We flew to Australia to play the longest course in the world

Published:

Our trip down under started when my husband and I read something about the “longest golf course in the world”. Interest pricked, we researched Nullabor Links some more before booking ourselves in to play this par-72, 18-hole course, which is spread over 1,365 kilometres of Australia’s south coast. It was originally devised to break up the long journey on the only road from Norseman in Western Australia to Ceduna in South Australia, which includes the country’s longest and straightest road (146km).

The course can be played from Kalgoorlie in the west to Ceduna in the east or vice versa. We settled on the former and flew into Perth, hiring a campervan for 17 days which was

to be returned to Adelaide, nearly 3,000 kilometres away. After paying our green fees (60 Australian dollars), we picked up our scorecards from the Tourist Information Office and were told we had to have them stamped at every hole to get our certificate of completion at the end. Getting the stamps took us to some interesting places, from lonely roadhouses to bizarre tables just off the green!

We started at Kalgoorlie Golf Club, a stunning desert course. Two holes here count as part of the Nullarbor Links, but so lovely was it, we decided to play all 18. Hole three was at Kambalda and the first of the ‘different’ holes. The fairway is a mixture of compacted sand and gravel. When we finally got to the green we actually found a ‘brown’. Judging speed on sand and oil can be difficult.

There aren’t too many local rules, but the first one asks you to tee up on all fairways to protect the environment. We started with winter tees but, after a tip from a fellow fanatic, changed to water bottle tops which were the perfect height and much cheaper.

Holes four and five were at Norseman, an interesting course that sits beside a large salt lake. From there we visited a sheep farm (hole six), rifle range (hole 12) and a dirt runway used by flying doctors (hole 15).

The course has holes adjacent to most of the roadhouses (where you can stay) along the Eyre Highway, with fairways of sand, rock and saltbush and very little green anywhere.

If you fancy giving it a go, don’t expect brilliant scores or perfect conditions, just enjoy the scenery, hospitality, places of interest and people you find along the way.

The only golfers to have parred the course were all pros and the average score for most players is between 100 and 150. Take a few old clubs with you, too. You can hire a set when you get there, but these have clearly made the journey a few times!

We’d urge everyone to give it a go. You will laugh a lot and curse just as much, but one thing is certain when you finish: If you can play the Nullabor, you can play anywhere.

- Just so you know, whilst we may receive a commission or other compensation from the links on this page, we never allow this to influence product selections - read why you should trust us.