|
T he windswept coastline of the magnificent Mornington Peninsula, located just south of Melbourne, has long been a choice destination. Aboriginal people roamed the geographically diverse peninsula for 40 000 years, gathering shellfish and sleeping under the stars. Nowadays it’s golfers, in pursuit of little white balls, who wander over the sand dunes and through the forested uplands. Around 20 golf courses have been built on the roughly 60km long promontory between the ‘boundaries’ of Frankston and Portsea. In fact, the Mornington Peninsula boasts the greatest concentration of quality golf courses found anywhere in Australia. The cosy peninsula is also gaining a reputation for fine wines and a growing number of boutique hotels like the vineyard-fronting and garden enhanced Lindenderry, where golfers can relax before taking to the tees. Some of golf’s noted designers such as Robert Trent Jones Jr, Greg Norman and Peter Thomson (five times British Open winner and also internationally acclaimed golf course designer), have put their names to signature layouts on Victoria’s ‘Golf Coast’. Thomson’s latest masterpiece, The Open, is the sporting star of the mega leisure complex at Moonah Links. The Moonah project, one of Victoria’s biggest tourism developments in the last 10 years, included the construction of 250 residential units, a resort hotel, conference and recreational facilities and a striking clubhouse overlooking the two public access championship golf courses. My golfing partner on the superbly crafted field of green that is ‘The Open’, was Simon Cummins, CEO of Golf Tourism Australia. A Melbourne based professional holiday and incentive company, they arrange personalised
self-drive and small group golf and wine tours of the peninsula, as well as golf getaways throughout Australia. Business is putting along nicely and Simon feels that it is certain to accelerate at Moonah Links where the new headquarters of the Australian Golf Union and Australian Golf Museum, will welcome golfers from around the world for the Australia Open during November 27 – 30 of this year. Australia’s premier golf event will tee off on the appropriately named 6294 metre Open Course. The magnificent layout that skillfully winds its way through majestic Moonah trees was specifically built to be the gracious host and stately home of this very prestigious tournament. Main Photo: Finish the 18th and then proceed to the new clubhouse at Moonah Links. Inset Photo: Excellent wines come from the Spray Farm Estate on the adjacent Bellarine Peninsula. All Photos by Thomas E. King C O N T A C T S |
