Bothwell Golf Club

Bothwell Golf Club holds a legitimate claim to being Australia's oldest golf course — a distinction that alone makes it worth the journey to this small highland town in Tasmania's Central Plateau. The club traces its origins to Scottish settlers in the 1820s, who brought their game with them to the island colony, and the course retains a raw, unmanicured character that feels entirely in keeping with that heritage. This is golf stripped back to something close to its original form.

The town of Bothwell itself is a quiet, well-preserved colonial settlement about 75 kilometres north of Hobart, sitting in the Clyde River valley at around 400 metres elevation. The landscape is open and windswept, the light particular to the Tasmanian highlands, and the seasons genuinely felt. Sheep country surrounds you on most sides.

Playing here is less about scoring well and more about the experience of standing on ground where Australians have been hitting golf balls for two centuries. The course plays to a par of 70 and rewards those who come with the right attitude — curious, unhurried, and grateful.