Bodalla Cheese
Bodalla is a modest township located on the South Coast of New South Wales, Australia, governed by the Eurobodalla Shire local council. Positioned along the Princes Highway, it offers road connections to Moruya, Narooma, Nerrigundah, Eurobodalla, and Potato Point.
Thomas Sutcliffe Mort
Beginning in 1856, entrepreneur Thomas Sutcliffe Mort acquired vast tracts of land within the Moruya region, eventually controlling approximately 38,000 acres (150 km2). In 1860, he bought Bodalla Station with the vision of creating a pioneering rural estate centered on integrated dairy farming. Mort converted the existing beef cattle station into a tenanted dairy property, investing heavily in land improvements, imported pasture grasses, milking facilities, and infrastructure for cheese and butter production. Additionally, he commissioned the construction of two bluestone churches for the tenants.
By the 1870s, dissatisfaction among tenants led to their departure; subsequently, the estate was divided into three farms operated by employed laborers. Following Mort's death in 1878, his trustees assumed control and in 1887 established the Bodalla Company to commercialize the estate’s resources.
Around 1883, the trustees built a horse-drawn tramway extending from near Bodalla Post Office to North Narooma Wharf at Wagonga Heads to enhance transportation of estate goods to Sydney markets. This tramway remained operational until road improvements between 1889 and 1891 made it redundant.
The trustees also opened a retail shop within Sydney’s Strand Arcade to distribute milk, butter, cheese, and bacon produced on the estate.
Eventually, ownership of the factory passed to the Bodalla Dairy Co-operative, which continued operations until its closure in 1987 due to a decline in supplying farms. The remaining farms then supplied their produce to the dairy company based in Bega.
Presently, Bodalla Cheese operates as a brand under Fonterra Brands (Australia) Pty Ltd., formerly known as Bonland Dairies, owned by New Zealand dairy giant Fonterra.
The Big Cheese Visitors' Centre—formerly part of the original factory and a well-known roadside landmark on Bodalla’s northern edge—ceased operations in 2007.
All Saints Church
All Saints Church stands as a memorial to Thomas Sutcliffe Mort and his wife Theresa Shepheard Mort and was designed by architect Edmund Blacket. The foundation stone was laid by Marianne Mort, Thomas’s second wife, on 18 March 1880; construction was completed in 1901. The church houses one of seven small Henry Willis & Sons organs, manufactured in 1881 and installed in 1882. The total building cost amounted to £13,000.
Demographics
The 2021 Census reported Bodalla’s population at 808 individuals, with males representing 51.1% and females 48.9%. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples accounted for 8.0% of residents. The median age was recorded at 53 years, while 46.8% of inhabitants were married. Among those aged 15 years and older, 11.2% had completed Year 12 education; 21.6% held Certificate III or IV qualifications; and 9.5% possessed an Advanced Diploma or Diploma. The predominant religious affiliation was 'No Religion,' comprising 31.6% of the population.
External links
- Bodalla – New South Wales, Sydney Morning Herald Travel
- Bodalla Village – 150 Year Celebration