Popular 4WD park and tourist attraction JAKEM Farm in SA for sale

A world-renowned 4WD park near Adelaide has buyers shifting gear as the race is on to secure one of SA’s most well-known tourist attractions.

It hosted world champion drivers, weekend 4WD enthusiasts and served as a vehicle testing ground for the army, SA ambulance and well-known car manufacturers.

But now, JAKEM Farm near Adelaide is gearing up for a new adventure as owner Jason Grech seeks to hand over the keys of the 144.5 ha property to the next generation.

The popular tourist attraction in St Ives has been listed for sale through Elders Real Estate with offers sought over $2.7 million.

“We started the park in 2010…just boys being boys I guess…because there’s nothing like this close to Adelaide,” Mr Grech said.

“It’s now not only a South Australian icon, but known worldwide and I’m pretty proud of that but it’s time for someone else to take over.”

Mazda, Supashock and the ADF are among the groups who have tested vehicles on the tracks at JAKEM Farm. Picture: realcommercial.com.au/for-sale

Mr Grech said the farm had hosted a number of 4WD enthusiasts over the past 10 years, including off-road and enduro motorcycle racing world champion Toby Price.

Tracks are also regularly used by car manufacturers to test new off-road vehicles.

“We had Mazda Australia out here only last week with 200 people to test the new BT-50 but have also hosted Supashock who do all the suspension for supercars, the Australian Defence Force and even part of the German defence force.

“We never really advertised these partnerships so not many people know about it, but it’s been a big part of the business.”

Room for growth

Selling agent Sylvia Jemson-Ledger said the property was undoubtedly one of the most unique tourism offerings on the current market, being located less than an hour’s drive from Adelaide.

She said the sale included three homes, conferencing facilities, established 4WD tracks, the farm vehicle and an inventory list of equipment.

“It’s a unique property and zoned for tourism use, which is pretty much unheard of in the Adelaide Hills because it’s so hard to get it over the line with the council.

“But the current owners have made sure that they have a great business plan in place but there’s potential to do so much more, including setting up a cafe, a caravan park or even holiday units, with council pre-approval already in place.”

A new owner could expand the business and open a cafe, selling agent Sylvia Jemson-Ledger said. Picture: realcommercial.com.au/for-sale

Ms Jemson-Ledger said buyer interest had been strong since the property’s launch to the market three weeks ago.

“We already got quite a bit of interest from interstate, overseas and local buyers,” she said.

“A lot of people, especially men, love the idea of changing careers and owning a 4WD park but there are others that see it as a really good investment.”

Australian National Four Wheel Drive Council’s Greg Chase said JAKEM Farm filled a critical market gap for city-based weekend warriors.

“A common complaint is that you can’t go for a day trip, or even a weekend, easily as there aren’t a lot of 4WD tracks near Adelaide,” he said.

“So having something close to the city is a valuable resource but also offers a safe place for people to practise their off-road skills.”

Tourism industry on track to recovery

South Australia’s tourism industry is enjoying a return to positive business activity following a two-and-a-half year Covid hiatus.

According to the latest data from Tourism SA, the state saw a total domestic expenditure of $656 million in the 12 months to the end of July up on the $565 million for the same period ending in July 2019.

A total of 223,000 interstate overnight visits were also recorded in the 12 months up to the end of July 2022, up from 247,000 for the same period in July 2020.

Tourism Council CEO Shaun de Bruyn said green shoots were starting to show, especially in sectors catering to the weekend explorers.

“We still have a long way to go to get back to expenditure levels of 2019 but the [tourism] market is slowly coming back,” he said.

“Sectors that are doing well are accommodation and outdoor recreation but businesses like tourism operators are still struggling as they are relying on the international visitor market.”