An island, off an island
Wild coast. Open space. A world of its own.
A place shaped by the sea
King Island sits in the middle of Bass Strait, between Tasmania and mainland Australia. Around 64 kilometres long and 24 kilometres wide, it is home to around 1,600 people — a small community surrounded by wild coastline, open farmland and an extraordinary sense of space.
King Island once formed part of a land bridge between mainland Australia and lutruwita/Tasmania. Unlike much of Tasmania, it does not have a continuous record of Aboriginal occupation, but Elders understand it was visited seasonally for hunting and gathering. The island then remained uninhabited for thousands of years before European sealing and settlement began in the early 1800s.
King Island's story has been shaped by the sea ever since. More than 140 ships have been lost around its coastline, while farming, fishing, dairying and kelp harvesting became part of island life. Today, visitors come for world-class golf, exceptional produce, surf, wildlife and wild coastline — but it is the space, quiet and feeling of being somewhere genuinely removed from the everyday that tends to stay with you.
Three courses. One remarkable island.
King Island has become one of the world's most distinctive golf destinations. Here, fairways follow dunes and clifftops, the sea is almost always in sight, and the weather is part of the experience. Red Rock Hut sits between all three of the island's courses.
Cape Wickham
Ranked #13 in the world, Cape Wickham sits at the island's northern tip beneath its iconic lighthouse, with dramatic links golf unfolding across dunes, clifftops and shoreline. Around 25 minutes north of Red Rock Hut.
Ocean Dunes
Ranked #100 in the world, Ocean Dunes is a spectacular west-coast course shaped by the Roaring Forties, with rolling fairways and ocean views throughout. Around 20 minutes south of the Hut.
King Island Golf & Bowling Club
Established in 1932 and ranked #17 among the world's top 50 nine-hole courses, this community course in Currie is known locally simply as “the local” — with ocean views, an unpretentious clubhouse and a genuine taste of island golf.
Beaches without the crowds
King Island's coastline shifts from long sweeps of white sand and turquoise water to wild surf beaches, rocky coves and windswept headlands. Often, you'll have them almost entirely to yourself.
Martha Lavinia is the island's best-known surf beach, with pristine sand, clear water and a world-class break that draws surfers to King Island from around Australia and beyond. On the west coast, Porky's Beach is made for long walks and sunsets, while Disappointment Bay in the north is anything but — a beautiful sweep of sand, dunes and rockpools.
And then there are the beaches without names or crowds at all — the stretches you simply come across while exploring the island.
Best explored slowly
King Island is made for wandering. Follow old kelp tracks along the coast, walk empty beaches for kilometres, or head out to places like Yellow Rock Beach, Seal Rocks and the Calcified Forest.
Closer to Red Rock Hut, guests can explore stretches of coastline and old kelp tracks on foot, often with little more than wallabies, seabirds and the Southern Ocean for company.
For those wanting to explore further, King Island Walks offers guided walks with a local, taking you beyond the better-known tracks to discover more of the island’s coastline, landscapes and stories.
Produce shaped by land and sea
King Island's reputation for food begins with its landscape. Salt-sprayed pastures produce renowned beef and dairy, while the surrounding waters are home to Southern Rock Lobster, abalone and fresh fish.
Farming, fishing and kelp harvesting remain part of everyday island life. You'll find that connection to place everywhere — in local produce, cafés and restaurants, and in the people who grow, catch and make what ends up on the table.
A coastline with a long memory
The sea has shaped much of King Island's history. More than 140 ships have been lost around its coastline, including the Cataraqui in 1845 — Australia's deadliest civil maritime disaster. The losses that followed helped prompt the construction of Cape Wickham Lighthouse, which still watches over the island's northern tip today.
Closer to Red Rock Hut lies the wreck of the Brahmin. Sailing from London to Sydney in 1854, she struck a reef during a gale, claiming 17 lives. Her remains lie just 700 metres from the Hut, beneath the waters off this stretch of coastline.
Artefacts recovered from the Brahmin, along with stories and objects spanning King Island's maritime past, can be discovered at the King Island Museum in Currie.
There’s more to discover
For more ideas on what to see, do and experience while you’re here, visit the official King Island Tourism website.