Island Pure Sheep Dairy

Cygnet River, Kangaroo Island

Island Pure Sheep Dairy
Location: Gum Creek Road, Cygnet River
Opening hours: 1-5pm daily
Milking: (recommended) 3-5pm
Telephone: (08) 8553 9110

Island Pure Sheep Dairy was South Australia’s first sheep dairy and cheese factory when it opened at Cygnet River in 1992, and has become well-known for its range of high quality Mediterranean-style cheeses and yoghurt.

Visitors can catch a glimpse of life on a sheep dairy farm, learn about production and, more importantly, taste some of the products.

The lifestyle at Island Pure is close to perfect – particularly if you’re a sheep. Early each morning up to 400 ewes wander in to a purpose-built dairy for milking and are offered a breakfast of locally grown grain. Specialist milking equipment makes it comfortable for the girls who chew the cud before heading back out into the paddock. They graze along the banks of Gum Creek, sheltered by magnificent stands of gum trees, before the ritual is repeated again every afternoon.

It’s a stress-free, relaxing kind of life that produces some of the finest sheep cheese and yoghurt available anywhere in Australia. The entire range is handmade on site from 100 per cent sheep milk. Although each batch is unique with slight variations, attention to detail ensures all the produce is of the highest quality. Because Australia doesn’t have its own milking breed of sheep, Island Pure has embarked on a genetic selection program of its own to identify the best milk producers. It’s a long-term program that will help increase production.

Guided tours of the dairy are held every afternoon and milking starts at 3pm. Visitors can observe the sheep being milked, and are shown the factory and how the cheese and yogurt is made. Of course, the tour isn’t obligatory. Cheese and yoghurt lovers can head straight to the tasting room and shop.

Good Food Kangaroo Island is an industry group formed to encourage and support value adding producers and protect the integrity of the Island’s produce. Regional food groups have been established throughout South Australia and are actively working with producers to establish regional branding and long term relationships with major retailers seeking access to high quality, branded products.

Contact us for more information about produce, transport, reservations and tourist attractions.