Nullarbor Links

A long highway drive with a stamped scorecard and golf holes spaced like rest stops.

Time to Drive: The course runs along 1,365 km of the Eyre Highway and is typically tackled over several days so you can safely space out the driving and play.

Best Time to Go: Your notes, water, and shade matter as much as your clubs - daytime temperatures can exceed 50 C in summer. Many travellers aim for the cooler months.

Getting there: Most people start at either Ceduna (in South Australia) or Kalgoorlie (in Western Australia), then drive the highway across the Nullarbor Plain.

Costs: A scorecard costs A$70 (as of December 2023) plus an A$8 maintenance fee. Clubs can be hired at each hole for a fee, or you can bring your own.

Road conditions: This is a sealed highway crossing remote country with long gaps between services. Plan fuel, rest breaks, and wildlife awareness - the fatigue risk is the point this route was designed to address.

Nullarbor Links is an 18-hole, par 72 golf course stretched along 1,365 kilometres of the Eyre Highway on Australia’s southern edge, crossing the Nullarbor Plain at the head of the Great Australian Bight. It runs between Ceduna in South Australia and Kalgoorlie in Western Australia (either direction).

The idea was born at the Balladonia Roadhouse over a bottle of red wine, when Alf Caputo and Bob Bongiorno of the Eyre Highway Operators Association wanted a practical way to break up the long drive, reduce driver fatigue, and support roadhouse businesses. A feasibility study was completed in September 2006; public play began in August 2009; and the course officially opened on 22 October 2009.

Design consultant Robert Stock (a professional golfer from Manchester, England) helped shape a course that mixes 7 holes from existing courses with 11 built at roadhouses and roadside stops. Expect artificial grass tees and greens with natural desert in between, with holes averaging 66 km apart and one gap of almost 200 km - plus hazards that range from crows and wedge-tailed eagles to emus, kangaroos, wombat holes, and three species of deadly venomous snakes.

• Kalgoorlie to the Eyre Highway (varies) - Stock up and settle into remote-driving rhythm before the long, flat distances of the west begin. Many travellers treat Kalgoorlie as the practical start if driving east.
• Western Australian roadhouse holes along the Eyre Highway (varies) - Holes here are set up at roadhouses and roadside stops, with artificial turf greens and big open country between. Expect long jumps from stamp to stamp - on average 66 km.
• Balladonia Roadhouse area (varies) - A key stop in the story of the course: it is where the concept was hatched by highway operators looking to cut fatigue. It is also a natural place to rest and reset.
• Long Nullarbor stretches at the head of the Great Australian Bight (varies) - This is the signature crossing: huge sky, low scrub, and the feeling of distance that makes the golf format work so well. Be alert for wildlife and roadside hazards.
• South Australian stops toward Ceduna (varies) - As you near the eastern end, the rhythm of drive - play - stamp continues through roadhouse-based holes and highway pull-offs.
• Finish at Ceduna or Kalgoorlie (1,365 km total route) - Depending on direction, you end at the coastal gateway of Ceduna or back in Kalgoorlie. Present a completed scorecard to claim a Nullarbor Links certificate.

Heat is the main constraint. The course notes that ambient temperatures can reach over 50 C during the day, so cooler months are generally safer and more comfortable for both driving and walking a hole.

September is notable if you want the event atmosphere - the Chasing the Sun tournament has been held every September since 2009 except 2020 and 2021, with later editions also scheduled in May (for example 1-10 May 2025, and starting 14 May 2026). Regardless of season, plan for remote conditions, fatigue management, and wildlife on and near the road.

Most travellers begin at either Ceduna (South Australia) or Kalgoorlie (Western Australia), then follow the Eyre Highway across the Nullarbor Plain. The course can be played in either direction, so your start point usually depends on where you are coming from and how you are routing a bigger Australia trip.

Because the holes are spread along a working highway, the practical approach is to hire a car in your chosen start town and drive one-way to the other end. Confirm one-way hire availability in advance if you plan to finish in a different state.

Sources do not specify any special permits for Nullarbor Links; follow standard Australian licence and vehicle requirements. The key purchase is the golf scorecard: you can buy it in Ceduna or Kalgoorlie for A$70 (as of December 2023) plus an A$8 maintenance fee.

Players are required to tee their balls up on the course’s fairways and are discouraged from driving vehicles on the fairways to preserve the environment. Bring your own clubs or hire them at each hole for a fee, and follow standard remote-road rules: do not assume services are frequent, and drive to conditions with rest breaks to reduce fatigue.

Overnights commonly cluster around the bookends - Kalgoorlie and Ceduna - where you will find the widest choice of accommodation and services for getting sorted with clubs, supplies, and timing.

Between them, the natural pattern is to break the trip at roadhouses that host holes, such as the Balladonia Roadhouse, matching your overnight stops to safe driving distances and the spacing of the course stamps. In peak periods or around the Chasing the Sun tournament, book ahead where possible because options are limited along the highway.