Ocean Dunes - King Island

Ocean Dunes complements the Cape Wickham Links course and completes the set of four outstanding new world class golf courses that have secured Tasmania's place as a top 21st Century world golfing destination. All four courses can be experienced in one round trip, with excellent accommodation on site at King Island as well as at Barnbougle.

Ocean Dunes is probably the wilder, fiercer and more challenging of the four courses, though it might be said to push the limits of 'challenging' to their outer edge as it becomes unplayable at times depending largely on the winds. Golf Australia advises, 'Golfers wanting to try their luck during winter are advised to book at short notice based on the weather.'

While many a golf course has been described as a true test of golf, Ocean Dunes might more accurately be described as, potentially, a true test of the golfer. Depending on prevailing winds it will test not only your golfing skills 'to the max' as it were, it will also test your stamina, your determination and your internal fortitude to an extent that few other golf courses do.

That said, you may arrive on a day when the ocean is calm, the sky is clear, and the roaring forties exist only as a passing reference in someone's conversation. Then, you may wish to begin a new round, for at Ocean Dunes you can play an unlimited number of rounds on any day.

Flights to King Island are available from both Tasmania and Melbourne, and Ocean Dunes is just a ten minute (4 km) drive from Currie airport. Rental cars are available and accommodation is found right in town at the newly renovated King Island Hotel, which is operated by Ocean Dunes.

The course was designed by Graeme Grant, who was supervisor at Kingston Heath for several years before moving into the world of golf architecture. Grant lived on site for three years before, during and after construction, and has weathered the ferocity of the winds and the sometimes violent sea. Fairways had to be replanted several times before becoming established.