Overview
Imagine a place where cheese reigns supreme, other than in your own kitchen. Imagine more than 100 different varieties on offer for the tasting. Imagine being able to sample whatever you liked from this dairy feast, too. And, picture just buying one ticket to devour all the cheddar, brie, camembert, raclette and whichever other cheeses take your fancy.
Is this the real life? It isn't just a cheesy fantasy at Australian dairy festival Mould, which started making cheese-loving dreams come true in 2017. In 2024, it's not only returning — it's back for its biggest festivals yet, including adding a fifth city to its stops. As well as hitting up Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney and Perth, the event is heading to Adelaide as well.
If you're a cheese fiend, then you'll know that there's only one suitable way to tuck into the beloved dairy product: all the time, or at least as much as possible. As presented by Revel — who are also the organisers of Pinot Palooza — that's an idea that Mould not only understands but encourages, celebrating the mild, hard and soft bites made by Australia's best cheese wizards. When it does so again this year, it'll serve up its cheese slices and bites from May–August.
Running for either two or three days in each city, Mould will kick off in Brisbane in May as it has in past years, then travel to Melbourne in early June, plus Sydney at the end of July. As for Adelaide and Perth, they're both getting a Mould x Pinot Palooza combo — because cheese and wine are a fine pairing — with the fest arriving in South Australia in June and Western Australia in August.
There won't just be a few cheeses on the menu at each stop. More than 100 artisan cheeses from around the country will be ready and waiting, spanning dairy from around 27 producers. In past years, that lineup has included Bruny Island Cheese Co, Grandvewe, Milawa Cheese, Yarra Valley Dairy and Stone & Crow, as well as Section 28, Red Cow Organics, Nimbin Valley Cheese, Dreaming Goat, Long Paddock Cheese and Second Mouse Cheese.
Alongside unlimited tastings of Australia's best cheeses — snacking on samples is included in your ticket, but you'll then pay extra to purchase slices and slabs to take home with you — the fest features cooking demonstrations, masterclasses and talks. Courtesy of 2024's The Grate Cheese Commission, a range of cheeses created solely for the fest will also tempt your tastebuds. This year's events will include more of the foodstuffs that pair extremely well with cheese, too, such as olives, crackers and conserves.
It wouldn't be a cheese festival without beverages to wash it all down with, so expect a bar serving Aussie wines, whisky, vodka, gin, beer, cider, cocktails and sake, all of which match nicely to a bit of cheese. Archie Rose and Hartshorn will be among the tipples featured.
Unsurprisingly, Mould is mighty popular. In 2023, attendees tucked into a one million samples across three cities, and also took home over 8.5-tonnes of Aussie dairy products. So, if this the kind of event that your cheese dreams are made of, you'll want to nab an early-bird ticket ASAP.
Mould — A Cheese Festival 2024 Dates:
Friday, May 24–Sunday, May 26 — Mould Brisbane, John Reid Pavilion, Brisbane Showgrounds
Friday, June 7–Saturday, June 8 — Mould x Pinot Palooza Adelaide, Queens Theatre, Adelaide
Friday, June 28–Saturday, June 29 — Mould Melbourne, Royal Exhibition Building, Carlton
Friday, July 26–Sunday, July 28 — Mould Sydney, Carriageworks, Eveleigh
Friday, August 9–Sunday, August 11 — Mould x Pinot Palooza Perth, Centenary Pavilion, Claremont Showgrounds
Mould — A Cheese Festival tours Australia from May 2024. For more information or to buy tickets, head to the event's website.