Shuckers for an Oyster or Two

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^{Celebrity chef Colin Fassnidge and 2023 Perfect Plate ambassador Courtney Roulston in action on the Club Narooma Main Stage hosting a live cooking demonstration.}

Club Narooma was once again a major sponsor of the annual Narooma Oyster Festival — now in its 15^th year — which took place on the first weekend of May in the sunny far south coast town.

“We’ve been major sponsors for at least five years now, and we’ve had the Main Stage for at least three of them. It’s a huge event here and it really brings in a different type of visitor that we don’t get during summer,” said Club Narooma Marketing Manager Kim Harris.

This year’s festival attracted a record-breaking crowd who were eager to try the best produce that the Eurobodalla Shire has to offer and watch some of Australia’s best chefs — including 2023 Your Local Club Perfect Plate Awards ambassador Courtney Roulston — in action on the Club Narooma Main Stage hosting live cooking demonstrations.

The Club’s Main Stage was also home to the Oyster Shucking Championships which saw a tie in the men's final leading to a high-voltage shuck-off between Gerard Doody Dennis and his mentor Jim Yiannaros of Batemans Bay Oysters. Gerard edged in front of Jim, with a final time score of 2:49 minutes to shuck 30 oysters over Jim's 2:54 minutes to shuck 30 oysters.

Despite an injured shoulder, Sally McLean of Jim Wild's Oysters defended her title to take home the trophy for the women’s competition with a time score of 2:54 minutes to shuck 30 oysters.

The Australia’s Biggest Oyster Competition was also held on the Main Stage, which saw a whopping 2.74-kilogram oyster take out the top spot.

On the Sunday morning, the Club hosted 150 people for the popular ‘Hangtown Fry’ — a combination of crumbed oysters and bacon inside a soft pillow of fluffy eggs, washed down with a Bloody Mary oyster shot.

“They loved it. We get some real foodies coming to town and this is what they are here for,” Kim said, adding that most of the crowd stuck around at the Club for lunch that afternoon enjoying the live music.

The Club was fully booked on both he Friday and Saturday night for dinner with festival-goers enjoying fireworks and other live entertainment.

“The festival is great for the local economy and gives us one last boost of tourism before we go into winter and it’s too cold on the coast to visit,” Kim said.