Broken Bay Pearl Farm wins Gold for Excellence!
Broken Bay Pearl Farm has taken home Gold in the Excellence in Food Tourism category at the 2026 NSW Tourism Awards, recognising the farm’s growing contribution to food tourism in New South Wales.
Broken Bay Pearl Farm has taken home Gold in the Excellence in Food Tourism category at the 2026 NSW Tourism Awards, recognising the farm’s growing contribution to food tourism in New South Wales.- Broken Bay Oyster & Pearl Farm has won Gold in the Excellence in Food Tourism category at the 2026 NSW Tourism Awards.
- The award recognises the farm’s contribution to food tourism through oyster farming, guided tastings, river experiences, chef collaborations and events.
- More than 8,000 visitors experienced the farm during the qualifying period, with visitation increasing year-on-year.
- The farm continues to build the profile of Sydney Rock, Angasi and Akoya oysters through tourism, restaurant partnerships and culinary collaborations.
- The win also recognises Broken Bay’s role in supporting the Hawkesbury and Central Coast visitor economy through regional partnerships and destination promotion.
Located at Mooney Mooney on the Lower Hawkesbury River, Broken Bay Oyster & Pearl Farm is a working farm connecting visitors directly with the people, place and provenance behind locally grown seafood.
The award follows a significant period of growth for the farm, with more than 8,000 visitors welcomed during the qualifying period, up 20.8% year-on-year.
At the centre of the visitor experience is the farm’s Shellar Door, where guests can take to the Hawkesbury River to visit working oyster leases before returning for guided shucking and tastings. Broken Bay grows Sydney Rock, native Angasi and Akoya oysters, giving visitors the opportunity to explore the differences in flavour, farming and provenance across varieties grown in the surrounding waterways.
The farm has also continued to build the culinary profile of its oysters beyond the Hawkesbury, working with chefs, restaurants and food producers to introduce lesser-known varieties including Akoya to new audiences.
In October 2025, Broken Bay brought the established Pearls & Plates culinary event to New South Wales for the first time. Guests travelled by boat from the farm to a private riverside property for a long-table dining experience celebrating Broken Bay oysters alongside regional produce, beverages, makers and First Nations culture.
Infrastructure and visitor experience improvements have accompanied that growth, including an expanded outdoor tasting area at the Shellar Door, investment in all-weather comfort aboard farm vessels, multilingual visitor resources and increased capacity for group and international visitors.
Broken Bay Pearls Cruise
Broken Bay Pearl Farm owner and Pearls of Australia CEO James Brown said the award recognised the work of the entire team and the growing appetite for experiences that connect people directly with where their food comes from.
“For us, food tourism is about much more than putting an oyster on a plate. It’s giving people the opportunity to get out on the river, meet the people who grow it, understand the environment it comes from and then taste that place for themselves.”
“The team at Broken Bay has put an enormous amount of work into developing the experience over the past few years, while staying true to what we are first and foremost – a working farm. To see that recognised with Gold at the NSW Tourism Awards is something we’re incredibly proud of.”
The farm’s food tourism growth has also been supported by collaborations across the Central Coast and Sydney, from local producers and the Central Coast Makers Trail to chefs, restaurants and tourism operators.
In FY26, Broken Bay also achieved Ecotourism Australia ECO Certification, recognising its commitment to sustainable, nature-based tourism and the environmental stewardship at the heart of its working oyster farm.
The Gold win builds on Broken Bay Pearl Farm’s growing recognition within the NSW visitor economy and reinforces the potential of the Hawkesbury River and Central Coast as destinations for immersive, place-led food experiences.
