Photo: - Peter Ellis - Talk / CC BY-SA 3.0
Bodalla is a quiet, historic village on the NSW South Coast, best known as the home of the famous Bodalla Dairy and its award-winning cheeses. Surrounded by rolling green hills, dairy farms, and the Eurobodalla National Park, it offers a relaxed rural escape with a strong foodie focus. The main street is dotted with heritage buildings, a couple of good cafes, and the iconic cheese shop where you can sample and buy directly. For travellers driving between Sydney and Melbourne along the Princes Highway, Bodalla makes a perfect short stop or a base for exploring the nearby beaches and forests.
Highlights & What to See
- Bodalla Dairy Shed – The town's star attraction: a working dairy farm with a shop, café, and gelato bar. Try the halloumi, vintage cheddar, and the famous salted caramel gelato. You can also watch the cows being milked in the afternoon.
- Eurobodalla National Park – Just east of town, this park protects beautiful coastal lagoons, beaches, and forest. Drive to Congo Point for a picnic with views over Congo Beach, or walk the Bingie Dreaming Track.
- Bodalla Historic Walk – A self-guided walk past 19th-century buildings including St John's Anglican Church (with its unusual bell tower), the old post office, and the courthouse. Pick up a map from the cheese shop.
- Tuross Head – A 15-minute drive south, this coastal village has a stunning headland walk, a safe swimming beach, and the Tuross Lake for kayaking and fishing.
- Potato Point – A remote, unpatrolled beach popular with surfers and beachcombers. Access via a dirt road from the Princes Highway.
Suggested Time to Spend
Most visitors spend 1–2 hours in Bodalla itself: enough time to browse the dairy shed, grab a coffee and a cheese platter, and do the historic walk. If you plan to explore the national park or nearby beaches, budget a half-day or combine Bodalla with a stop at Narooma or Dalmeny. It works well as a lunch break on a Sydney–Melbourne road trip or as a quiet overnight stop to break the journey.
Nearby Areas Worth Combining
- Narooma – 20 minutes south, with the iconic Australia Rock, Montague Island tours, and excellent seafood.
- Dalmeny – A relaxed beachside suburb with a long surf beach and a golf course.
- Moruya – 15 minutes north, a historic riverside town with a great farmers market on Saturday mornings.
- Batemans Bay – 40 minutes north, the gateway to the Eurobodalla region, with oyster leases and family-friendly beaches.
- Tuross Head – As above, a scenic coastal village with a headland walk and lake activities.
Please check official sources for current details.
Note: opening hours, prices and booking requirements change often — please check official sources for current details.
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Image credits
- Narooma — No machine-readable author provided. Matilda assumed (based on copyright claims). / CC BY-SA 2.5
- Dalmeny — jo.elphick / CC CC0 1.0
- Moruya — Maksym Kozlenko (Мак… / CC BY 3.0
- Batemans Bay — MrMosely / CC0
- Tuross Head — Leiparker / CC BY-SA 3.0
- Eurobodalla National Park — Pete from NSW Far South Coast, Australia / CC BY 2.0