Will it be the World's Heaviest Oyster?
Australia’s Biggest Oyster is a pet parade, but for giant oysters! The competition was launched in 2019, after we attempted to enter the Guinness Book of Records with what we thought was the World’s Biggest Oyster. It turned out out the way we measure ‘big’ was different to theirs – we go by weight, whereas the world record is set by length. Our current record is held by ‘Jill’ a 2.74kg whopper grown by champion Bernie Connell in the Clyde River at Batemans Bay.
This festival favourite shines a light on the Pacific Oyster, a species that can grow to weigh several kilograms and live for up to a decade!
Dr Kate LeBars from Montague Vets ensures each oyster is clean and healthy before it is weighed. If there is a tie (which happened in 2022), out comes the measuring tape to see who has the longest shell. After the winner is crowned, you can meet the farmers and see the oysters up close.
This event is proudly supported by Australia’s Oyster Coast, Australia’s largest producer of Sydney Rock Oysters.
2024 Champions
| Rank | Oyster | Contestant | Location | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jill | Bernie & Sharryn Connell | Clyde River | 3.01kg |
| 2 | Big Boppa | Bernie & Sharryn Connell | Clyde River | 2.44kg |
| 3 | Keithy | Steven Connell | Lennoc Oysters, Clyde River | 2.40kg |
| 4 | Nick | John & Jim Yiannaros | Batemans Bay Oysters | 2.18kg |
| 4 | Georgie | John & Jim Yiannaros | Batemans Bay Oysters | 2.18kg |
| 5 | Aunty Raelene | Kirk Hargreaves | Oysters on the Clyde | 2.09kg |
| 6 | Aphrodite | Avia Norris & Ben Ralston | Ralston Bros, Clyde River | 1.75kg |
| 7 | Finneas | Avia Norris & Ben Ralston | Ralston Bros, Clyde River | 1.69kg |
| 8 | Banga | Waite Derwent | Australia's Oyster Coast | 1.65kg |
| 9 | Little Jim III | Sally McLean | Jim Wild's Oysters, Greenwell Point Shoalhaven | 1.50kg |
| 10 | Dazza | Leon & Angela Riepsamen | Goodnight Oysters, Greenwell Point, Shoahaven | 0.93kg |
2024 Entrants
Bernie & Sharyn Connell with ‘Big Boppa’ & ‘Jill’ from Clyde River, Batemans Bay
Leon and Angela Riepsamen from Goodnight Oysters, Greenwell Point
Ben Ralston, Ralston Bros and Avia Norris with Finneas and Aphrodite
John Yiannaros with Georgie, from Batemans Bay Oysters
Waite Derwent, with Banga from Australia’s Oyster Coast
Jim Yiannaros with Nik, from Batemans Bay Oysters
Steven Connell with Keithy, from Lennoc Oysters, Clyde River.
Sally McLean with Jim III from Jim Wild’s Oysters, Greenwell Point Shoalhaven.
Kirk Hargreaves with Aunty Raelene from Oysters on the Clyde at Batemans Bay.
Previous Champions
2023
| 1 | Jill | Bernie Connell | Bernie Connell, Clyde River | 2.74kg |
| 2 | The Big Bwana | Benny Mac | Bernie Connell, Clyde River | 2.35kg |
| 3 | Nick Kagiassis | Batemans Bay Oysters, Clyde River | 2.02kg | |
| 4 | Georgie | John Yiannaros | Batemans Bay Oysters, Clyde River | 2.17kg |
| 5 | Finneas | Avia Norris | Farm Gate on Wray Street, Clyde River | 1.75kg |
| 6 | Aphrodite | Jade Norris | Farm Gate on Wray Street, Clyde River | 1.75kg |
| 7 | Banga | Waite Derwent | Australia’s Oyster Coast, Greenwell Point | 1.58kg |
| 8 | Little Jim III | Sally McLean | Jim Wild’s Oysters, Greenwell Point | 1.45kg |
2022
In 2022, Australia’s Biggest Oyster was a close call after two grandes came in at exactly the same weight – 2.71 kilograms.
Out came the measuring tape, with ‘Uncle Ray’ by Clyde River farmer Kirk Hargreaves winning with one centimetre over Bernie Connell’s ‘Jill’.
2021
| 1 | Jack | Bernie Connell | Bernie Connell, Clyde River | 2.71kg |
| 2 | Uncle Ray | Kirk Hargreaves | Clyde River | 2.33kg |
| 3 | Georgie | Vlasia Yianarros | Batemans Bay Oysters, Clyde River | 1.89kg |
| 4 | Little Jim | Sally McLean | Jim Wild’s Oysters, Shoalhaven | 1.32kg |
2019
Five-year-old Pacific oyster ‘Hagrid’ from the Clyde River won in 2019. ‘Hagrid’ weighed in at 2.25kg, and was grown by Martin Jackson of Southern Oyster Culture.
Hagrid pipped 2018 international celebrity winner ‘Jack’ who weighed 2.18kg. Owner Bernie Connell said ‘Jack’ had spawned in the last week or so following pre-festival media attention, and lost several hundred grammes in the process
Proudly supported by Australia's Oyster Coast
