How Sydneysiders can head south for some seafood fun

Fancy a weekend trip from Sydney?

Seafood lovers, in particular, might be tempted by the EAT Festival, which returns to the Sapphire Coast on March 7-10.

EAT Festival is a celebration of the Sapphire Coast’s local produce, producers and chefs, and offers the chance for visitors to enjoy local flavours, chefs’ creations and dining experiences, with the region’s pristine surrounds a bonus.

The event is held over four days with a series of paddock-to-plate and tide-to-table (that's clever) experiences that celebrate the food, the heritage and the wildness of the Sapphire Coast.

For more information on what will be happening see www.eatfestival.com.au

Eat Festival started in 2013 and has attracted growers, brewers, farmers and chefs.



Gourmet events will be held at various locations from Cobargo in the north to Eden in the south.

The main event, Eat Merimbula, runs from 10am-2pm on the Sunday. 

This year, old favourites will rub shoulders with new creatives. 

The Longstocking Brewery from Pambula will be pumping out brews and the famous Sapphire Coast Wilderness Oysters tent will serve up its shuckings. 

This is a non-ticketed event - just rock up with an appetite.

Images: David Rodgers Photography

On the trail of some of Australia's finest oysters

 

The Sapphire Coast is home to some of the best oysters you can find on the New South Wales coast - and is the home of the new Sapphire Coast Oyster Trail. 

“The Sapphire Coast Oyster Trail is the first of its kind in Australia, promoting the region’s oyster experiences to the visitor market under the Oyster Trail brand,” said Anthony Osborne, Sapphire Coast Destination Marketing managing director.

“The Trail is a collection of amazing oyster experiences on offer in the region, including farm gates, tours, tasting experiences and restaurants. It celebrates the quality of the region’s world-renowned oysters, which undoubtedly come from some of the cleanest waters in Australia.” 

The Oyster Trail was officially launched at a special event held at the Merimbula Visitor Information Centre earlier this week. 

Visitors to the Sapphire Coast can create their own bespoke Oyster Trail itinerary from the recently designed Sapphire Coast website, which showcases tourism-ready oyster experiences on offer in the Bega Valley Shire.

The Sapphire Coast is home to five key oyster-producing estuaries, all of which imbue a special flavour to the oysters known as ‘merroir’ (I'd never heard that word before). 

“Not all visitors have to be a fan of eating oysters, but we know oysters are such great evidence of our untouched, pristine coastal landscape that everyone can enjoy,” Osborne continued.

Sapphire Coast Wilderness Oysters chair Greg Carton said the oyster industry and local tourism organisations have worked closely together over the past two years to lift the profile of the Sapphire Coast oyster brand.

“Our Sydney rock oysters are fed by the cleanest environment in New South Wales, and they have an exceptional reputation in the culinary world," he said. "Our oysters are served at the best restaurants in the nation’s capital cities, and there is a big opportunity to tap into the growing tourism appetite for culinary experiences.” 

For more information on the Sapphire Coast Oyster Trail visit www.sapphirecoast.com.au/oystertrail