Behind The Story: Cameron's Oysters
Off one boat and onto another, it was a very fishy Monday on our first day of the Appetite for Excellence Tasmanian produce tour. Leaving Huon Aquaculture and its tasty salmon and cute seals, we headed across to Cameron's Oysters. It was still bloody cold but at least my toes had finally thawed. All day long I found myself leaning toward patches of sunlight like a weakened plant.
This was the story I wrote about Cameron's oyster farm.
Cameron's is one of the biggest and most established family-owned oyster farms in the country, partly because they were pretty savvy back in the 70's and started a hatchery alongside the farm. Today half of all oysters produced in Australia come from spats (baby oysters) in their hatchery. I'm talking millions of oysters.
We must have seen thousands during our tour there, loaded in crates pulled up straight out of the water and onto an old metal pulley to be cleaned and checked. They were the biggest oysters I've ever seen. And absolutely delicious.
The great thing about these oysters is the pristine conditions in which they grow. Tasmanian rivers must be some of the cleanest in the world. And though plagued by bushfires last summer, Tasmanian farms have escaped the devastating oyster virus that has swept through the Hawkesbury River farms in NSW.
If you are an oyster fan (as of course I am) you'd be pretty excited to visit an oyster farm like this. And excited about eating these beauties which were plump, creamy and remarkably salty for a freshwater animal. But then I've never eaten any that were literally pulled out of the water only minutes before. Mmmm.
About the author: Lilani Goonesena is an Australian freelance writer, Squarespace web designer and blogger currently living in Vientiane, Laos. She is passionate about helping freelancers and small businesses get online with web design and content, blogging and her awesome weekly newsletter on digital marketing, social media, content, SEO, web design and "all that online stuff". She also writes food and travel articles for businesses and magazines, and blogs at the delectable Eat Drink Laos, just for fun.