Bodalla is home to two significant churches designed by two of the colony’s most famous nineteenth century architects.
The Bodalla Estate was established in 1860 by leading Sydney businessman Thomas Sutcliffe Mort (1816-1878) as his country estate. He had pioneered specialised wool auctions and pastoral finance, developed Mort’s dock, and pioneered frozen meat export.
Mort was ‘the father of Australian dairying’. In 1864, he changed Australian cheese production from a cottage industry into a factory system where, for the first time, milk from different sources was manipulated to produce a uniform quality cheese to rival English imports. Ideas developed here were taken up by dairy farmers elsewhere.
Bodalla’s village was initially on the river flats but floods in the 1860’s and 1870 prompted Mort to establish a new village on higher ground. The Bodalla Estate remained in the Mort family for over 100 years.
What to do:
Visit All Saints Anglican Church (built 1883 to 1902), a memorial to Thomas Mort and his first wife, Theresa
Visit the shingled Catholic Church (1886)
Visit Bodalla Dairy Shed to hear about Bodalla’s history
Walk the village, visiting the Bodalla Arms Hotel (1910), bakery (mid 1880’s) and Post Office (1899)
Due to current health advice on social distancing, please contact the business for the most up to date information regarding opening times and services.
