste for prized Pacific oysters.
Looking at art used to be boring. It still is, maybe, but at least here at Mona, the Museum of Old and New Art, you can get drunk and/or rage against the machine. Located just up the river from Hobart (Tasmania's southern capital), Mona's subterranean architecture showcases the highlights (and lowlights) of David Walsh’s $110m private collection of art and antiquities, as well as hosting a busy exhibitions program. Mona is also home to the Moorilla winery, Source Restaurant, bars, cafe, accommodation pavilions and more (plus Moo Brew, an off site brewery).
Experience a breathtaking flight over the most beautiful scenery in Australia. Perhaps a journey over the 12 Apostles, a flight to the Bay of Islands via London Bridge, or take in the beauty of the entire Shipwreck Coast all the way to Australia's oldest lighthouse at Cape Otway. 12 Apostles Helicopters offers the highest level of safety and service to make this a day you will never forget.
Get off the beaten tourist track to discover stunning private vantage points only a local would know and experience the spectacular wilderness of the Blue Mountains in style. Sydney’s Blue Mountains are bursting with amazing scenery of towering sandstone escarpments covered by lush forests of gum trees and valleys full of wildlife and river beds. Jump on a scenic bush walk of endless waterfalls or let us take you to hidden lookouts only a local would know for unique, uninterrupted views. Visit the best-hidden lookouts to take in the legendary ‘Three Sisters’ and hear the history of the curious rock formations.
Ghost is the ideal choice for an intimate event on the Harbour. Ghost is a 122ft Gulf craft with commodious interiors, state-of-the-art technology, and panoramic windows offering breathtaking views of gliding seascapes, the Majesty 122 is essentially a floating resort that promises passengers a memorable journey. Ghost super yacht has been specially designed for private luxury charters with no expense being held. Your charter takes through through secluded bays, beaches and provides lunch and drinks onboard. This tour can be fully customised depending on guest interests.
OTHER EXPERIENCES YOU MAY LIKE
When you think golf travel destinations, so often Scotland and Ireland are at the forefront of the conversation. But there’s a new kid on the block. Prepare to be enthralled by the share epic pieces of property that the top courses in NZ are located. Mix in world-class accommodation and a bucket load of unique localised experiences and you have yourself the golf trip of a lifetime.
Trek your way across this great country, playing some of the best courses in the world. Seven remarkable golf courses across three different states which all have their own unique flavour. From ocean wonders such as NSW GC to links heaven in Barnbougle, Tasmania and the widely heralded sandbelt courses in Melbourne. This is something special! This 14 day experience also includes fantastic local cuisine, and experiences across vastly different landscapes.
This is it! Our team of experts have painstakingly sat down and put together the very best golf courses both Australia and New Zealand has to offer. Not only that, but they have mapped out the perfect itinerary that gives the perfect blend of world class golf, unique accommodation, breathtaking experiences and the opportunities to meet the great characters that call these countries home. Enjoy this 15-night trip and make those postcard dreams a reality.
Meet your guide at your accommodation before departing on an introductory tour of Melbourne Laneways. Snaking through the heart of the city, the sepia-coloured Yarra River is one of the stars of
Acacia’s Melbourne Laneways & Waterways tour. But before you take to water, first we celebrate the city’s unique laneway culture on a private Melbourne laneway tour. Teeming with incredible hole-in-the-wall cafes manned by passionate baristas, the street-art daubed thoroughfares also host laneway boutique galleries and designer stores showcasing local creations. Climb to a rooftop bar for a close-up look at the city’s glittering towers. Once you step on board your luxury private cruise, sit back and tuck into a charcuterie and cheese board with a glass of Australian sparkling wine as you glide along the Yarra, marveling at that magnificent skyline from a very different angle, with Federation Square, the MCG, and the Royal Botanic Gardens as your dramatic backdrop.