A tiny island off Tasmania in Bass Strait is punching above its weight, when it comes to attracting golf enthusiasts. King Island’s Cape Wickham golf course has topped a list of Australia’s best. But it is posing challenges for an island already stretched for accommodation.
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00:00On this remote island, there are plenty of world-class bunkers, but not enough beds.
00:08This year Cape Wycombe Lynx on the northernmost tip of King Island knocked off Royal Melbourne
00:13to be named the best golf course in Australia.
00:16It's amazing news for us, I even couldn't sleep the night before.
00:20Capturing attention for its stunning surrounds and challenging weather, Cape Wycombe is just
00:25one of three courses on offer.
00:28Each summer thousands of tourists flock to the island to play golf in the middle of Bass
00:33Strait.
00:34It's such a surprise, you fly into this little island which is 60 by 20 wide and all of a
00:39sudden you go down these funny little gravel roads and then you open up onto these magnificent
00:45golf courses.
00:46You can't help but get excited if you're a golfer.
00:49Golfing is one of the big reasons that tourism has grown on the island, but it accounts to
00:55about 60% of our tourists.
00:58The island of about 1,500 people now boasts more than 17,000 visitors a year.
01:05And while that is welcome news for the economy, after a hard day golfing, visitors need a
01:10place to stay, and there aren't many.
01:13The whole island now we have about 130 beds, which is really hard for people to come here
01:18and do all the other activities, not just golf.
01:21But the locals are working on that.
01:23The golf courses are new, inside 10 years, so infrastructure coming, we're doing development
01:29here at Ocean Dunes, we'll see 60 rooms.
01:32Accommodation is the key, on the back of also supporting the working staff here, the accommodation
01:39for them will be important.