Canberra Day Trips: Bodalla - a cheese-lover’s paradise

Cheese, cheese and more cheese is on offer at Bodalla in NSW. Photo: Bodalla Dairy Shed Facebook.

If you love cheese, the delightful village of Bodalla in the Eurobodalla region of the South Coast could just be your idea of heaven.

Surrounded by lush dairy farming country, Bodalla is home to an area that exports cheeses all over the world. And as a bonus, the small village is rich in colonial heritage and packs a punch when it comes to interesting places to grab a meal featuring local ingredients fresh from the surrounding farms.

Bodalla is a small town that sits on the Princes Highway between Moruya and Narooma. Eurobodalla National Park isn’t far away, with gorgeous beaches to visit and kick back on.

Why you’ll love it

Bodalla is all about the cheese. The Bodalla Cheese Factory has been going strong since the 1860s and these days welcomes visitors at the retro milk bar Bodalla Dairy Shed, where there’s old school milkshakes, cheeses of all kinds for sale and a farmyard where kids can feed the calves and get right up close to the cute animals. Plus you can see (and taste) ice cream being made on site using local milk.

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So much fun making this ice cream…all I can think about is smiling little faces tomorrow. It’s as wholesome as anything rainbow can get. Homemade vanilla recipe with a (tinsy) bit of shading… what’s not to love. Xxxxxx. #bodalladairyupcomingevents #bodalladairynewicecreamflavour

A post shared by Bodalla Dairy (@bodalladairy) on Jan 18, 2019 at 11:34pm PST

Bodalla isn’t short on history either. Grab a copy of The Bodalla Walking Guide which has plenty of info about the history of the village.

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A Igreja Anglicana de Todos os Santos Bodalla foi construída em 1882 na zona rural de New South Wales, no topo de uma colina nos arredores da pequena cidade de Bodalla. Belas vistas do interior do litoral podem ser tomadas a partir da torre. @aderbal80 All Saints’ Angelical Church was builded in 1882 at rural New South Wales, is set atop a hill on the outskirts of the small town of Bodalla. Fine views of the coastal hinterland may be taken in from the tower. #bodalla #newsouthwales #church #igreja

A post shared by Cibele Castellan Lopes (@cibelecastellan) on Jan 17, 2019 at 4:31am PST

Check out All Saints Church, designed by colonial architect Edmund Blacket, or take a drive west to explore the Old Nerrigundah Settlement Trail and Comans Mine, where you can explore the region’s gold rush heritage.

Feeling peckish? Here are our recommendations if you’d like to kick back for a while and grab a meal or snack.

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20180606 #travelwithparents #familytrip #familyroadtrip #roadtrip #roadtriptosydney #cafe Definitely a worthy stop on the way. Environment is beautiful, staff is friendly and the food is absolutely delicious. We had a chicken noodles soup with pumpkin toast, barramundi with eggplant and beef and cheese burger with jalapeño and beetroot. Didn’t expect those food in such a small town on A1. Great cafe to stop, stretch your legs and fulfill your tummy.

A post shared by Zoe Yip (@zz91225) on Jun 5, 2018 at 9:16pm PDT

• Downward Dog Café is in a historic building and serves modern contemporary food made with love for lunch, dinner and light refreshments. Vegetarian, vegan and gluten free options are available.
• Blue Earth Café offers indoor and outdoor dining options, welcomes well-behaved pooches, and has fabulous food and coffee as well as amazing food. We love their house-made breakfast beans and breakfast parfaits.
• Bodalla Bakery serves excellent lunch and coffee as well as baked goods to go. And if you’re keen on a spot of shopping, there’s a beautiful selection of teapots, teacups and homewares to be found.

Getting there

From Canberra, follow the Kings Highway to Batemans Bay, turning right at the major roundabout at the intersection with the Princes Highway. Head south for around 45 minutes. Once you’ve passed the signs to the turnoff to Tuross Head, Bodalla won’t be far away and you should reach it under ten minutes. It’s right on the Princes Highway so you can’t miss it.

Key details

• Duration: It takes just over 2 ½ hours to drive from Canberra to Bodalla.
• Distance from Canberra: Bodalla is around 200km from the CBD.
• Recommended for: cheese lovers, anyone with an interest in history and fans of exploring quaint country towns.
• More information: Aussie Towns: Bodalla

Have you discovered any other delightful towns in the South Coast region? Let us know in the comments.