Welcome to our office... in beautiful Birds Bay, Tweed
Two generations of this oyster farming family work the River every day to bring the freshest of ‘Sydney Rocks’ to their guests – using their research, innovation, investment and hard work – to deliver produce straight from their Birds Bay farm to the kitchens at The Oyster Shed, just a stone’s throw away onshore.
Every tasty little oyster has a long salty tale to tell…
Fresh. Local. Sustainable.
Location... location...
Look out over the Tweed River and you’ll see our farm right there – less than a hundred metres from shore and just a stone’s from your table at The Oyster Shed. Our Birds Bay farm is located in a wide, sheltered inlet also known as the Terranora Broadwater and is one of just four leases permitted to operate in the River to cultivate the native Sydney Rock Oyster. We’re currently testing the suitability of the location for growing other species of oysters, too, such as the faster growing Pacific.
Small beginnings
From a fertilised egg, oysters start out as tiny as free swimming larvae. Farmers use a system of slats to ‘capture’ the larvae in the current – we collect ours in different locations. Once they’ve settled on a surface or substrate they are know as spat and grow slowly – which is why they are such a delicacy. We raise our oysters using a system of baskets strung on ‘tumbler lines’, to utilise the ebb and flow of the tides. Every oyster is washed, graded and replaced in the baskets several times during its growth cycle. Sydney Rock Oysters mature after about 3 years.
It's all about the River
The quality of our oysters is all about the health of our River. As primary producers the farmers here work together with local council to monitor water quality. Testing is performed constantly. Heavy rains can impact the salinity of the water and affect the hydration and health of the oysters. That’s why we occasionally cannot harvest our own and source oysters from our southern friends (and vice versa).
Fresh to you
After years of patience and hard work, we’re ready to harvest consistently from the farm – bringing in and serving up our own deliciously fresh oysters to the seafood lovers who dine with us. And that’s the secret to the best oysters – it’s always the freshness. We shuck onsite each weekend. Our Sydney Rock Oysters are creamy and tasty. They are smaller than their larger, paler cousins the Pacific Oysters, but are prized for their flavour and texture. Watch this space, though – we are trialling growing Pacifics as well. They grow more quickly and offer a ‘meatier’ morsel.
Choose either natural or dressed, but fresh is best.
