While there isn't one official "Cheese Capital," Bega, NSW, is widely considered Australia's cheese heartland due to the famous Bega Cheese brand, but Victoria's Gippsland and Stanhope regions are major dairy/cheese producers, and Adelaide hosts Australia's biggest cheese festival, making the title debatable and region-dependent.
So, it's fortunate that each year we produce about 344,000 tonnes of it – from traditional hard cheddars to soft, creamy bries and everything in between.
We are the Bega Group and we're proudly Australian-owned. For over a century, we've been passionate makers and innovators of food and today, we produce foods, beverages, and ingredients that millions of people use daily.
Melbourne is widely considered Australia's food capital, celebrated for its incredible diversity (over 70 cuisines), vibrant cafe culture, innovative restaurants, and laneway dining, often ranking among the world's best foodie destinations in global studies. Sydney also offers a strong culinary scene but Melbourne's extensive multicultural offerings and food scene's depth consistently earn it the top spot.
While there's no single official title, recent research often points to Sydney as Australia's top pizza capital due to the sheer volume of pizzerias, diverse styles (Neapolitan, deep dish, street pizza), and high search interest, closely followed by Melbourne, known for its strong Italian heritage and world-class pizzerias. Both cities boast top-rated pizza restaurants and a passionate foodie culture, though Sydney leads in quantity and variety, while Melbourne is praised for its high-quality, craft pizzas, with spots like SHOP225 earning global recognition.
The 2-hour/4-hour rule in Australia dictates how long potentially hazardous foods (like meats, dairy, cooked rice) can safely stay between 5°C and 60°C (the "temperature danger zone") before bacterial growth becomes risky. If out for under 2 hours: it can be refrigerated or used/heated. If 2 to 4 hours: it must be used immediately and cannot be put back in the fridge. Over 4 hours: it must be thrown out. This is a cumulative time, including prep, storage, and display.
Yes, Bulla Dairy Foods is still proudly Australian-owned and operated by the same three founding families (Sloan, Anderson, and another related family) since 1910, making it one of Australia's oldest family-owned dairy businesses, producing all its products in Victoria using local milk.
The Discovery. The VEGEMITE brand has a history spanning over 100 years and is proudly owned by the great Australian food company – Bega Cheese Limited. Bega Cheese Limited purchased the VEGEMITE brand in 2017, returning VEGEMITE to Australian ownership for the first time in over 90 years.
Yes, Bega Cheese uses debt as part of its business, but recent financial reports (FY2024, FY2025) show they are actively managing and reducing their net debt, improving their leverage ratios, and refinancing facilities to favorable terms, indicating strong financial management and reduced risk rather than being in distress, with significant positive cash flow and operational improvements.
Any cheese with an ingredients list of only milk, salt, and enzymes/cultures (like cheddar, Swiss, mozzarella, gouda, feta, goat cheese, cottage cheese, etc.) is 100% real cheese, while "American Cheese" or "cheese products" often contain added emulsifiers and flavorings, making them processed rather than purely natural cheese. Always check the label: if it lists more than milk, salt, and enzymes (like sodium citrate, whey, artificial flavors), it's a cheese product.
At 51.8 pounds of cheese per year, we're talking about one pound of cheese per person weekly in the Swiss diet. With that level of consumption, you'd have to assume that Switzerland would be home to not only excellent cheeses themselves but also a wide collection of cheese-related dishes — and you'd be right.
Plymouth, WI, the “Cheese Capital of the World”, produces 40% of U.S. cheese and is home to major companies like Sargento and Sartori. Its historic downtown features shops, eateries, and parks.
There's no single "best" cheese, but top contenders often cited include Holy Goat's La Luna (goat cheese), Prom Country's Inverloch Blue, Long Paddock Cheese, Fromart's Devil's Foot, and Apostle Whey's Southern Briez, with recent awards recognizing Montefiore Trecce (Grand Champion 2025) and Inverloch Blue as top specialty cheeses, showcasing Australia's diverse, high-quality artisanal scene.
The "biggest" dairy farm in Australia depends on the metric, but Moxey Dairy (part of Australian Fresh Milk Holdings - AFMH) is often cited as the largest single-site dairy, housing around 11,000 cows in NSW, while Van Diemen's Land Company (VDL) in Tasmania was historically Australia's largest dairy operation by area and cow numbers before being broken up and sold. AFMH is the country's largest dairy farming operator, with Moxey Dairy being its flagship single site.
Vegemite is banned from Victorian prisons, with the bans beginning to come into effect from the 1990s, to prevent inmates from brewing alcohol using the paste's high yeast content—even though Vegemite contains no live yeast.
Several milk brands are 100% Australian owned, including Norco, an Australian farmer-owned co-operative; Riverina Fresh, a long-standing Australian dairy company; and Procal, a family-owned dairy in Victoria, plus brands like aPLUS milk, Little Big Dairy Co, and Great Ocean Road Dairy, all emphasizing local ownership and production to support Australian farmers and communities.
Australians call McDonald's "Macca's," a common nickname that became so popular the company embraced it, even changing some store signs to "Macca's" and using the term in advertising and their app. This fits the Australian habit of shortening names with an "-a" or "-o" suffix, like "barbie" for barbecue.
The word Bulla is of indigenous Australian origins meaning 'two'. It was first settled by William "Tulip" Wright, the former chief constable of Melbourne in 1843. In 1851 the village was surveyed.
Australian-owned ice cream brands include long-standing family businesses like Bulla, Norco, and Harry's Ice Cream, alongside popular names such as Everest, Golden North, and brands under the Peters (now owned by Froneri) umbrella like Maxibon and Drumstick, with many focusing on local ingredients and Australian-made production. Iconic brands like Streets (Paddle Pop, Gaytime) are Australian-founded but now part of global corporations like Unilever, though many of their products are still made locally.
Circle Limited (Golden Circle). The ultimate parent company of Heinz Australia is H. J. Heinz Company, an entity incorporated in the United States of America.
Avoiding temperature fluctuation is critical to egg safety. "A cold egg left out at room temperature can sweat, facilitating the growth of bacteria that could contaminate the egg," according to Australian Eggs. Refrigerated eggs should not be left out for more than two hours before cooking.
Minimum workplace temperature
Cooked food can only stay in the temperature danger zone for so long before it becomes unsafe to eat. Havern explains: "The maximum amount of time perishable foods can [spend] in the danger zone is two hours. At two hours, the food must be consumed, stored correctly, or thrown away.