The married couple own and operate Pambula Oyster Co. which recently won a gold medal at the 2016 Australian Food Awards (AFA) for its Sydney Rock Oysters, an impressive achievement for people who have been farming oysters for less than three years. 

Originally from Sydney, Mr and Mrs McKillop had been holidaying in Merimbula and Tathra for many years when they decided to leave their professions as a lineman and a geologist to try something new. 

“Before 2014 we had no idea how to shuck an oyster let alone grow one,” Mrs McKillop said. 

But their lack of experience clearly had no bearing on the quality of their oysters, as they have won this prize with their very first crop. 

With two young girls, Mr and Mrs McKillop wanted a different life for their children, away from the hustle and bustle of Sydney. 

“We knew we wanted to be oyster farmers, we knew it would be hard and a lot of work but we knew we could do it,” Mrs McKillop said. 

Starting an oyster farming business from scratch, with no previous experience, may seem a little crazy but the McKillops did a lot of research in a effort to find the farming techniques that would work for them.  

“We have tried to establish modern farming techniques that focus on being sustainable and ensuring the longevity of equipment,” Mrs McKillop said. 

“We only farm Sydney Rock Oysters because they are native here, when we first started we only bought oyster spat from Pambula Lake,” Mr McKillop said. 

Only three oyster farmers were awarded the gold medal at the awards, the other two were Shane Buckley of Wapengo Rocks and a farmer from Tasmania who won for his Angasi oysters. 

”We really couldn’t have asked for a better start to the business, we are very humbled to even be in the same company as these other farmers,” Ms McKillop said. 

Mr and Mrs McKillop will be travelling to Melbourne is September for the Royal Melbourne Show where their will be an oyster bar showcasing their oysters.