Our Story
Since meeting as young university students way back when, owners Annabel and James Williams have shown their two daughters much of Australia and the world. A desire to constantly experience new places and cultures has led them to live and work in diverse locations such as outback and urban Australia, Africa, South East Asia and the Pacific, exploring Europe and the US in between.
While living in Laos in 2016 with their eldest daughter’s high school graduation looming, they decided their time as gypsies was coming to end and started thinking about their next life adventure. Living in less developed parts of the world gave them a new appreciation for Australia’s relatively untouched natural beauty and the luxury of having access to clean, safe food, air and water. Queue two years and after extensive research they found themselves embarking on a new life as oyster farmers on the NSW south coast.
The transition from expats to oyster farmers was extreme, but being hard workers and loving a challenge, they have thrown themselves into learning all things oysters and have been fortunate to learn and grow in a supportive community of second and third generation farmers. Benefitting from the inspiring knowledge around them, they have also learned to trust their instincts and experiment with new ideas and techniques. It’s a combination that has seen the farm steadily grow from humble beginnings into a small commercial operation with big dreams. Above all, they are loving the oyster lifestyle and joy (and occasional tears) it’s brought their family.
Annabel Williams
Amongst her itinerant lifestyle Annabel has managed to fit in studies in Arts, Communications and Technical Writing as well as roles in Marketing with a bit of freelance writing thrown in. She now spends her time swapping her Farming, Human Resources, Admin and Marketing Manager hats for Bel’s Oysters. In her spare time she can usually be found in her ‘nook’ at home catching up on reading or out with the family enjoying the natural beauty of the Shoalhaven.
James Williams
With a Master of Science degree and 25 years working in Hydrogeology, James has always had an interest in the natural environment. So it’s probably no surprise he ended up working in an industry where preservation of the marine environment is key. When he’s not busy oystering he’s usually spending time with his family bushwalking, playing his guitar, tinkering away in his shed making things, or trying to beat his daughters in chess.
