Barnbougle

Tom Doak and Mike Clayton's 2004 routing through Bass Strait duneland — the course that put Tasmania on the golf map. The 4th is a short par-4 with a green tucked behind a dune, and the par-3 7th plays blind over a wall of sand to a green you can't see until you walk up. Firm, fast, and the wind decides which holes are easy on any given day.

Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw built 20 holes here in 2010 — yes, twenty — across bigger, more sprawling dunes than its older sibling. More room to swing, more variety in the par-3s, and a case to be made it's the better course. The bonus 13a and 18a holes give you somewhere to settle a bet.

Bill Coore's 14-hole short course tucked into the dunes between the two big tracks. All par-3s, walking only, and you can play it in 90 minutes with a beer in your hand. The right call for the afternoon of your travel day or as a warmup before dinner.

A nine-hole community course on the coast that's been there since 1923 and costs about twenty Australian dollars. It's not Doak or Coore, but it sits on the same stretch of Bass Strait and it's the right way to land back on earth after two days of bucket-list golf. Pay at the honor box if nobody's around.

A country 18 about 25 minutes inland from Barnbougle, set in rolling farmland rather than dunes. Nothing fancy, but the locals are welcoming and green fees are cheap. A reasonable add if you've got an extra half-day and want a different look.

The best parkland in northern Tasmania, on the way back to the airport. A 1932 layout that's hosted Tasmanian Opens for decades — tree-lined, tight, and a complete tonal shift from links golf. Worth a call ahead for visitor access.

The on-site lodge above the Dunes clubhouse. Rooms are simple and comfortable — think upscale country motel, not luxury resort — and you can roll out of bed onto the first tee. Book here if Dunes is your priority round and you want the shortest walk to a beer after 36.

Bigger, newer, and a notch nicer than the Dunes lodge — the rooms have proper views over the course and Bass Strait. Most groups end up here because the restaurant is the better of the two on property. Same caveat applies: this is not a resort, the bar closes when dinner ends.

Multi-bedroom cottages on the property for groups of 4–8. The right call if you want your own kitchen, a couch to fall asleep on, and a place to pour your own whisky after the bar closes. Book early — there aren't many of them and they go fast in summer.

Ten minutes down the road in Bridport town if the on-site lodges are full or the rate is too rich. Cabins and motel rooms — nothing memorable but it gets you a bed and you're still close enough to make morning tee times.

Converted grain silos on the Tamar River in Launceston. The right call for the night you fly in or fly out — it's an hour from Barnbougle but a much better hotel than anything closer to the course. Rooms in the silo towers are the ones to book.

Seven boutique rooms above the best restaurant in Launceston, in a converted 1830s flour mill. Splurge for the arrival or departure night if you care about food and don't need a chain hotel. The breakfast is worth getting up for.

The better of the two on-site dinners by a clear margin. Tasmanian produce — local beef, fresh-off-the-boat seafood, Pipers River wines — served in a room with floor-to-ceiling windows over the dunes. Book ahead, it's effectively the only show in town after dark.

The Dunes clubhouse dining room — the casual, post-round option. Pub food done well: parmas, steaks, fish and chips, cold beer. Where you eat lunch between rounds and where the early-flight crowd grabs dinner before bed.

The pub in town, ten minutes from the course. Schnitzels, pints, locals at the bar who'll ask how you played. Go here if you want a break from on-site food and the chance to drink with people who aren't golfers.

The Bridport breakfast spot. Decent coffee — not always a given in small Tasmanian towns — and the bacon-and-egg roll that gets you to the first tee. Order at the counter, sit on the deck if the wind cooperates.

Launceston's most serious restaurant, in an old flour mill on the Tamar. The tasting menu leans hard into Tasmanian produce — abalone, wallaby, local oysters — and the wine list is the deepest in the state. Book this for the arrival or departure dinner.

The Launceston steakhouse. Tasmanian beef, dry-aged, cooked properly — about as good as steak gets in Australia. Order it medium-rare, get the bone marrow to start, and don't bother looking at the chicken on the menu.

The Italian on Charles Street in Launceston. Pasta made in-house, decent wine list, and the kind of room where a foursome can make some noise without bothering anyone. Good lunch stop on the way out of town.

Riverside spot in Launceston with a kitchen that punches above its weight on seafood. Order the oysters and whatever fish came in that morning. Sit on the deck if the weather plays.

Launceston's go-to Indian — properly spicy, generous portions, BYO wine. The right call for the night you've eaten enough Tasmanian beef and need a break.