The dress code for this dining experience is one I’ve never encountered before. As I join a boatload of people giggling and squawking as we don khaki chest waders attached to knee-high gumboots, the comical attire sets the ebullient tone as we step into the shallows of the Hawkesbury River, before wading awkwardly across to a row of submerged tables draped with white tablecloths and heaped with oysters and jumbo prawns on ice.

This classy ‘in-water restaurant’ is the setting for Sydney Oyster Farm Tours’ ‘Immerse Yourself’ activity, a half-day oyster dining experience that’s become popular with celebrating couples, as a gift for special occasions and amongst corporate groups, as well as one of the most Instagrammable moments for social media influencers.

For Sydney Oyster Farm co-owner Sheridan Beaumont, this new tourism venture – introduced just prior to Covid lockdowns but firmly established in the past two years – has totally transformed her family’s farming business, literally saving it from the brink and providing financial stability in a notoriously fickle aquaculture enterprise.

“I expected it to be just a little side hustle, I never expected it to get as big as it did – not that I’m complaining!” Sheridan says. “Now, the tourism is totally supporting the farm. It pays for all of the workers helping Dad [on the oyster leases], it pays for the fuel – it’s transformed everything.”

A family business

With 17 leases on the Hawkesbury River, Sydney Oyster Farm has been supplying fresh oysters to the Sydney Market since 2006, with the love of oysters and life on the water running firmly through third-generation farmer Sheridan’s veins.

“My grandfather was a hobby farmer on the Hawkesbury in the 1950s, but it wasn’t a commercial business,” Sheridan says. “But because my dad grew up in that environment, he always had this romanticism attached to farming.”

When an opportunity arose in 2006 for the family to take over a struggling oyster farm impacted by QX disease (caused by a single-cell parasite that attacks Sydney Rock Oysters), she and her brother Jason earned their share by working alongside their father, learning the aquafarming business from the water up.

Oysters are a sensitive crop, however, vulnerable to impacts of pollution, predators, disease and climate change. During a forced pause in trading in 2013 due to a fatal Pacific Oyster Mortality Syndrome (POMS) outbreak, Sheridan decided to follow her other dream of becoming a doctor, embarking on her third degree at medical school.

Then came children – three in rapid succession, with twins followed by another baby 15 months later, before a fourth born in December 2022. Juggling her family commitments and passions with the tenacity of a superhero, the young mother, medical student and oyster farmer had a lightbulb moment in 2019, deciding to add a tourism element to her already impressive portfolio.

“I hosted my first tour in second-year med school, a special event for Talisker Whisky,” Sheridan says. “They gave me all of their photos and videos after the event, and I literally that night went back and made a website – it was so easy, it only took an hour or two and it looked really professional.”

Inspiration from adversity

But what started as a buffer to the variables of farming soon proved to have its own challenges, with a series of unrelated setbacks adding to Sheridan’s already over-stretched workload.

“We were basically in ruins when this whole thing started,” she explains. “Our oyster shed had just burnt down, my brother had a massive heart attack and we’d had back-to-back floods that had almost decimated the entire farm – we’d lost hundreds of thousands of oysters.”

Then, just as bookings for the new boat tour began to take off, another disaster hit, with the pandemic grinding the fledgling enterprise to a halt.

But for Sheridan, the enforced slowdown provided an opportunity to fine-tune details of the tour, and to create the unique experience that sets it apart from other boat-based oyster tours.

“I was wondering how we were going to socially distance on the boat, then I came up with the idea of putting tables in the water, to spread people out that way,” Sheridan says. “But it took me almost two years to get all the approvals, including a development application since council considered it an in-water restaurant.

“I was at home with three kids under 15 months, writing documentation, getting approvals and chasing my tail trying to get it across the line. I was obsessed, because I just knew it was going to be amazing – it just hadn’t been done like this. Honestly, if it hadn’t been for Covid, I’m not sure I would have done it.”

On tour

Before the oyster dining experience, Sheridan – or one of her local guides – takes groups of up to 50 on a boat ride through one of Sydney Oyster Farm’s leases at Mooney Mooney, explaining the process of growing Sydney Rock and Pacific oysters and the threats they face from natural predators and diseases.

She also shares stories of trying to save the crop during the devastating rain events of 2021 and 2022, and the desperation she felt as she attempted to move vulnerable oyster trays to safer places on the river.

