For years, we’ve driven by the small pier at Kangaroo Point near Brooklyn, on the way up to the Hunter Valley or beach breaks up in Port Stephens. But it took us years of living in Sydney to actually stop here, hop on a boat and have an incredible 90-minute tour of the Hawkesbury with about as many oysters as you can shuck.
Don’t know how? By the end of this tour, you’ll be a pro.
The oyster tour experience
We certainly lucked out with the weather the day of our tour; about 26 degrees and plenty of sun made for the perfect day on the Hawkesbury.
Starting at about 9:30am (but closer to 10am as the boat was late), the tour departs from Kangaroo Point wharf, where there’s parking available and a restaurant if you want to grab a pre-tour coffee.
Along with us, there were about 12-15 other oyster lovers joining the experience on the open-air boat. Bring suncream and a hat, especially during the summer months. If you’re a bit sensitive to the sun, keep in mind the boat isn’t covered and is fully exposed to the elements.
The three of us took a row mid-boat as we headed east toward the rail bridge and around toward Mud Point where the oysters are farmed.
Here, we moored up in the placid water and the onboard guide told us about how oysters are farmed. And, a lot of it seems to be luck of the draw and hoping the microscopic oyster babies catch onto the farm.
Before we started slowly making our way back to the wharf, tables were set up on board for us to take a stab (thankfully, not literally) at shucking oysters. With makeshift tablecloths made of oyster sacks, a pile of oysters on each table, and a knife each, we had a quick lesson on how to open them.
The first few weren’t easy and required a bit of help from the guides, but we very quickly got the hang of it. Plain, with a bit of lemon or with a mignonette, these were delicious. And they don’t get much fresher.
While we shucked and ate the oysters, along with a glass of wine or two (the experience is BYO), we slowly made our way back, pulling in just as we slurped down our final mollusk.
Where is it?
The tour with Sydney Oyster Tours departs from Kangaroo Point wharf near Brooklyn, which is just on the south side of the Hawkesbury River. If you’re coming from Sydney, you’ll actually need to cross over the bridge and turn around as there’s only a motorway exit on the south-bound side. If you’re coming down from the Central Coast or Newcastle, it’ll be the opposite case.
How long is it?
Our tour was about 90 minutes long.
How much is it?
There’s a few tours available, but we did the $99 option, which includes about 12 oysters. We didn’t count them as we ate them, but it felt like we had more!
How to book it
Visit the Sydney Oyster Tours website (https://www.sydneyoystertours.com/) and choose the tour you’d like to do. We did the $99, 90-minute trip but here’s the three you can choose from:
$99: Oyster Farm Tour
What you’ll get: Boat ride of the oyster farm, guide explaining how oysters are farmed, 12 shuck-your-own oysters, and a lesson on how to shuck oysters
$219: Immerse Yourself
What you’ll get: All of the above plus an additional six oysters, prawns, in-water oyster tasting with refreshments, waders to wear in the water
$345: Oyster Elegance
What you’ll get: All of the above, except instead of being in the water you’ll be on the beach and receive a gourmet seafood lunch
Other oyster farm tours in Sydney
FAQs about oyster experiences
Is the water rough?
Not at all. The entire tour takes place on the Hawkesbury, where the water is quite calm. It doesn’t go out to the ocean or headlands. There may be slight rocking if another boat passes by, but nothing major.
Consider taking a sea-sickness tablet or having some ginger beforehand.
Are oysters hard to shuck?
Surprisingly, they weren’t too bad! We were pretty scared of stabbing ourselves with the knife (especially when no gloves were provided). But, it turns out opening oysters really isn’t as touch as we imagined. We all left the boat injury-free.
More importantly, no oysters were left unopened.
How many people are on the tour with you?
We were a group of three, and there were probably around 12-15 other people on the boat with us. Although the boat was relatively small, it didn’t feel crowded.
Where else are there oyster farms in New South Wales?
The Hawksbury River is one of the closest places to Sydney where you can visit oyster farms. At less than an hour from the city, it’s a super convenient day trip. It’s less than an hour from the city! If you’re looking for a further getaway, you can head a bit further. Plenty of other farms are scattered along the New South Wales Coast.
Head south and visit Greenwell Point, Bateman’s Bay, Narooma and other coastal towns for incredibly affordable oysters. (Check out our recommended oyster road trip itinerary!) If you’d rather go north, there’s some along the Central Coast, near Port Stephens and Foster.
