Event description
Join growers, chefs and shuckers to celebrate the marvellous oyster on the shores of Wagonga Inlet on Yuin Country – land of clear, blue water.
Discover the merrior of NSW estuaries in Oyster Farmer's Alley, taste sustainable South Coast produce & sip celebrated beers, wines and spirits.
Cheer on the fastest shuckers in Australia's Oyster Shucking Championships & when you see Australia's Biggest Oyster you won't believe how big an oyster can grow!
This award winning festival combines cosmopolitan food experiences with family entertainment, music across two stages, Yuin Culture, markets & arts in the heart of Rock Oyster Country, just 4.5 hours drive from Sydney & three hours drive from Canberra.
It's Australia's premier oyster festival!
Catch a Coach to the festival gate $10 each way
Batemans Bay | Broulee | Moruya | Tuross Heads | Bodalla | Bermagui | Cobargo | Tilba
*Free shuttle bus around town on Friday and Saturday!
Friday Night Festival Warm Up
Oyster Bar | Music | Food Stalls | Fireworks | $15
Friday, May 5 | 4pm to 8.30pm
Picnic vibes and sunset skies! Use the free shuttle bus and join us for Rock Oysters, live music on the Club Narooma Main Stage and fireworks while the sun sets over Wagonga Inlet. Try fantastic rock oysters and your favourite beverages from the Festival Oyster Bar or elevate your experience at the Narooma Rocks Oyster Van with handpicked oysters and sparkling wine. This year, there will be more food trucks, stalls and projections by River of Art too! It’s a fantastic vibe that’s earned a reputation for being an unmissable night!
Saturday - The BIG day
Oysters | Markets | Cooking Program | Shucking | Music | $30
Saturday, May 6 | 10am to 5.30pm
A huge day of tastings, fierce competition and exploring the foreshore. Pack a picnic blanket and leave room for market treats! Explore Oyster Farmer's Alley to taste from all the estuaries see Australia’s Biggest Oyster and the cheer on the farmers in Australia's Shucking Championships. Courtney Roulston returns to host the Betta Cooking Demonstration program with local, regional and celebrated chefs. Share space in the Yuin Bunaan and play in the reimagined Narooma Plaza Kids Zone. Plan to leave the car at home, there’s a free shuttle bus around Narooma and ticketed coaches operating between Bermagui and Batemans Bay. Catch live tunes all day on the Club Narooma Main Stage. Free for accompanied children under 16.
PREMIUM EXPERIENCES
Yuin Native Food Exploration
Friday, May 5 | 5.30pm to 8.30pm | $140 inc General Admission
An immersive celebration of Yuin culture through native foods, yarns, song and dance - a festival first! Join us in the Yuin Bunaan tipi for an Indigenous food journey, that is exploratory, transformative and celebratory. In this cocktail style gathering, taste contemporary food fusions that showcase Indigenous ingredients like lemon myrtle, strawberry gum, native ginger, saltbush and lilly pilly, paired with blackfish, pork and chicken. Hear the songs and stories behind the harvest and leave with a deeper appreciation of the ancient ways of Yuin Country’s First People. Drinks available for purchase at the bar. Menu and service by Indigenous caterers Dwayne and Amelia of Miritya Mundya, which means Hungry Blackfish in the Ngarrigu language group of South Eastern Australia.
Southern Phone Rock Oyster Lounge
Saturday, May 6 | 11am to 4pm | $140 inc General Admission
For an elevated festival experience, book your place in the Rock Oyster Lounge. The Lounge has exclusive access to a hosted shucking station, a private bar to purchase drinks and amenities and a live stream of the cooking demonstrations. Enjoy a complimentary drink and roaming canapes while festival stars drop by to say hi and Narooma local and Australian Idol contestant Jakob Poyner serenades you with rich bass-baritone tunes. The Lounge is also close to the action with indoor and outdoor seating and device recharging - it's the ultimate way to rest and refresh in-between festival experiences.
Salty Festival Fiesta, by Olsson's
Saturday, May 6 | 5.30pm to 8.30pm | $100
So you don't want the festival to end? Kick on at the Salty Festival Fiesta, presented by Olsson's. Set by the briny Wagonga Inlet, it's a fun and bright cocktail party to farewell the festival for 2023 and one of Australia's first opportunities to try Olsson’s Salt’s new range of margarita salts! Share your festival adventures by the fire, graze on fabulous eats and treat yourself to incredible cocktails from the bar (including a complimentary drink on arrival). Then when you're ready to rhumba take the party to the dance floor as the DJ spins their tunes. Proudly supported by Olsson’s Salts, the oldest family owned and operated sea salt maker in Australia.
Hangtown Fry at Club Narooma
Sunday, May 7 | 9.30am to 12 noon | $25
Start the day right with a hearty Hangtown Fry at Club Narooma, our inaugural Sunday breakfast! A dish born on the Californian Goldfields, the Hangtown Fry combines crumbed oysters and bacon inside a soft pillow of fluffy eggs. These were expensive ingredients to buy and transport to the goldfields, and so the Hangtown Fry was a dish usually reserved for the rich and for the condemned, who often chose it for their last meal. Settle in on the lawns or inside with a reviving beverage and fill your belly, there will also be live tunes and full club facilities.
Ultimate Oyster Experience
Saturday, May 6 | 3 sittings | 10.30am to 2.15pm | $120
A transformative tasting experience showcasing some of the best oysters from the South Coast - Rock Oyster Country.
It's a rare opportunity to be guided by John Susman, Sydney Royal Aquaculture chair of judges and one of Australia's best seafood authorities. John will be joined by a celebrated oyster grower as you explore three species of oysters from different estuaries, before unpacking the merrior associated with their unique environments. No tasting is complete without a pairing, and you will also receive a glass of sparkling wine on arrival with matched wine or craft beer included with each tasting. By the end you’ll be an expert in oyster gastronomy and understand the importance of shucking your own oysters - we believe it's a life skill! Sessions run for 50 minutes.
Champagne and Oyster Cruises
Saturday, May 6 | 5 cruises | 10.30am to 4.15pm | $85
Cruise the inlet from the festival fringe, with bubbles, beer and rock oysters! Wagonga Inlet is home to some of the world’s best rock oysters. Glide by the oyster leases while you delight in freshly shucked rock oysters and sip on champagne or a craft beer. Learn more about the world of oysters from a local farmer, and experience the natural features of this stunning inlet. The Wagonga Princess was built in 1905 of Huon Pine and sports whisper quiet solar electric engines. Cruises run for 50 minutes and depart from the southern end of the festival, adjacent to The Inlet Takeaway.
Whale Coast Realty Long Table Dinner - GOES ROGUE!
Friday, May 5 | 5.30pm to 8.30pm | $220 inc General Admission
The Long Table Dinner is going rogue this year! 2023 will see a more relaxed, yet still polished, twilight feast that celebrates the fine seafood and produce from our region. Get ready to roll up your sleeves for a sharabration of premium oysters, fresh local and regional produce and low and slow cooking. This experience includes freshly shucked Appellation rock oysters and canapés followed by a sumptuous informal long table dinner with matched NSW wines and craft beer. Finish the night by enjoying the fireworks on the lawn. All food and drinks included. Proudly supported by Whale Coast Realty, an independent boutique real estate and holiday accommodation agency.
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