Issue link: https://viewer.e-digitaleditions.com/i/111460
regionalstopover Previous page: Beautiful coastline near the beach town of Tathra. Above, and below: Stop for gelati in Bermagui; succulent Tathra Oysters from Nelsons Lake. valleys and independent art galleries, to the quintessential beach holiday town of Tathra, which makes a timely rest spot. Here, seafood-loving visitors can sample firsthand the award-winning Tathra Oysters. Gary and Jo Rodely have been farming oysters in Nelsons Lake in nearby Mimosa Rocks National Park for 24 years. Over this time their oysters have won 26 gold medals at the Sydney Royal Fine Food Awards and six champion medals at the Oyster Farmers Association of New South Wales awards. 2012 was a significant year for Tathra Oysters, which was awarded Best Australian Product from the Sea in ABC delicious magazine's Produce Awards and was one of six finalists for Australia's most esteemed produce accolade, the Royal Agricultural Society's President's Medal. Gary, Jo and their son, Sam, who has recently joined the family business after completing a degree in marine science, are modest when asked why their oysters are consistently awarded Australia's best, giving credit to the pristine location they're grown in. "Nelsons Lake really is the secret to our success. We don't do too much different to anyone else. We're just lucky to have a fabulous location," Gary says. The Rodelys say there's only one downside to their reputation for Australia's best oysters (which are available in such esteemed Sydney restaurants as Rockpool Bar & Grill, Otto Ristorante and Sepia): the expectation to supply the award-winning quality product all year round. "Most consumers are unaware that oysters are seasonal products, which are at their best during the warmer months, reaching their peak during February," Gary explains. Venturing further south from Tathra, en route to Eden, take a detour via Pambula to pick up some fresh organic sourdough from Wild Rye's Baking Co. It creates a perfect, no-fuss lunch when paired with some natural Tathra Oysters straight from the shell. Afterwards, pay a visit to Eden Smokehouse, an artisan fish-smoking business opposite the wharf in Eden, and have a chat with owner Stan Soroka, which makes for an informative afternoon. At the 2012 Sydney Royal Fine Food Show Awards, Eden Smokehouse received seven awards, including silver for its hot smoked ocean trout and salmon gravlax. Eden Smokehouse was also a finalist in the Artisan From the Sea category in the 2012 delicious Produce Awards. This boutique operation uses sustainable fresh seafood to produce 12 to 15 tonnes a year of smoked product, including mussels, sardines and eel. Why does Soroka, an advocate for sourcing and eating local produce, believe that Eden Smokehouse products are so exceptional? "We are artisan producers with years of Fast Fact In the early 1900s, Old Tom, the leader of a pod of orca whales, helped whalers to herd humpbacks into Twofold Bay, Eden, to be harpooned. The orcas were rewarded with the tongues from the carcasses. XXIX