Proud winner of the Mount Gambier Chamber of Commerce
Outstanding Business Awards 2018 “Tourism” award
Ghost Mushroom Lane – now open
Ghost Mushroom Lane is a seasonal forest tourism experience proudly presented by ForestrySA and OneFortyOne during May and June annually.
Scroll down for information, maps, photographer’s guide and images, or to book your guided mushroom tour.
Download the Ghost Mushroom Lane site map here
A free forest experience is waiting for you after dark
A luminous mushroom can be found growing in OneFortyOne pine forest during May and June each year.
ForestrySA is pleased to offer you the chance to experience the brilliant glow first hand – free of charge!
The Ghost Mushroom (Omphalotus nidiformis) is a bioluminescent fungus that emits a soft green glow at night.
The species is native to Australia and can often be found growing on decaying plant material, such as stumps left behind following pine tree harvest.
The mushrooms emerge in late autumn following good rain and continue into winter, reaching a size of up to 20cm wide.
The soft green glow is a result of a chemical reaction between fungal enzymes and oxygen. The Ghost Mushroom glow can be bright enough to read the words on a page!
An estimated 40,000 visited the forest to see the Ghost Mushroom during the 2017 and 2018 seasons, creating significant media attention. See media below:
- The Living Room, with Dr Chris Brown (story features at 2 minutes 45 seconds)
- The Living Room, with Dr Chris Brown – fact sheet
- Channel 7 News
- Totally Wild (story features at 19 minutes 23 seconds)
- Australia’s Science Channel
Visit Ghost Mushroom Lane
ForestrySA is invites members of the public to visit Ghost Mushroom Lane after dark during May and June and experience the glow of the mushroom for themselves.
The lane is located within a known mushroom breeding ground, among commercial pine forest near Glencoe just 16km from Mount Gambier. Download the Ghost Mushroom Lane site map here.
Visitors keen to exit their cars can take a walk and view the mushrooms up close, warm clothes, sensible shoes and a torch are recommended. Ghost markers are also available at the beginning of the lane and can be placed along the track where mushroom populations have been found to assist other visitors.
For the enjoyment of others, please leave the mushrooms exactly as you found them. The chemical in the mushroom responsible for the glow can be poisonous, causing cramps and vomiting if ingested. Accidental touching is not harmful.
A forest permit is not required to visit the trail, but please observe the conditions of entry to the forest and take care while walking on uneven ground in the dark.
Ghost Mushroom Lane is not suitable for buses, car-parking is available out the front. Commercial tour operators must contact ForestrySA in advance to arrange applicable permits and permissions.
Click here for more information regarding access to forests in the Green Triangle.
