EXCLUSIVE: Why Teresa Palmer doesn't call Hollywood home.

There's not much Teresa Palmer hasn't done.

She's starred in some of Hollywood's best films, rubbed shoulders with fellow A-listers, stared down the barrel of hundreds of cameras on red carpets around the world, time and time again. 

She's seen it all. She's experienced it all. And she's grateful for these "wild and unique" parts of life, Palmer tells Mamamia.

But it's the life she lives away from the cameras, in her hometown of South Australia, that brings her true contentment.

"I'm home when I'm wearing my daggy clothes on the farm, in my boots, running around with the kids, carefree on our land," she tells us.

"It is where my heart lies and it's the reason why, when I went to Hollywood, spent a lot of time in LA and then started having children, there was this really meaningful pull to raise my babies in nature and in the safety, comfort and community of Adelaide."

Teresa Palmer and Mark Webber with their son, Bodhi. Image: Supplied.

Palmer was born and raised in SA, among the rolling hills and vast coastlines of Adelaide.

"South Australia is a special place to me," she says. "Everything is very vibrant and it's why I'm so proud to live here because so many people talk about the bigger cities in Australia, but Adelaide is such a hidden gem."

Earlier this year, Palmer – an ambassador for South Australia Tourism – travelled to Port Lincoln, a city on the Eyre Peninsula in SA. She brought her husband, director Mark Webber, and four of their five children – nine-year-old Bodhi, six-year-old Forest, four-year-old Poet and little Prairie, who is two.

The charming city, home to 16,000 locals, is surrounded mostly by water and is home to a plethora of rare flora and fauna. It's also a city Palmer and her family fell in love with from the moment they touched down after a 30-minute flight from Adelaide.

"It is it's the most remarkable place, truly. It's like no other holiday because it entices an up-for-anything attitude and offers such great raw experience," Palmer recalls to Mamamia.

It's not just the landscape that Palmer and Webber fell in love with. 

"I advocate for Adelaide and South Australia because the culture, the art scenes, the restaurants and the food are just a tiny part of the wonderful things that make this place so special," she shares, adding that it's authentically family friendly like nowhere else. 

"Family is so embraced. It really is. There could be an amazing winery and then there's a gorgeous, lush playground for the kids to play in. They're folded into every experience in South Australia and they're treated like important, unique people who get to be involved in all the fun."

After spending a week in Port Lincoln, Palmer shared her Eyre Peninsula recs with Mamamia – and yes, we're already booking our flights. 

Swimming with sea lions.

Teresa Palmer and her family got to swim with sea lions. Image: Supplied. Palmer says she and her family got to interact with the "puppies of the sea" for hours in the South Australian ocean and it's an experience none of them will ever forget. 

"Bodie is still talking about how mesmerising it was to swim with the sea lions," she recalls. "We went with Calypso Star Charters in Port Lincoln and it was otherworldly.

"Bodie was diving right down into the water, spinning around and twirling and the sea lions just connected with him. They were imitating his movements and I've never seen such a mesmerised look on his face. He couldn't believe it."

A guided tour and dinner at Yarnbala.

Teresa Palmer and her family visiting Yarnbala. Image: Supplied.A highlight of the trip was walking through the serene "natural world" of Yarnbala, where Palmer and her family got to stand in the presence of the last untouched she-oak woodland ecosystems, which are now considered critically endangered.

They also got to watch their tour operator, Kane, perform live while sipping on some of the best wines and craft beers South Australia has to offer.

Teresa Palmer and her family visiting Yarnbala. Image: Supplied."Kane is so passionate about his work," Palmer says. "He raised awareness about the local flora and fauna, showed us Indigenous Australians' customs, and let us taste the fruits and plants. It was unlike anything I've ever experienced."

Palmer was one of the lucky few who have gotten to experience Yarnbala for themselves so far.

"It was incredible, truly," she recalls. "Kane played the didgeridoo for us, then let us have a go. It was so incredibly moving and something I'll never forget."

Sandboarding and 4WDing through Port Lincoln National Park.

Teresa Palmer and Mark Webber sandboarding. Image: Supplied. There's nothing quite like sliding down the side of a sand mountain in complete isolation, as Palmer found out firsthand.

"That was next level!" she recalls, adding that the entire experience was incredibly interactive and inclusive for the kids, too. "We were all waxing the boards and then just going for it!"

Visiting the wildlife sanctuary at Mikkira Station.

Teresa Palmer's family at Mikkira Station visiting the animal sanctuary. Image: Supplied.

Clearly, nature is high on the agenda in this part of the world, with Palmer and the fam taking an exclusive visit to the wildlife sanctuary at Mikkira Station with Australian Coastal Safaris.

"It was like stepping back into nature and felt completely untouched," she describes. "We were so close to the koalas and even saw the most beautiful mummy koala with her baby, and all the kids just obsessed over her."

A park tour and feeding the animals at Glen Forest Tourist Park. 

"I had a two-year-old sitting on the ground surrounded by animals and a nine-year-old cradling little baby guinea pigs and it was so refreshing, so beautiful," Teresa tells Mamamia of the visit to the interactive park. 

"I thoroughly enjoyed it. We're a vegan family who loves animals and I think everyone should [go] because it is just so wonderful."

A stay at Tulka House.

Teresa Palmer got to stay at the gorgeous Tulka House. Image: Supplied.

For their trip, Palmer and her family stayed at the dreamy Tulka House, which is located right on the beach. 

The actor says that from the get-go, Tulka House's owners, Jane and Mark, made her feel right at home. 

"It was impeccably styled and took real craftmanship to decorate and maintain," Palmer says. "It was so beautiful and had a fire pit out the back, a screening room filled with toys and the couple even provided us both with bikes and a whole basket of incredible vegan goodies from the local community."

Located just 10 minutes from the hub of Port Lincoln, Tulka House is a retreat for anyone wanting tranquillity (and friends for life).

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"The owners made us pizza and that was amazing. It was pizza after pizza and there were neighbours walking by and we just asked them in with us for dinner," she recalls. 

"Our kids were playing with the locals and it was just incredible. The community is one of a kind, but I suppose that's just South Australians for you. They're as wonderful as they are generous."

Feature Image: Getty/Mamamia.