Placegetters at the 2026 Australian Oyster Shucking Championships (from left): Dom Poyton, Graeme Rush, Greg Carton, Zoe Jacobson, Sue McIntyre and Sally McLean. Photo: David Rogers Photography.
The crowds came out in force to join Narooma Oyster Festival’s celebration of the rock oyster at the weekend.
The packed program had plenty on offer for people of all ages, with live music, fireworks, performances by the Doonooch Dancers, and Guru Dudu’s Silent Disco Walking Tour, plus perennial festival favourites Australia’s Biggest Oyster, the shucking championships and Betta cooking demonstrations hosted by Courtney Roulston.
The Australian Oyster Shucking Championships always have the crowd on their feet cheering, with the results unpredictable. This year was no different, with the fastest shucker on the day being a female. Tasmania’s Zoe Jacobson will be the first female to represent Australia at the World Oyster Opening Championships in Galway, Ireland, in September.
She earned her place as Tasmania’s top competitive shucker at the Wooden Boat Festival in 2023. She learned her craft on Tasmania’s Pacific oysters, so has had to adapt to the quite different rock oysters. She had never placed in the Narooma competition before, but this year she won the Australian Female Oyster Shucking Championships plus the John Susman Medal for the best shucker.
Last year’s champion, Sally McLean of Jim Wild’s Oysters, claimed the silver prize and Sue McIntyre of Broadwater Oysters the bronze.
In the men’s competition, it was Graeme Rush’s first time taking out the championship, with last year’s champ, Greg Carton of Broadwater Oysters, clinching silver and Dom Poyton of Merimbula Gourmet Oysters earning bronze.
It was not just about speed, but also precision and presentation. This year, an amateur shucker from Canberra and a chef from Sydney entered the championships. They were no match for the professionals, whose knives flew at lightning speed.
Bernie Connell with Australia’s Biggest Oyster, Pride of the Clyde. Photo: Marion Williams.
Bernie Connell of Batemans Bay bagged the title for Australia’s biggest oyster for the fourth consecutive year, with his new entrant, Pride of the Clyde. The 12-year-old oyster weighed in at 2.65 kilograms. Mr Connell said patience and a flow of good water were his recipe for success.
The oldest oyster was 14-year-old Little Jim, entered by Sally McLean of Jim Wild’s Oysters. Little Jim was also the smallest, weighing just 1.40 kilograms. There was a considerable gap between Pride of the Clyde and second-placed Georgie, from the Yiannaros Family of Batemans Bay Oysters, which weighed 1.96 kilograms.
Sixth-generation oyster farmer Avia Norris of The Farm Gate on Wray Street and her entry, Finneas, are both 12 years old.
This year’s festival was officially opened by NSW Minister for Jobs and Tourism Stephen Kamper, accompanied by Member for Bega Dr Michael Holland.
“Events like this bring people into the region to visit,” Mr Kamper said.
The festival is a fabulous opportunity for local growers and makers to showcase their produce to a broad audience. Each year it draws around 10,000 people, who account for 70,000 oysters during the festival. In 2025, it delivered a record $4.7 million boost to the regional economy and created the equivalent of 23 full-time jobs. It is driven by a team of about 100 volunteers and a dedicated volunteer board of directors.
Brock Tutt teaching some elements of the Kangaroo Dance to youngsters. Photo: Marion Williams.
Walbunja man Brock Tutt gave the Welcome to Country and joined the Doonooch Dancers from Nowra to perform several dances. For the last two, the Doonooch Dancers invited members of the public to join them. Narooma High School’s bush-tucker offering was sold out within two or three hours, as has been the case for the past two years or so.
In Oyster Farmers Alley, people could sample oysters from the Shoalhaven (Jim Wild’s Oysters of Greenwell Point) to as far south as Wonboyn Lake (East 33). There was also a huge range of wines, beers and spirits, including native craft gins and vodkas from Dharawal Distilling Co from around the Wollongong area. Community groups including the Narooma Men’s Shed, the Animal Welfare League and the Fungi Feastival had stalls, as did groups from Transport for NSW and the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service.
In keeping with that community spirit, 50 per cent of the ticket sales from Narooma’s Biggest Breakfast on 3 May (Sunday) will be donated to Narooma Rotary Club, Bodalla Public School, Central Tilba Public School, Deadly Runners, Narooma Devils Junior Rugby League Football Club and Sea Stars Drama.
