Australia & New Zealand

Australia and New Zealand are the most recently settled major landmasses in the south-western Pacific Ocean. The first Europeans known to have landed were the Dutch in 1642 and the British in 1768-71. The influences of these countries are evident in Australia’s prolific Cheddar production and very good Gouda. A large proportion of Australia is desert or semi-arid land and not given to fertile soils; however, rainfall has slightly increased over the past century, with the south-east and southwest corners having a temperate climate. New Zealand’s climate corresponds closely to that of Italy in the Northern Hemisphere, but its isolation fr om continental influences and exposure to cold southerly winds and ocean currents give the climate a much milder character.