Days Out: Kenilworth
Lil Kahl, Therese Skuthorpe and Margaret Beaufoy tasting a selection of cheeses and yoghurts in Kenilworth
The Rainbow Beach Over 60s tell us about their visit to the Kenilworth cheese factory….
The morning of our venture didn’t look very promising with heavy rain and a dark overcast sky all the way to Gympie. Luckily for the remainder of the journey, bad weather held off long enough for us to enjoy the scenic drive through the lush green Mary Valley.
Kenilworth is a small township in the upper Mary Valley about a 50 minute drive from Gympie with dairy farming as the major industry. In 1950, the Kenilworth Cheese Factory was established by the Kraft Corporation but the decision in 1980 to close the factory put a large amount of employees out of work.
A number of years following the closure, workers came up with the idea of buying the factory. In due course, it reopened in 1990 under the name of Kenilworth Food Pty Ltd.
June 2017 saw the latest change when the Cochrane family, sixth generation farmers, bought the factory and it is now known as Kenilworth Dairies.
These historical events were conveyed to us by a lovely employee along with her knowledge of cheese making. Our group went on to taste the large variety of gourmet cheeses, yoghurts and ice creams and of course who could resist buying some of the tasty goodies!
The town which retains a 1920’s atmosphere and after a stroll through a surprising range of shops and eateries, we worked up an appetite for a light lunch.
At Nanna McGinn’s Coffee Shop, the cheerful waitress was very accommodating in rearranging the seating. She took our orders in an efficient manner and served our tasty lunches with a smile.
For the journey home we decided on a different route making it a round trip home to Rainbow Beach. All in all a very enjoyable day.
Our next meeting is as usual first Tuesday of the month at the Surf Club. See you there!
