PYENGANA DAIRY

Welcome to Pyengana Dairy

In a pint-sized pocket of north-eastern Tasmania, nestled deep within thickly forested hills where thylacines once trod, lies a gloriously fertile river valley where time stands still, dairy rules supreme and cows outnumber people.

This rich rural farming region, dotted with breathtaking waterfalls, was once home to a tiny tin mining settlement. These days its richness can be found in the fresh, sweet milk produced here – and the good old-fashioned know-how to hand-craft creamy curds into traditional, artisanal award-winning cheeses.

Welcome to the small secluded valley of Pyengana, where a temperate climate, fertile soil, abundant rainfall and long hours of summer sunshine all conspire to provide ideal growing conditions for rich green grass… and happy, healthy dairy cows.

The fine art of cheesemaking has long flourished in farmhouses in the Pyengana Valley, dating way back to the 1880s. And at Pyengana Dairy, run by a fourth-generation cheesemaker, the process of working and breaking the curd has remained pretty much unchanged. Some of the vats in which the milk is curded and coaxed and magicked by hand into magnificent cheeses have also been in use for generations. On this working dairy farm, you’re truly tasting tradition and history in every single wheel of hand-worked, hand-turned cheese.

Pyengana’s unique cheese

Pyengana Dairy’s rich, flavoursome milk is sourced from a single herd of about 220 beautiful bovines – black-and-white Holstein–Friesians, and a smattering of caramel-and-white Jersey girls. These contented cows roam freely across 300 acres of vibrantly green grass and clover. They delight visitors to the onsite cheesery and café as they wander at will into the nearby milking shed, where a robotic system milks the cows whenever they please. After milking, the cows give themselves a congratulatory massage by passing under a rotating brush that operates as a back scratcher! And why not? Great cheese starts with happy cows!

Pyengana is one of the few cheeseries in Australia that still matures its heritage farmhouse cheeses in traditional cheese cloth, for up to two years. In a cave-like cellar underneath the café, row upon row of solid timber shelves, several inches thick, hold hefty wheels of prize-winning cheese, ranging in size from the cutely named three-pound Truckle, all the way up to 40-pound whoppers. Time weaves its magic into the flavours, with longer-matured cheeses developing stronger, more complex flavours and aromas with age.

It’s little surprise, then, that the dairy’s signature cheese is its rich, crumbly, cloth-bound cheddar, tasting of herbs and honey and the lush pastures of Pyengana.

Any day of the week, the free cheese-tasting counter is where the fun begins! Friendly staff will guide you and your tastebuds through Pyengana’s award-winning cheeses – including their crumbly Cloth-Matured Cheddar, the wonderfully creamy St Columba Blue, and other cheeses infused with seasonal flavourings such as peppercorns, caraway seeds and herbs.

Pyengana Farmgate Cafe

Rain, hail or shine, Pyengana Dairy’s cosy Farmgate Café welcomes visitors seven days a week. From the outside the cafe has a neat, rustic shed vibe, with a corrugated iron roof and polished concrete floor. Inside, cute cow paintings and the silvery rings of old metal cheese moulds adorn the walls, while black-and-white cow cut-outs hang from the wooden rafters above the amply spaced wooden tables.

In the cooler months, enjoy the cosy ambience of the crackling open wood fire. On warmer days, for a true paddock-to-plate experience, you can relax outside on the spacious wooden deck, or at a wooden picnic table on the lawn, where you can almost feel that green grass growing under your feet. Enjoy the sunshine on your face, breathe in all that fresh country air, and soak up the sounds and smells of a working dairy farm. Nearby, those prized cows moo contentedly in their timber-railed paddocks, or lazily amble in and out of the milking shed for their daily massage.

After your cheese-tasting experience, settle back and contemplate the other homemade delights on offer. Indulge in a gourmet cheese platter, hearty homemade soup or three-cheese pizza, and perhaps a glass of fine Tassie wine, cider or beer. Or how about a spot of Devonshire tea, with plump homemade scones, local jam and decadent lashings of clotted cream? Try a milkshake starring their fabulously fresh milk. And don’t forget to leave room for ice-cream, featuring native flavours such as pepperberry, wattle seed and lemon myrtle.

The friendly staff can help you with the menu, and even pack any cheese purchases in a cooler bag to take with you. If you’re on holiday, they can deliver direct to your door, so you can relive the highlights of your visit when you return home.

Accessibility

Pyengana Dairy Company Farmgate Cafe is open seven days a week, except Christmas Day, between 9am and 5pm. Level access makes life easier for people and dog guides. There are plenty of nearby accommodation options at St Helens and Scottsdale.

Pyengana Dairy is just off the Tasman Highway, a half-hour (or 27 kilometre) drive east of the seaside town of St Helens, an hour (or 73 kilometres) west of Scottsdale, and two hours (or 140 kilometres) west of Launceston. Either way, the road is very windy in sections, and there are no public transport services to this remote locality. Its seclusion is, after all, part of its timeless charm. Making your own way there by car is the easiest option if you can arrange it. You’ll be twisting and winding your way past hills and mountains covered in some of the world’s oldest forests, home to giant, huge-girthed, hundred-metre-high eucalypts, intersected by wild rivers and creeks where secretive platypuses still splash, Tassie tigers once roamed, and mountain-biking enthusiasts nowadays chase their adrenaline thrills.

If self-driving (or private car transport) isn’t an option – don’t despair. There are a couple of tour companies that include a stop at Pyengana Dairy in their multi-day Tassie tour itineraries. Examples include a 7-day tour option with Fun Tassie Tours and a 6-day option with Tasmania Tours 4 U. Please contact the operators directly to discuss your requirements and determine if these options meet your needs.