Provenance
Mumbulla Mountain, sacred to the Yuin people, forms the catchment for the pristine waters that feed Wapengo Lake. Our native oysters have grown here for thousands of years and have been farmed since the late 1880s.
The clean waters that flow into Wapengo are filtered by the surrounding national parks, state forests and salt marshes.
We took the opportunity to marry the latest in sustainable aqua-culture techniques with the purest water quality and have created the first certified organic Rock Oyster farm.
Our cultivation techniques are restoring the lake ecology and improving estuarine habitat; the sea grass beds are regenerating because they receive more sunshine. We also source all our infra-structure utilising the best re-cycled or recyclable materials.
Our hand selected multi-award winning oysters are received by individuals and select restaurants in Sydney, Melbourne and regional NSW.
Wapengo Rocks offer the discerning consumer a taste experience that can be described as a unique combination of minerals, salt and delicate creaminess. The mouth feel lingers long after the oyster is gone.
Meet the farmer
My name is Shane Buckley and I’m the proud owner of Wapengo Rocks. We specialise in wild caught native Rock Oysters from Wapengo Lake, situated on the Far South Coast of NSW. We bought the farm in 2007 from Young Bob who has hung around and provided invaluable mentorship. He’s 79 yrs old and still tinkers with the machinations of the farm (and engineers for my crazy ideas).
Oyster farming has been a part of Wapengo Lake since the 1890s. Evidence of the earliest techniques can be seen along our shoreline with some old rock rows still in place. Today, our infrastructure is quite different.
It’s taken six years to transition standard ‘post and rail’ cultivation techniques to more sustainable practices. We now use only recycled or recyclable materials rather than industry standard treated pine and tar coated sticks. The new floating ‘dynamic long line’ system has less impact on the lake bed and encourages sea grasses to regrow where they previously died off due to over-shading. We’re keen on promoting the restoration of the ecosystem and habitat as much as possible. It’s our obligation and I feel privileged to farm in such a beautiful environment surrounded by State Forests and National Parks.
Our efforts culminated in receiving organic certification from Australian Certified Organic (ACO) in May 2013. That’s how we became Wapengo Rocks Wild Organic Oysters. We’re also involved in industry bodies because we want to see an increase in sustainability (and oyster lovers). Last year we purchased a second farm and we’re working on transforming it too. Oyster farmers must be crazy – it’s back breaking work but a labour of love. Fortunately, oysters aren’t hard to lasso.