Bothwell: Golf History, Culture and the Highlands Power Trail

Bothwell brings together golf history, historic buildings and a driving route exploring Tasmania’s hydroelectric history. This offers different ways to shape your stay: you can explore the development of golf, take in the town’s architectural history or plan a self-guided drive along the Highlands Power Trail. When choosing accommodation in Bothwell, it helps to first consider which of these aspects you’d most like your trip to focus on.

Golf history, from the museum to the course

The Australasian Golf Museum traces the sport’s history from its early beginnings to its international spread. The collection includes tributes to Tasmanian and Australian golf champions. By contrast, Ratho Farm is centred on a specific golf course: Australia’s oldest, located on the outskirts of Bothwell. Ratho Farm Golf has 18 holes in a challenging inland links style; the Ratho Farm Golf Links were laid out by the pioneering Reid family.

The two golf attractions offer different perspectives: the museum tells the story of the sport’s development, while Ratho Farm brings together the course’s age, format, playing style and historic layout. If you’re interested in golf, this contrast offers a clear starting point for planning your trip—from the broader history of the sport to a single course.

Architectural history and regional ingredients

St Luke’s Uniting Church in Bothwell was built in 1830. In addition, more than 50 buildings in Bothwell are heritage-listed for their architectural and historic value. This places one building with a specific construction date alongside a larger collection of historic buildings, offering two different scales of heritage. Bothwell’s history can therefore be traced through more than a single building.

The origins of local ingredients offer another connection to the region: The Mill Kitchen at Clyde Mill uses ingredients sourced locally. For travellers interested in local ingredients as well as architectural and sporting history, this offers a specific culinary point of interest. The Central Highlands Visitor Centre is located at Market Place in Bothwell and provides a clearly identified place to start planning your visit.

A drive through Tasmania’s hydroelectric history

The Highlands Power Trail offers insights into Tasmania’s hydroelectric history. This self-guided driving route starts and ends in Bothwell. It differs from both the golf museum and the historic buildings: the focus is on Tasmania’s energy history and a self-planned road trip. Check the route conditions before setting off.

If the golf course or driving route is the focus of your stay, you can take these different local attractions into account when looking for a suitable base. This way, you can choose accommodation to suit your interests rather than treating every experience as one single itinerary.

Explore more destinations

Explore more destinations: Pipers Brook, South Bruny, South Arm Peninsula, Carrick, Promised Land, Pipers River, Ranelagh, Grassy.

Return to the main travel overview: Tasmania.