Why should I visit the Glen-Forest Tourist Park near Port Lincoln, South Australia?
At the Glen-Forest Tourist Park near Port Lincoln, South Australia there’s an animal park where you can hand-feed kangaroos. Visitors to this Eyre Peninsula tourist park can also take a Segway tour and taste Lincoln Estate wines.
The main reason that people come to the South Australian town of Port Lincoln at the bottom of the Eyre Peninsula is to going on shark cage diving tour. The Adelaide to Port Lincoln drive via Port Augusta and Whyalla takes nearly seven hours. Being the only place in Australia where you swim with great white sharks is the sort of one-off experience that makes such a driving time worth it.
However, if you hire a car in Port Lincoln, there are a few other things to see in the area too. The Mikkira Station is a great place to spot koalas, for example. It’s possible to visit the Coffin Bay oyster farms that produce some of the best oysters in Australia. And you can also go camping at Yangie Bay in the Coffin Bay National Park.
Port Lincoln experiences to book in advance
- Coffin Bay day tour, with oyster tasting.
- Eyre Peninsula scenery, food and wine-tasting trip.
- Sunset sand dunes photography tour.
- Electric mountain bike rental.
- Wildlife-focused full day tour.
Glen-Forest Tourist Park from Port Lincoln, SA
Resolutely in the category of day-filler rather than a reason to visit Port Lincoln is the Glen-Forest Tourist Park. This attraction is a 15 minute drive from Port Lincoln – it’s easy to fit into a day exploring the area.
The Glen-Forest Tourist Park is a 400 acre farm, but it has diversified from its core business somewhat. 120 acres are devoted to an animal park. Some of these animals appear naturally – the dams on the farm are home to water birds. For the rest, it’s more of a mini-zoo. Emus, camels, ostriches, dingoes, koalas, wombats and kangaroos are amongst the animals visitors can see. It’s also possible to hand-feed some of them – a bag of feed costs $2. The walk-in bird aviary is probably the star attraction on the animal front.
Glen-Forest Tourist Park activities
Other activities available at the Glen-Forest Tourist Park near Port Lincoln include an 18 hole mini-golf course, costing $10. There are also half hour Segway rides around the property, for $40.
The other major string to the bow is the 80 acres of vineyard. Varieties grown include sauvignon blanc, shiraz, merlot, chardonnay and cabernet sauvignon. The Lincoln Estate wines can be tasted on site, although groups of five or more are asked to book in advance.
Glen-Forest Tourist Park food
Even on a basic level, the Glen-Forest Tourist Park is a nice place to go for a picnic. There are free barbecues and a pizza oven to use for anyone who fancies going above the sandwiches and crisps level.
Entry to the Glen-Forest Tourist Park costs $15 for adults and $13 for children. Visit the Glen-Forest website for more information.
Port Lincoln accommodation picks
Port Lincoln is a wealthy town, and the accommodation options here are perhaps surprisingly strong. Top choices include…
- For waterfront location: Marina Hotel.
- For low prices and decent quality: Grand Tasman Hotel.
- For central convenience and high quality: Port Lincoln Hotel.
- For families: Port Lincoln Cabin Park.
More South Australia travel
Swim in the rockpools at Greenly Beach on the Eyre Peninsula.
Go surfing at Southport Beach on the Fleurieu Peninsula.
Stop at Mambray Creek on the drive from Adelaide to Whyalla.