An agritourism working group has been established to capitalise on the massive opportunities on offer for the sector.
Stock Journal spoke to members of the group and has compiled a list of some of the best agritourism experiences on offer in South Australia.
Oyster farm tour and shop, American River, Kangaroo Island
Agritourism has helped Kangaroo Island Shellfish's Amanda and Ken Rowe through some tough times in the oyster industry.
IT workers who packed up their lives on the mainland for a sea change to the Island, the Rowes bought an oyster farm in 2008 and since then have endured a once in 30-year storm, spat unavailability, the flow-on effects of the KI bushfires and the Covid pandemic.
Ms Rowe said having business diversification in the form of The Oyster Farm Shop at American River across from their farm, and offering tours, had been a saving grace.
The Rowes have recently sold the farm but are still involved. Ms Rowe said she is giving her time to the agritourism working group to help the government facilitate and support innovation in the sector.
"Lets identify these farmgate experiences so people can go off the beaten track and find these hidden treasures where they can experience something foodies are looking for," she said.
"Having transitioned from metro to regional, from white collar to blue collar, from IT to farming and then going into retail, tourism, hospitality and food processing, I feel like like I've got a lot of information and experience to offer and know what the roadblocks are for people to do it.
"If we can make it an easer transition for other people, then we'll get some quality, unique offerings in South Australia."
Pear orchard tour, pick your own experience, shed door shop, weddings, functions, Paracombe
Another member of the new agritourism working group is fourth-generation Paracombe pear grower Damian McArdle.
Mr McArdle said a decade ago the business was receiving "next to nothing" for second grade fruit so started to make cider and perry as a value-adding venture.
"We soon noticed by selling that at farmers markets that people wanted to know where the product came from, how it was grown and what happened to the fruit," he said.
That led to them establishing a tourism side to the business, bringing in people for tours of their cider-making facility and orchard.
"After some bad hailstorms between 2016 and 2018 that wiped out a lot of fruit in the Adelaide Hills, we realised we needed to further diversify into agritourism," Mr McArdle said.
They now have a shed door facility where they hold lunches, functions and weddings.
"We're still growing fruit and are certified organic, and we run our shed door on weekends where we do weddings, events, birthdays and are open to the public standard hours so it's a very diverse business," Mr McArdle said.
Mr McArdle said agritourism wasn't a want, but a "need" for their business to remain viable. He believes on-farm agritourism could eventually surpass wine tourism in dollar terms.
By participating in the agritourism group he wants to help government and legislators identify changes to planning laws and regulations that could make the process easier for potential farmer entrepreneurs.
"We've got a group of people from across the state in diverse industries who can identify roadblocks to find out if it's common and put a plan in place to get agritourism off and running."
Apple picking, Lenswood
@Lenswood Pick Your Own is an on-farm apple picking experience offered by ICU nurses turned orchardists Chris and Emily Shipway.
On their 23-acre Lenswood orchard, the Shipways offer pick your own sessions, kids scavenger hunts, weddings and group tours from February to May.
They also have picnic areas and offer a range of locally-sourced and made foods.
Deer farm tour and lunch, Highland Valley
The DeLaine family offer tours of their Highland Valley deer farm, which includes a four-wheel-drive loop, three-course lunch, local wines and their very own velvet extract-infused liquor 100 YEARS, the Spirit of the Stag.
Lavender picking, Hahndorf
Thomas Mahar, his partner Nicole Jordan and Thomas's father Peter have used a pick your own lavender bunch experience to raise awareness of their lavender-inspired cosmetics brand Lave Essentials.
First launched in December, the Hahndorf lavender farm had 4500 visitors in a little more than a month, with the income allowing them to fast-track the build of a shopfront and visitor carpark.
Shearing and sheepdog demonstration, Kangaroo Island
Rob's Shearing and Sheepdogs is an on-farm experience run by local sheep producer Rob Howard at Ironstone on the Kangaroo Island's Dudley Peninsula.
Touring groups are given insights and a demonstration of mustering and yarding, shearing, wool classing, hand spinning and some history of the farm and Island.
Oyster farm tour, Coffin Bay
Coffina Bay Oyster Farm Tours allows visitors to learn how to schuck oysters and get an education on the oyster industry while sitting semi-submerged in the heart of a working commercial oyster farm.
Tours are available all year round and can be tailored to suit. The business ia also home to Oyster HQ, a water restaurant overlooking the farm.
Alpaca safari, Fleurieu Peninsula
The Softfoot Alpaca and Wildlife Park offers visitors accommodation, safari tours and meal at its property at Hindmarsh Valley, near Victor Harbor.
The Retallick family's property is also home to a swagman-themed restaurant.
Accommodation and station experiences, Flinders Ranges
Rawnsley Park Station in the Flinders Ranges is still a working sheep property, but much of its daily business is tourism.
The Station, owned and managed by Tony and JulieAnne Smith, offers luxurious accommodation packages, walking, heli-camp and four-wheel-drive experiences.
It also has a woolshed home to its own restaurant and offers scenic flights.
Milking and camel farm tour, Robe
The Humpalicious Camel Farm near Robe offers morning milking tours three times a week, as well as solar buggy camel safaris of their Mount Benson property.
Visitors can hand feed baby camels, see the camels milked, and taste camel milk products including camel milk gelatos, milkshakes and coffees.
