SOUTH Gippsland has quietly built a reputation for producing some of the best blue cheese in the country, and this year’s Australian Grand Dairy Awards have made it official, with every single finalist in the Blue Cheese category hailing from the area.
Among them is Prom Country Cheese at Moyarra, run by husband-and-wife team Daniel and Chelsie Hales, alongside Berry’s Creek Gourmet Cheese in Fish Creek, which earned two finalist spots for its much-loved Oak Blue and Mossvale Blue.
For Daniel Hales, the recognition is more than just a nod from the judges, it’s a moment of pride for his family’s paddock-to-plate business.
“Prom Country Cheese was started about 12 years ago by Burke and Bronwyn Brandon, and then me and my wife, Chelsie, bought the business about three and a half years ago,” he said.
“It was originally known for sheep milk cheeses, but now we specialise in certified organic raw milk cheeses.”
Their finalist cheese, Inverloch Blue, is brand new, but already making waves.
“This is the first year we’ve ever made it,” Daniel said.
“We only made 60 wheels. It’s our milk, our cheese, wrapped with grape leaves from our vineyard at the factory, soaked in fumé blanc from a vineyard just 200 metres away. We wanted to create something that truly captures our place, something you can’t recreate anywhere else.”
The Hales’ cheese is a genuine product of the land. Their farm, Glen Moidart, sits along Lance Creek, and Daniel is the fifth generation of his family to work the property, which was first settled back in 1886.
Everything happens on-site, from milking the cows at dawn to handcrafting and maturing each cheese.
“We’re in control of every step of the process,” Daniel said. “From the soil to the grass, the cows, and the cheese. It’s all connected.”
Down the road in Fish Creek, master cheesemaker Barry Charlton of Berry’s Creek Gourmet Cheese has long been known as one of Australia’s greats. His blue cheeses are celebrated not only across the country but internationally, thanks to decades of careful refinement and a refusal to compromise on quality.
From his dairy base, Barry and his team produce cheeses that balance tradition and innovation, remaining fiercely loyal to their artisan roots. As their website puts it, Berry’s Creek strives for “an uncompromising standard of excellence”.
Daniel Hales said South Gippsland’s environment and talented cheesemakers are what make the region stand out, particularly crediting Barry Charlton, as well as his own cheesemaker, Burke Brandon.
“Gippsland has great dairy country, green grass, good rainfall, but you also need the skillset,” he said.
“That’s a credit to Barry and Burke. You could put those two anywhere in Australia and they’d still be making incredible cheese.”
This year’s Australian Grand Dairy Awards were judged in Brisbane in late October, with winners to be announced at the Melbourne Showgrounds on November 13. The awards shine a light on the best of Australian dairy products that are not just made well, but made with care, creativity and genuine passion.
