A Coffin Bay oyster farm tour, the only of its kind in Australia where participants taste fresh oysters straight from the sea, is experiencing a surge of Chinese tourists.
The interest from the overseas visitors has prompted Oyster Farm Tours in the Eyre Peninsula seafood hotspot to employ a Chinese interpreter.
Oyster farmer and tour operator Ben Catterall says Chinese tourists’ love for the Coffin Bay seafood delicacy has increased following a visit from Chinese media personality Madam Gigi Wong for her travelogue, TVB Anywhere.
In late 2017 Oyster Farm Tours was also visited by Chinese megastar Huang Xiaoming, who has 53 million social media followers and has ranked as China’s biggest male celebrity four years in a row.
A video of his overall SA visit – including footage of him enjoying Coffin Bay oysters – is being shared to millions of people overseas as part of an SA Tourism Commission campaign.
In 2017, Chinese tourists pumped $352m into SA’s visitor economy, up 74% in 12 months.
Ben says the increase in Chinese tourists led to the employment of Sunny, a Chinese interpreter who can help communicate the history of the area and oyster farming practices.
“Thirty percent of our tour guests are Chinese,” he says.
“We’ve run tours for 2000 people (overall) in 12 months, and that’s up 100% on the year before.
“It’s because of the pristine environment that we live in and people know that our seafood is going to be fresh and it’s all local.”
Coffin Bay oyster farmer Ben Catterall with some of the delicacies enjoyed on the tours.
Oyster Farm Tours allow guests to learn about oyster farming practices and the history of Coffin Bay.
Tour guests first gather at Ben and his partner Kim’s Beachcomber Bakery and Café to be fitted into waterproof waders.
They then make their way out into the pristine ocean and climb onto a pavilion in the middle of a commercial oyster lease.
Tours include a shucking lesson and a tasting of Pacific and native Angasi oysters straight from the sea.
Ben, who has oyster farms at both Coffin Bay and Streaky Bay, says freshly shucked oysters are much different in taste and texture to the ones people are used to eating.
“They’ve got that sea salt taste and the natural liquids,” he says.
“The majority of the participants do the tour in pairs, one of them loves oysters and the other one has come in support.
“But I have a high hit rate in converting people to enjoy oysters. The hardest part is getting them to leave by the end of it!”
A builder by trade, Ben came to Coffin Bay about 15 years ago before opening the 1802 Oyster Bar in a bid to help promote tourism and the history of the town.
Ben – a “Matthew Flinders tragic” – named the restaurant after the year in which the renowned explorer chartered the coastline.
“When I was running the restaurant, I had so many people enquire about how they’re grown and how they end up on your plate,” he says.
“So I approached a guy with an oyster lease out the front of the restaurant, and we’ve been doing the tours for about two-and-a-half years.”
Although Ben has since sold the 1802 Oyster Bar, he incorporates history of the area and story behind the naming of the town into his oyster tours.
The tours, also run by employee Tania, can be enjoyed with wine, extra oysters and seafood platters.
Ben says the experience is offered year-round as seniors often travel to the Eyre Peninsula during the off-peak season in winter.
“We encourage people to stay locally, we have great deals with holiday rentals,” he says.
“Easter is coming up and it will be crazier than Christmas.”
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