Produce of the Fleurieu: Myponga Milk and Our Mozzarella Class Near Victor Harbor

Our first Produce of the Fleurieu story: the Myponga dairy families behind Fleurieu Milk, why fresh local milk feels right at the mozzarella pot, where to buy it on the Fleurieu, and where to stay in Hindmarsh Valley.

This is the story of Fleurieu Milk Company, the Myponga dairy behind the milk we love for our mozzarella class near Victor Harbor, and it answers the questions guests ask us at the bench: who makes the milk, where you can buy it, where to stay, and how it feels to stretch your own.

It is also our very first Produce of the Fleurieu story, and we wanted to start with milk because everything at a mozzarella class begins with it. Warm curd in a pot, gloved hands, that first pull when the cheese turns glossy and long, then soft white balls you carry home yourself. In a cheese this fresh, the milk matters, and the milk we love comes from just over the hills at Myponga.

Who makes Fleurieu Milk, and where does it come from?

Fleurieu Milk Company is a dairy at Myponga on the Fleurieu Peninsula, started in 2006 by three local dairy farming families: Geoff and Louise Hutchinson, Barry (Bazz) and Merridie Clarke, and Chris and Karen Royans. They began when farm gate milk prices were falling, and the company is still South Australian owned today.

The history matters to us. Myponga had about 40 dairy farms in the mid to late 1900s, and by the early 2000s dairying there had become hard to sustain. These families built their own company instead, and they pay their farmers a premium for the milk.

What we love most is how short the trip is. The factory is on farm, 500 m from the closest dairy and 4 km from the furthest. Milk is pasteurised to 72°C and delivered only hours after milking. The supplying farms read like a map of the hills behind us: Roslyn Vale, Windy Vale, Manna Springs, Misty Brae, Roslyn Amdena, Verde Valley, Gum Dark, Munbilla Dairy and Jolley Farms. Munbilla is at Hindmarsh Tiers, next door to Myponga, so think nearby farms rather than one town.

The herds include Jerseys, and the Farm Fresh range comes from Holstein Friesians milked within 500 m of the factory. The company describes that range as real, unadulterated milk containing no permeates. Alongside milk they make cream and yoghurt, and the Farm Fresh range includes an unhomogenised 2 litre bottle for anyone who likes to experiment at home.

What happens at our mozzarella class near Victor Harbor?

Our Exclusive Mozzarella-Making & Tasting runs at Cut Hill Wall Distillery, 34 Mont Rosa Rd, Hindmarsh Valley, on Lost Phoenix Farm. It is fifteen minutes inland from Victor Harbor and a little under ninety minutes south of Adelaide, and it is our busiest venue.

Why fresh milk matters when you stretch

Mozzarella is a simple cheese, which is exactly why the milk shows. There is no ageing and no rind to hide behind: just curd, warmth and your hands. Milk that left the cow only hours earlier, from families who farm a short drive away, feels right in a class that is all about making something from scratch with Fleurieu ingredients. That is our opinion as cooks rather than a lab result, and we are happy to talk it over with a glass in hand.

You work the curd yourself, stretching and shaping until it shines, then you taste what you made and take your mozzarella home with the recipes, so the next batch can happen in your own kitchen.

The distillery and the farm

Cut Hill Wall Distillery takes its name from the 1868 Cut Hill retaining wall at Victor Harbor, built by Jabez Grimble without lime or mortar. Every ticket includes a spirit tasting and a Lost Phoenix long drink, and our cheese classes here often pair with a shared table lunch at Lost Phoenix Farm. A distillery tour and a charcuterie board can be added when you book. If you would like to visit the cellar door on another day, check the distillery’s own site before you drive, because the opening days listed in different places do not agree.

Dates, price and what to know

• Saturday 31 October, 11:30am: $125 per person, 6 seats left.
• Saturday 14 November, 11:30am: sold out.
• Length: 2 to 2.5 hours.
• Included: all equipment and ingredients, a Lost Phoenix long drink and tastings, a recipe book, and take home mozzarella and recipes.
• Before class: a personal 30 minute distillery tour at 11am can be added.
• Age: not suitable for under 18s, because hot water is used.
• Dietary: not suitable for guests who must avoid all dairy.
• Weather: classes run in indoor or undercover space, so rain will not stop you.
• Questions: call us on 08 7221 1685.

Where can you buy Fleurieu Milk on the Fleurieu?

You do not need to book a class to enjoy this milk, and a bottle in the esky is one of the nicer souvenirs of a trip south. Here is where to look.

• Cafes, IGAs and Foodland stores: Fleurieu Milk is sold across the Fleurieu and Adelaide, and the company counts more than 1000 stockists around South Australia, from supermarkets to convenience stores, restaurants and cafes. Use the Find a Stockist page to see named shops near where you are staying.
• Willunga Farmers Market: the company has traded weekly at the market since 2006, and Myponga is just 22 km away, so the milk on the stall has not travelled far.
• The factory at Myponga: the company is at 325 Rowley Rd, Myponga, phone (08) 8558 6020. Listings show the factory shop open Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm, and closed on weekends, but those listings are not the company’s own, so ring before you make the trip.
• Milk on tap: at markets, cafes and supermarkets that offer it, you can refill an approved 1 litre glass bottle, which is a lovely habit to bring home.

If your class is on a Saturday, start the morning at the Victor Harbor Farmers Market, held every Saturday from 8am to 12:30pm at Grosvenor Gardens, no matter the weather. Wander the stalls, pick up something for the evening, then head inland to Hindmarsh Valley for an 11:30am start at the bench.

Where should you stay near Victor Harbor?

Our recommendation is Old Coach Road Estate at 103 Old Coach Road, Hindmarsh Valley, between Mount Compass and Victor Harbor and in the same valley as Cut Hill. Angela McLean and Peter Sharley run it: a self-contained villa on about 200 acres of farmland overlooking Victor Harbor and Granite Island, used by one party at a time.

There are three king bedrooms and it sleeps up to eight, with a gourmet kitchen, an open fire, decks and an outdoor stone bath. It was named Australia’s best self-contained accommodation at the 2024 Qantas Australian Tourism Awards. The listing includes continental breakfast, local wine and spirits, a cheese platter, a hamper of local treats and firewood. A two night minimum applies. It is not suitable for children, and there are no pets and no smoking, so it suits a grown up weekend built around an adults only cheese class.

We have no deal with them. We simply think a fire, a stone bath and a ball of mozzarella you stretched yourself that afternoon make a very good Saturday night in spring.

There are 6 seats left for Saturday 31 October at Cut Hill. Bring your appetite and your curiosity, and we will have the curd warm, the long drinks poured and a seat at our bench waiting for you. Book your spot here.