There is something special about freshly shucked oyster, some say it’s the aphrodisiac nature of them, but I think it’s cause they just taste great. Our family used to grow Sydney Rock Oysters on the Hawkesbury River for many years so what else could I say?

Around Australia there basically three common oysters commercially available.

Sydney Rock Oysters 
The most popular being the Sydney rock oyster which is grown along the eastern seaboard in the temperate estuary waters from Victoria to Queensland. The Sydney rock oyster has a rich and creamy nature and are medium sized compared to other varieties and can be easily identified by the shell shape. Sydney rock oysters take about 4 years to grow to market size and are low in cholesterol and high in omega-3, calcium, iron and zinc. Not many people realise that recently the latin name of Sydney rock oysters was changed from Saccostrea commercialis to Saccostrea glomerata.

Pacific Oyster 
The Pacific Oyster which is sometime affectionately known as a Tasmanian Oyster or Tassie Oyster. These fast growing, large shelled oysters (Crassostrea gigas) were actually introduced to Australia from Japan in the 1940s and are now cultivated mainly in the deeper, cooler waters around Tasmania. Tasmania provides an excellent environment to grow oysters due to its pristine waters, which are fed by the cool, clean waters of the great southern ocean. Pacific Oysters have a firm textured, sweet, creamy and slightly salty flavour.

Native Oysters
The third oyster available in Australia is often referred to as the native flat oyster (Ostrea angasi) but is also sometimes called the mud oyster or flat oyster. Native oysters resemble the Belon Oyster, which was previously common in Europe. Native oysters have a reputation for their distinctive, full-bodied taste.

The majority of oysters available are now commercially farmed, however Aboriginals in coastal areas of Australia have been harvesting the native oysters for over 50,000 years. This is apparent by the number of middens located around the country. Midden sites are places where the debris from eating shellfish and other food has accumulated over time. More information on shell middens