“I remember the date so well: 19March. That flood was the one that did the damage. The dam was already at capacity, so it had no buffering ability, and there was just so much water. And because it was fresh water for such a long period of time, we basically lost 100 per cent of our Pacifics. I’d say at least 600,000, probably a lot more.

“I was doing tours, and pulling out baskets of dead oysters and people were like, “oh coooool!” It was so embarrassing! Everything was dead everywhere. Empty shells. Oyster farmers are the only farmers that don’t like rain, I think.”

A shucking good time

For tour guests, these personal stories of the challenges and adversities of farming truly resonate, helping them to appreciate the hard work and heartbreak that goes into the delicious slurpy molluscs on their plate. But after pottering through the leases and learning about the oyster farming business, it’s time to put the product to the taste test.

The ‘restaurant’ is set up in a wide, sheltered bay – one of the only parts of the Hawkesbury with a sandy bottom. A formerly derelict oyster lease, Sheridan had to tender to reactivate this site – another time-consuming process during lockdowns which became an essential part of the operation’s success.

“When I first started the tours, I used Ikea tables set up on stilts,” she explains.  “But as the tours became more popular, it got crazy setting them up each day. I’d be getting ready to pick up the guests in the boat, and I’d have three crew getting the tables ready. But getting to the site early didn’t work, due to the tides – they’d be putting the tables in, and they’d start floating away – it was just mayhem!”

Now the tables used on the tour are permanent fixtures, built from oyster infrastructure to meet zoning requirements. The sticks holding the tables in place are oyster racks, while the tabletops are upturned oyster trays, covered with a cloth.

“What guests don’t realise is the timing of this whole operation,” Sheridan says. “Depending on whether it’s a rising or falling tide, I’m picking up guests from the jetty at the same time as the permanent tables just uncover. During the time I do the tour, the water will drop a foot, until it becomes a great height for people to stand at the tables. If I take too long on a tour, it can drop too low – if I come in early, it can be too high.”

Oblivious to all these details, however, guests have one thing on their mind: eating oysters. But such delights don’t come without effort – first they have to learn to shuck the bivalve molluscs, opening the shells to reveal the meat inside. Then, with an accompanying glass of champagne – or perhaps a shot of whisky to enhance the smoky flavour – the oyster is consumed, with each guest allocated 18 oysters, fresh from Sydney Oyster Farm leases.

With approximately 10 tours currently running a week – and with the demands of parenthood as well as finalising her medical degree in September 2023 – Sheridan has been forced to take a step back from the hands-on role as tour guide, training a team of locals to operate the tours. She is also planning an expansion of the tourism business, purchasing oyster leases in Cronulla (in the south of Sydney), Port Stephens and Queensland, which will be managed by members of her extended family.

Meanwhile, other oyster farmers on the Hawkesbury – who originally thought she was “crazy” for attempting the new enterprise – look upon the crowded boats of tourists with piqued interest, keenly observing the transformation of the farming business.

“Everyone was a bit shocked in the interest,” Sheridan says. “We know that people love oysters, but it’s more than that – we have people that don’t even like oysters coming on the tours.

“Really it’s about people wanting to connect and do something different and just step outside.”

If you enjoyed reading about Sydney Oyster Farm, you may like to read this piece about the resilience of the oyster industry in NSW.

The post A shucking good time with Sydney Oyster Farm appeared first on The Farmer Magazine.

Now in their sprightly 70s, and having officially handed over the reins of the business in 2013 to three of their five sons – also a business no-no, in the traditional world – the Harrises are gradually shifting focus to their own venture on the land, delving into regenerative cattle farming and breeding rare Icelandic horses on their 800-plus hectare farm (below) in the beautiful Megalong Valley of NSW’s Blue Mountains. 

“When we were first looking for property 22 years ago, a mentor of mine said, ‘Think about what you want: do you want a project, do you want isolation, or do you want a community?’” Cathy says. “We considered it on those grounds: we didn’t want a project as we were both working too hard, and we certainly didn’t want a community. What we wanted was isolation. But guess what? In our isolation, we found both a project and a community, both of which we’ve loved and are bigger than we ever thought.” 

During the pandemic, the couple built their dream home on the Megalong Valley property, a low-lying, architect-designed masterpiece that embraces nature, from its raw materials to the incredible views of undulating pastures and the meandering Coxs River from every window. And as the horse-breeding business grows, so this idyllic retreat has become David and Cathy’s primary residence, with ample room for the extended family who visit each weekend. 

