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Set in the heart of Rock Oyster Country on the Yuin Nation, the Narooma Oyster Festival celebrates South Coast NSW oysters and the region’s slow food movement and produce, local and visiting chefs and the rich artistic and cultural talents of our people.
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4pm to 8.30pm
Picnic vibes and sunset skies! Join us for Rock Oysters, live music on the Club Narooma Main Stage and fireworks while the sun sets over Wagonga Inlet. Live tunes and performances from Benji and the Saltwater Sound System, Gretta Ziller, Sam Sly, Studio Blue Dance and Narooma High School. Try fantastic rock oysters and your favourite beverages from the Festival Oyster Bar or head to the Narooma Rocks Oyster Van for handpicked oysters and sparkling wine. This year, there will be more food trucks, stalls and projections by River of Art too! Leave the car at home, there’s a free shuttle bus round town.It’s a fantastic vibe that’s earned a reputation for being an unmissable night.
10am to 5.30pm – the BIG day!
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 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. Live music from Owen Campbell and the Cosmic People, Benji & the Saltwater SOund System, Tash Elouise, Sam Sly and Jazz Alley.
Plan to leave the car at home, there’s a free shuttle bus around Narooma and ticketed coaches operating between Bermagui and Batemans Bay.
9.30am to 12pm
Our inaugural breakfast – a Hangtown Fry!
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.
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.
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. Drinks available for purchase.
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. Read more here.
Proudly supported by Olsson’s Salts, the oldest family owned and operated sea salt maker in Australia.
This event does not include Saturday General Admission, please purchase this ticket separately.
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 goldfield, and so the Hangtown Fry was 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
For an elevated festival experience, book your place in the Rock Oyster Lounge. This adults-only Lounge has exclusive access to a hosted shucking station, a private bar to purchase drinks, 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.
Proudly supported by Southern Phone, one of the largest providers of fixed line, mobile and Internet communications services in regional Australia.
A transformative tasting experience showcasing some of the best oysters from the South Coast – Rock Oyster Country. Sessions run for 50 minutes.
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!
This event does not include Saturday General Admission, please purchase this ticket separately.
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 45 minutes and depart from the southern end of the festival, adjacent to The Inlet Takeaway.
This event does not include Saturday General Admission, please purchase this ticket separately.
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.