The Heritage Classic has been added to the Australian summer of golf with the PGA Tour of Australasia tournament to start on January 24 next year.
The Jack Nicklaus-designed St John Course in the Yarra Valley will host the four-round event, it was announced on Wednesday.
With $130,000 in prize money on offer, the winner will also earn a place in the field for the Australian Masters, Australian Open, Australian PGA Championship and New Zealand Open.
Australian Scott Laycock, a one-time winner on the tour who has already tested the 6670-metre course, said he was looking forward to the challenge of competing at the tournament.
"For this time of the year the course is presented really well so when summer approaches it will only improve further and I am sure it will be in peak condition for us to compete during the Heritage Classic," he said.
"The thing with Jack Nicklaus-designed golf courses is it's not always an advantage to be long off the tee, you need to position your tee shot on the correct side of the fairway. It's a thinking man's course which should make for an interesting week of golf."
The Heritage Golf and Country Club changed ownership just over a year ago, and new owner Sunny Sun is hopeful Chinese golfers would help bring international exposure to the event.
PGA of Australia CEO Brian Thorburn said the addition of another tournament to the calendar was an important step for the sport.
"It is wonderful to see the PGA Tour of Australasia further expand with the inclusion of the Heritage Classic in 2013," Thorburn said.
"Tournament growth is essential to the success of the PGA Tour of Australasia and with a strong line-up of state-based championships and new national tournaments, the likes of the Perth International, there are plenty of positives for Australian professional golf.
"I would like to commend Sunny Sun from the Heritage Golf and Country Club for the hard work already completed to secure the Heritage Classic, and we look forward to working with them into the future to ensure the ongoing success of the tournament."