Newby from Australia.

[Divey]

Hi all,

I'm from Sydney, Australia and my name is Lindsay.

I was making cheese about three years ago and stopped because of varying degrees of success but have decided to pick up the ball and run with it again.

I am also a very keen craftbrewer.

Thanks for your time.

[Tea]

Good evening Lindsay and welcome to the forum.  I too am from Australia, but from the hot and humid north.  So what cheeses have you tried so far, and what troubles were you experiencing?   I also make my own mead.

[Divey]

I have made several batches of Camemberts and a couple of blues. I noticed even though I was very fussy with time and temperatures the cheeses were vastly different. It was then that I discovered that our Milk Processing folks are allowed to use a 'filler' in their products named Permeate. That's when I stopped.
Only recently I noticed one particular supermarket selling milk labeled with the words 'No Additives', that's when I though I would give it another go.

[Tea]

Up here I am able to get milk from a company called Mungally and the milk is not homogenized and comes from the Atherton Tablelands, and is so far the best milk that I have been able to get, apart from raw milk.   You definately need to source a good supply of quality milk, as it will make all the difference to the yield and quality of your cheese.

[Divey]

Tea, I fully understand what you're saying, however, things a little different in the big smoke. I have to pay $5.05 for every two litre container that I buy. And when you do 10 litre batches that rips into the money a tad.

I have a friend who has a Poll Hereford Stud in the Hunter Valley and he is surrounded by dairy farmers. I visit him from time to time and spend a weekend there quite often. I have asked him to inquire with the dairy farmers if I can buy 20 or 30 litres of raw milk when I'm due to travel home. I have a cool room at home so I don't have a problem with storage.
I'm waiting for a reply.

[Tea]

Yep I pay $5 too for my milk.     If you do get a farmer to sell you some, just make sure that you don't blab.  It's illegal for them to sell milk privately and they can loose their license.

[Divey]

Yep I pay $5 too for my milk.     If you do get a farmer to sell you some, just make sure that you don't blab.  It's illegal for them to sell milk privately and they can loose their license.

Wooah, that's something I was unaware of.

[DeejayDebi]

Welcome aborad Divey! Great forums and wonderful people here ready to come to your aid! Just ask and you will get many answers.

[Cheese Head]

Howdy Divey and welcome, several Ozzie's here already none yet from WA I think.

AUD is strong but still ouch on your milk prices!!

John

[Divey]

Howdy Divey and welcome, several Ozzie's here already none yet from WA I think.

AUD is strong but still ouch on your milk prices!!

John

Where are you from? and, what prices do you pay for your milk?

[Cheese Head]

Divey, also known yet from Tasmania!

I'm mostly from Vancouver Canada but live in Houston, TX, USA.

I can't get raw milk but there's a good thread here on manufactured Past & Homogenized milk prices. I'm currently paying USD1.99 for 1 US Gallon/3.8 liters or whole cow's milk, or AUD2.24 > USD0.52/liter - AUD0.59/liter.

[DeejayDebi]

I'm going to have to rent a moving van and go to Texas to buy milk! Even WalMart here gets almost $4/gal for their UHT milk and we can't even use that.