Joan de Bondt, The Koondrook and Barham Bridge Newspaper

In 2004, Alf Caputo, who lives in Perth, was chairman of the Goldfields Tourism Association, and his friend, Bob Bongiorno, ran the Caledonia Hotel at Nullarbor. The pair was trying to come up with a plan to encourage people to spend more time in Nullarbor, and Bob came up with the idea of a golf course.

They approached the Western Australian Government and received a grant of $33,000 to fund a feasibility study. The results of the study were so positive that the pair approached the Federal Government, which granted them $351,000 to establish the course.

The Nullarbor Links Golf Course opened in 2009, and Alf said that the inaugural event received an enormous amount of interest from around the world, and was even beamed live by the BBC to London. The golf course, he said, has been an outstanding success, not just in Australia, but internationally.

One bonus of the implementation of the course is that fatigue-related accidents have been reduced significantly. By the time the players stop, find the course, play the hole and have their score cards stamped, they have had a good break and are refreshed for the next leg of their journey across the Nullarbor.

The unique course, an 18-hole par 72, is the longest in the world, spanning 1,365km with one or two holes in each participating town or roadhouse along the Eyre Highway. Each hole includes a synthetic green, tee and rugged outback-style natural terrain fairway.

The cost is $70 per player, and score cards can be purchased in Ceduna in South Australia, or in Kalgoorlie, Western Australia, depending on your direction of travel. Each hole is stamped upon completion, and the participants receive a certificate after presenting their cards at the Visitor Centre in either Ceduna or Kalgoorlie.

COVID-19 restrictions and border closures have meant that score cards were purchased last month for the first time in two years. There has been virtually no income for repairs and maintenance.

In 2019, the ‘Chasing the Sun’ tournament was the most successful ever since its inception 10 years earlier, with 71 registered players. This year, the event is being held from September 11 to 18. The 18-hole competition begins with a champagne breakfast on the Sunday morning in Ceduna, watching the sun come up, and concludes in Kalgoorlie a week later with a cocktail party, watching the sun go down.

All accommodation is booked upon registration online, whether it be motels, cabins, powered or unpowered sites. Alf says that it is a brilliant week, with functions held almost every night and the organisers get wonderful feedback from the players.

The cost this year is $515, which includes several meals and all golf costs, including an Ambrose tournament at the Kalgoorlie Golf Course, rated number 27 in Australia. The cost does not include accommodation, which is paid individually on arrival at the venue, drinks or fuel.

My husband, Bas, and his brother, Fred, played the course on our trip across the Nullarbor, and found it extremely challenging. They highly recommend the experience to their fellow golfers. For the record, Bas ended up with a gross score of 102, and Fred a gross score of 114. They played 18 holes on the Kalgoorlie Golf Course, and Bas says that is a real gem.

This article appeared in The Koondrook and Barham Bridge Newspaper, 26 May 2022.