“We love everything about this place: we love the mountains, we love the paddocks,” David says. “It’s certainly where we spend more than half of our time. It would be a very rare weekend where we don’t have one or more of the sons and wives and grandkids here – we now have a cricket team, 11 grandkids! The horses are a big appeal, particularly for the girls.” 

THE HARRIS FARM DIFFERENCE

Family has always been at the heart of Harris Farm Markets, right from its inception 52 years ago when David approached his entrepreneurial father for career advice after he and his then-fiancée Cathy graduated from a Commerce degree at university. 

“He gave me some criteria to think about, and I identified two target industries: we’d either be fruit shop owners, or funeral directors,” David says. “Neither of them had big players in them at the time, so it was a logical industry to go into.”

“My father, who was Italian, was horrified!” Cathy interjects. “He was like, “I sent my daughter to the best schools, and she’s just graduated university – hello?!” 

But fruit shop owners they became, opening their first roadside market at Villawood in 1971. And while today, Harris Farm Markets is sitting pretty with 29 stores and an enterprise value that’s more than tripled since sons Tristan, Angus and Luke became joint CEOs, the road to success has had more than its share of potholes. 

In 1990, as interest rates spiked and Paul Keating’s infamous ‘banana republic’ speech resounded around the world, so Harris Farm Markets – which had rapidly expanded to 37 stores in the mid-‘80s – faced bankruptcy, forcing the Harrises to strip the company back to bare bones. With great tenacity and wiser decisions, however, they managed to rebuild the business, rebuying stores and establishing partnerships with growers, a business model that sets the company apart from its much larger competitors. 

“We were always very connected to the farming community,” David explains. “Right through the ’70s, we were living in Dural, and we market gardened the whole 25 acres – we had share farmers living on the farm with us, so we really understood how it works. 

“We see ourselves as partners with the growers, as we’ll take the whole crop, regardless of size or imperfections. You do the job for us, and we’ll do the job for you. The ideal for us is to work with medium-sized farmers: generally we’ll take 60 to 70 per cent of their fruit, but they have other customers as well, which keeps them in touch. That way they’ll know we are being genuine.” 

Introduced in 2014, Harris Farm’s ‘Imperfect Picks’ was a ground-breaking initiative, beloved not only by savvy consumers, but also by the farmers who operate under the vagaries of nature. Last year, for instance, torrential rain all but ruined NSW’s blueberry crops. Rather than throw the damaged fruit away, however, Harris Farm Markets sold them at a heavily discounted price, marketing the berries as suitable for jam. 

While other smaller companies have a similar business model, it’s Harris Farm’s reach to different demographics that have made this campaign such a godsend for farmers. 

“Most shops can’t take all the sizes [of fruits], but we can because we have stores in Bathurst and Rose Bay. They’re not the same markets. Everyone wants something that eats well and keeps well. If it looks good as well, that’s a bonus – but we’ve educated our customers to actually look beyond that with these imperfect picks. A bit of a scar on the skin of a mango isn’t anything. There’s lots of people who recognise that’s value.” 

SUSTAINABILITY MANIFESTO 

Meanwhile, Harris Farm Markets’ commitment to sustainability and giving back to the farmers that supply their stock has resulted in their latest innovation – transforming shop food waste into compost, thereby adding nutrients to the soil and improving the farmers’ yield. This allows the growers to supply Harris Farm Markets with higher quality, higher yield crops – a win-win for everyone, resulting in a healthier farming future. 

Soil health and being part of the climate solution is an integral part of how David Harris manages his own farm, following regenerative practices that work with nature rather than against it. The Harrises even scatter their own paddocks with peels left over from orange juice production in their stores, with the cattle devouring the fermenting peels (“citrus-infused beef!” Cathy enthuses) as well as improving the soil quality. 

As well as running around 500 head of cattle following ‘regen’ principals of stock rotation, the Harrises also grow organic berries – which are added to Harris Farm Markets’ yoghurt – and lavender, which they bunch and sell in the shops. They also have a substantial rosemary crop, which is donated to Legacy for use on Anzac Day.

THE PORSCHE OF HORSES

But it’s the horse-breeding business which excites both David and Cathy the most – an unlikely venture, considering David only took up horse riding at the tender age of 55. 

“When it came to handing over the business to my sons, Cathy asked me what was I going to do,” David explains. “Every year I’d been going on a grand riding adventure in the world, one of which was to Iceland. And I said, ‘You know, I loved riding those Icelandic horses – I reckon we could breed them.’ And we did.”

