![4](https://qlivingmagazine.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/4-1-scaled.jpg)
![3](https://qlivingmagazine.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/3-1-scaled-e1698199211160.jpg)
Located on the banks of the beautiful Clyde River at Batemans Bay, The Oyster Shed is a “farm gate” for fresh oysters sold direct to the public. If you are an oyster enthusiast then this establishment is an absolute must-see for you!
The Oyster Shed boasts incredible views of the Clyde River where you can look upon the various oyster catchments while enjoying deliciously fresh oysters that have been brought in that very same day. The Oyster Shed strives to continually deliver fresh oysters, often harvesting several times a day. The oysters are grown in the pristine waters of the Clyde River surrounded by lush national parks.
Dedicated Oyster Shed owner Jade Norris (pictured left) explains that The Oyster Shed team do the entire oyster farming process for their Sydney Rock Oysters. This is done by catching the oyster spawn on plastic slats and using a floating basket system as the oyster ages.
The oysters are handled every four to five weeks for two to four years; depending on environmental impacts. The large Pacific Oysters, however, are first grown in a nursery system at an oyster spat in Tasmania before they are introduced into The Oyster Shed’s leases. Jade explains that The Shed will sell approximately 73,000 dozen Sydney Rock Oysters a year and 3000 to 4000 dozen Pacific Oysters per year.
Each year, The Oyster Shed team look forward to participating in the Narooma Oyster Festival. The Festival celebrates all things Oysters with over 60,000 oysters consumed in sixteen hours. Oyster Alley has oyster farmers from eight different estuaries, giving people the opportunity to taste the different flavor profiles from each.
There is always a vast abundance of entertainment to keep attendees occupied, whether it be the cooking demonstrations or the always entertaining ‘oyster shucking’ and ‘largest oyster’ competitions. Even if you are not a seafood lover there is something for everyone to enjoy. Jade expresses that her favorite part of the festival is “catching up with all the farmers from the other estuaries and of course the shucking comp”.What Jade loves most about her job at The Oyster Shed is the fact that she gets to work on the most beautiful river system each day in a business that has proudly been in her family for four generations. She loves that her job is varied each day and no day is the same as the next.
The Oyster Shed and the adjacent Farm Gate Café offer a variety of delicious treats. These include cooked oysters, seafood pies, coffee, cakes, prawns and, of course, the infamous freshly harvested oysters! The oysters are sold either opened for immediate enjoyment or un-opened for extended shelf-life or for those who enjoy that extra freshness. Not only does The Oyster Shed offer farm fresh oysters, the view of the surrounding area, including The Clyde River, is simply spectacular.
Jade’s absolute favorite way to eat oysters is “straight out of the water from the leases and freshly opened so that the oyster still has the natural liquor inside, exploding with that beautiful, creamy oceanic flavor”.
The Oyster Shed is a dream come true for any oyster lover visiting the Batemans Bay area and boasts many unique qualities. After all, what could be better than sitting by the gorgeous banks of the Clyde River enjoying freshly shucked oysters that have been harvested each morning from less than 200 meters away?
![7](https://qlivingmagazine.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/7-scaled.jpg)