A new golf course designed by Darius Oliver at The Cliffs Kangaroo Island destination in South Australia is on track to open for preview play in January 2026.

The site for the 18-hole golf course was identified more than a decade ago by contractor Programmed Turnpoint, which is now handling construction. Developer Sam Atkins engaged Oliver to create a routing in 2016, shortly after the opening of Cape Wickham Links, which Oliver co-designed with Mike DeVries, on the northern tip of King Island in Tasmania.

The Kangaroo Island project has been stalled by planning obstacles, bushfires, the Covid-19 pandemic and delays with water infrastructure. “There were a few times when the project looked unlikely, but Sam Atkins is as passionate a golf developer as you could possibly find and refused to give up on the dream,” said Oliver. “He has pressed on for years when others would have given up.”

Read more: Construction begins on $20m Kangaroo Island project (December 2022).

“The opportunity to work on a site that was just as beautiful and just as dramatic as Wickham was a great privilege, but also a little daunting,” said Oliver. “Kangaroo Island is the perfect place to build a destination course, and we are working really hard to create a golf experience that is good enough to lure golfers to this regional island for decades to come.”

Golf photographer Jacob Sjöman visited the site in November 2024 and said: “There’s nothing like this in the world. Both The Cliffs and Kangaroo Island are a must-visit destination for all golfers.”

Oliver’s design has five holes (two, three, eight, fourteen and fifteen) laid out along the clifftops, while three holes (one, seven and thirteen) play south towards the cliff edge.

“The eighteenth doesn’t reach the coast but offers a lovely final view of the Southern Ocean,” said Oliver. “There are views from most holes, and a surprisingly glimpse of Pelican Lagoon from the par-three twelfth. While the aim is to build 18 really solid, fun and interesting holes, it’s really the flow of the round and the variety of settings, and surprise views, that we hope will provide golfers with a full sensory experience and keep them coming back.

“As is generally the case, the aim with the routing was to discover a walkable, exciting arrangement of holes that could showcase the very best of the site – in every sense. The views and cliff tops are spectacular, but I hope that golfers are also impressed by the highlighted sand dunes, the beautiful native vegetation, the vast scale and serenity of the setting and, of course, the individual holes.”

The Cliffs has many of the shaping team that worked on Cape Wickham, including Lindsay Richter and Glen Peck, as well as finisher Cameron Semple.

“While there are some similarities with Wickham, the courses are quite different,” said Oliver. “The Cliffs is set along a more linear coastline, with the seaside golf up on much higher cliffs. The long views are stunning. Fortunately, the internal holes are blessed with rolling duneland that resembles ‘The Cups’ country of the Mornington Peninsula. Some of my favourite holes are away from the coastal edge.

“Like Cape Wickham, although a dunes-style golf course, it’s not one of those modern layouts with sand everywhere. For the most part, bunkers are used sparingly and strategically. The pure sand dune holes do feature some natural waste areas, but the inland holes weave through rolling dunes covered in island pasture grasses that provide an ideal rough.”

Watch: The Cliffs Kangaroo Island – Preview Play January 2026

As of June 2025, ten holes have been grassed (plus the practice green), and significant environmental work has been done across the site, including the removal of over 1,000 noxious plants like boxthorn and the creation of an on-site native plant nursery. “We’ve planted more than 2,500 native trees and plants and are on track to plant 10,000 more over the next five years,” said Atkins. “Our goal is to be one of the world’s most sustainable golf properties.”

“The native vegetation is a genuine attraction of the site and will be something that golfers are aware of from the very first tee right through to the eighteenth green,” said Oliver. “Across the course are a variety of vegetation pockets. Some holes are dominated by forests of ancient, bearded heath trees, while in other places the golf weaves through remnant dune tussocks, indigenous South Australian irises and a mix of succulents and other coastal plants. The vegetation is up there with the landforms, the coastal views and the amazing wildlife as a major drawcard.”

The island is home to kangaroos, Tammar wallabies, echidnas, goannas and wedge-tailed eagles. Dolphins and seals are a common sight off the coastline, not far from holes one, two and fifteen.

“As much as I love the island and its views and wildlife, I hope that it’s the golf that will ultimately draw people to The Cliffs, and then onto explore the rest of Kangaroo Island,” said Oliver.

“While King Island is very remote and quite difficult to access, Kangaroo Island is a tourism magnet with regular ferry and air services connecting hundreds of thousands of visitors per year. It’s Australia’s third largest island, and a true wonderland for those who love the outdoors or are eager to experience our unique wildlife and rare coastal beauty.”

The official opening of the course is expected to be in April 2026.