With shaggy coats, voluminous manes and a cute demeanour, the small but sturdy Icelandic horse (“don’t call them ponies!” Cathy insists) is one of the oldest pure breeds in the world. Icelandic law prevents any other horses from being imported into the country, and no exported horse can return, meaning that the breed has retained its genetic integrity since they were first introduced by the Vikings in the 10th Century. 

“There’s a few things about Icelandics,” David says, when explaining his interest in the breed. “They have quite different natures to other horses. They are friendly – if we walk into the paddock, they’ll all come down the hill to see what’s happening. And the fact that they aren’t so high means Cathy and I can get on and off a bit easier! But the most important thing is they have this unusual gait, the tölt.”

While most horses move in four paces – walk, trot, canter and gallop – some breeds possess a fifth gait, a four-beat lateral pace that lies somewhere between a trot and a canter. In Iceland, this is called the tölt – a pace so smooth, the horse is known as ‘the Porsche of horses’.

To find good breeding stock, David employed an Icelandic horse breeding judge who took him around Iceland to find quality riding horses to start his own herd. He returned with a stallion and eight brood mares, some of which were in foal; and after 10 years of breeding and purchasing other mares from a stud in Victoria, they now have 120 horses, from newborn foals to riding horses ready for sale. 

Despite Australia’s climate being vastly different to Iceland’s, the imported horses have adapted well to life under the Australian sun, and have proven to be low-maintenance animals. But with Icelandic horses traditionally not broken in or bred until they are at least five years old, getting a horse ready for sale is a slow, laborious process, one brought to fruition by a team of Scandinavian women who break in the horses and train them on the Harris’ Megalong Valley farm. 

“While there are other breeders in Australia, they haven’t got the people to train them. We have a house on the property where four young European women live – they’ve grown up on horse farms in Iceland or Denmark, and they know the breed and can develop the special gait the way it should be developed. 

So we’ve got the finished product available, and can offer people nearly bullet-proof horses. We try to match the horse and rider, and sell them something they can actually ride and enjoy.”

The Harrises are now considered the premier breeders of Icelandics in the Southern Hemisphere, with David a representative of both the Icelandic Horse Association of Australia and FEIF, the International Federation of Icelandic Horse Associations.

“It’s highly regulated: every foal that’s born here has to be DNA tested and registered. We know there’s about 650,000 in the world, and about 250,000 of them are in Iceland. The country only has 350,000 people, so nearly everyone has a horse!”

WILDLIFE CORRIDOR

As their knowledge about regenerative farming increases, and in an effort to retain a low carbon footprint in keeping with Harris Farm Markets’ ‘back to nature’ philosophy, the Harrises have learned to not only appreciate the wildlife that shares their farm environment, but to revegetate their land to be conducive to endangered species such as platypus and koalas. 

“The idea is to create a pathway between the Kanangra-Boyd National Park and the Blue Mountains so wildlife can flourish,” David says. “We’re working with a number of like-minded people with acreage that is contiguous; and we’ve had the Science for Wildlife people out here to give advice on what trees to plant. It’s not only good for the land and the wildlife, but there’s potential for tourism – a more sustainable, upmarket tourism than what the Mountains is traditionally known for. More back to nature. 

“We try and make the farm sustainable in three ways: we’ve got the cattle, we’ve got the horses, and we’ve also got a little tourism venture. We have an eco-lodge and some little cottages on the property that we’ve done up, and we let them out on Airbnb. It brings in income and we employ eight people – it’s not about making money, it’s about being financially sustainable.” 

Regardless of these long-term projects based out of their Megalong Valley farm, both David and Cathy remain an integral part of Harris Farm Markets: Cathy is Chairperson of the Board and involved in the marketing side of the business, while David retains an active role in Operations, working closely with both growers and the team in the markets. 

“I don’t interfere with the way the boys run the business,” David says, “but I do interfere with what figs or raspberries are in the shop. The buying team in the markets know I’ll be ringing them as late as midnight – and I’m on the computer from 5am until around 11am, keeping tabs.” 

“The boys are doing such a fabulous job – they are absolutely the bosses, but David is still god in the markets,” agrees Cathy. “I keep joking that I’m the chairperson of the board, but I can’t tell the difference between a Navel and a Valencia, whereas David will pick up an orange and go, ‘That’s from Mildura, it was picked on such and such road on the left side of the hill… and they picked it three days too early.” 

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