Found on the south coast of New South Wales, Narooma is an idyllic coastal town boasting azure waters, brilliant rock formations, and playful seals. It’s also one of the best places to grow, shuck and gobble up oysters – in particular, the rock oyster.
If you’re like us and love all things mollusks, you’ll be stoked to know Narooma hosts an annual festival of oysters – called the Narooma Oyster Festival. Bringing together growers, chefs and oysters lovers from all over New South Wales, this festival is an epic three-day celebration of the rock oyster, the region’s stellar produce and Narooma's pristine natural environment.
Over the past 16 years, the humble festival has grown from a small community shindig to cementing itself as southern NSW’s largest food and wine event. In fact, around 70,000 of these bad boys were shucked and devoured at the festival last year – and this year’s soirée is set to be bigger than ever. We can hear the Champagne bottles popping already.
The Narooma Oyster Festival will kick off on Friday, May 5 and will go to Sunday, May 7 – and the program is jam-packed full of salty fun. Think Australia’s oyster shucking championships; a Yuin native food exploration; a Champagne and oyster cruise; a Mexican-themed cocktail party with DJs and Margaritas; and crowning the country’s biggest oyster. Plus, you can sharpen your knife skills with a bunch of cooking demonstrations from top chefs like Colin Fassnidge and Courtney Roulston; dance to live music; and admire brilliant nighttime fireworks displays.
Tickets to the Narooma Oyster Festival start from $15 per person for general admission, which you can get here, with some experiences costing more.
It’s a five-hour drive to Narooma from Sydney, so we suggest taking a day or two of well-deserved annual leave and make the most of your time there. Snorkel with seals at Montague Island and spot penguins; catch a wave at Narooma Surf Beach; and hit up Quarterdeck Narooma for a Banana Daiquiri at sunset. Don’t drive? No problem, you can catch a train from Sydney to Bombaderry, and then ride a coach to Narooma.
