LIFESTYLE

Golf

We need to make special mention of golf because the location of all the Balcombe Serviced Apartments puts them right in the heart of Melbourne's famous “sand belt” -- a belt of sandy soil which has been a magnet for golf course designers and builders for 120 years (that's a long time in Australian history!).

There are fourteen golf courses within a five to ten minute drive of our apartments and another five less than ten minutes further away. Nearby courses include the famous Royal Melbourne, established in 1891 by a bunch of expatriate Scots (some from St Andrews itself), Kingston Heath and Huntingdale. Some courses are more difficult than others, but all offer challenges and it is a rare course in this area that has not nurtured champions.

Some of the courses are owned by local authorities and are public -- anyone can just phone up, book a starting time, then pay a greens fee before tee-off. Others are held by clubs, but many of those offer access to visitors or reciprocal access privileges for members of interstate or foreign clubs. Three of them are championship courses, Kingston Heath, Yarra Yarra and Huntingdale.

Special note -- clean equipment

Anyone bringing their own golf outfit into Australia should ensure that all equipment, including golf shoes and clubs, has been thoroughly cleaned before leaving home. If Australian quarantine officers find any soil or plant remnants, they will take all equipment for fumigating and cleaning. It is good for Australia's environment and agricultural industries, but it is just the sort of avoidable delay nobody wants at the end of a long flight.

PUBLIC COURSES

PRIVATE COURSES