Grandvewe's Story...

Five years ago Diane Rae and her partner Alan Irish moved from Queensland to Tasmania to implement a "sea-change" after a life of high stress and responsibility. Alan had always had an interest in wine and was determined to buy a property that would suit a vineyard. Soon after the vineyard was planted, Diane decided that the land needed to be further utilised. After throwing ideas around as to which animal could graze the grass between the vines and possibly create a second income, dairy sheep were considered to be the best option.

Europeans have been milking sheep for centuries and for good reason. Sheep milk is very creamy and sweet. Sheep milk is also the closest animal milk to human, which means the body can digest it easily. People who are lactose intolerant can enjoy the milk, it reduces cholesterol and has double the calcium of cows milk. Having decided to milk sheep Diane attended Melbourne University to extend her knowledge of cheese making. Since then we have won numerous awards including 9 Gold Medals in prestigious dairy competitions, and a Trophy for "Best Organic Product" at the Tasmanian Fine Food Awards.

We milk 120 East Friesland ewes from lambing time in September until the following April. Each ewe gives an average of 1-2 litres of milk daily. We make over 13 different types of sheep cheese which are only available from the farm, specialist delicatessens and online. Visitors are always welcome at our farm, which is just off the Channel Highway, 3 kilometres south of Woodbridge.