For the first time, the innovators of Woollamia are pulling back their roller doors to show you the science and soul of Jervis Bay production. This isn’t just a factory walk-through; it is an invitation into the laboratories, kitchens, and breweries where the region’s most exciting flavours are being engineered. Join us for a rare glimpse into the technology and tradition shaping our local food scene. Find out how to join this exciting full-day event on Friday 12 June, plus how to win great prizes in our reader competition.
The peek behind the roller doors is part of an exclusive guided tour and long lunch at The Sheds, part of this year’s Autumn Celebration of Food, organised by the Shoalhaven Food Network. PLUS two lucky ticket holders will win a night’s accommodation on the eve the tour and an envelope bursting with vouchers and merchandise from The Sheds, valued at over $1000 each. Go to the Competition Page to enter, there’s also 2 tickets to the Masquerade Ball up for grabs, the grand finale of this year’s Celebration, thanks to Club Jervis Bay. Entries close on Friday 5 June.
This “industrial estate” on the outskirts of town is the new destination for locals and visitors who are craving a “real” experience mixing craft breweries and distilleries with gourmet bakehouses, farm and food production, bushland retreats, along with wellness, fashion and water sports.
The factory buildings housing these businesses may look unassuming on the outside, but The Sheds Woollamia – a collective of 10 of the most innovative businesses in the estate – are inviting the public beyond their roller doors for an exclusive look behind the scenes.
Only 20 tickets remain for the chance to see how “cool crazy toys” and innovative business leaders are transforming ancient wisdom and traditional artisanry into cutting-edge production of food and beverages, on the edge of Huskisson village.
We were granted a sneak-peek this week, to give you a few tidbits from inside The Sheds that will whet your appetite for this tour, long lunch and cocktail hour designed to reveal the science, the technology and the creativity behind Jervis Bay’s most exciting businesses.
“Cool Crazy Toys”
If you’ve ever drawn pictures on your driveway with a high-pressure hose, imagine what you could do with a water jet that’s 20 times stronger and only 0.4mm?
The team at Bakehouse Espresso Group will reveal exactly what’s possible with a demonstration of their state-of-the-art water jet – we watched as it cut delicate, postage-stamp sized horses out of a sheet of white chocolate!
The jet – one of only a handful such machines in Australia – can cut any food, according to Troy and Justine Bryce, who say even super-chilled mousse can be carved up using a design uploaded into the computer. Justine says it’s a favourite of the visiting school groups to the Bakehouse, and we think it will be one of your favourites, too.
Over at Jervis Bay Shellfish Market, where they process the mussels and oysters grown right here in Jervis Bay, director Scott Walter says they have a machine that can de-beard the mussels before they are weighed – by another machine – that can sort a kilo of mussels in mere seconds.
Scott says the “cool crazy toys” revolutionising many of the traditional businesses here in The Sheds is definitely one of the most exciting elements of the upcoming tour. Scott and his crew will be on-hand to demonstrate the handling of the aquafarm’s “catch”.
A “centrifugal fluidized bed dryer” awaits at the factory of PhycoHealth – one of the world’s leading seaweed science innovators. Dr Pia Winberg explains this piece of kit, a kind of cyclonic dryer, has a chamber that heats up 300 degrees Celcius and while it was designed for the fish industry in Iceland and Greenland, it was actually invented right here on the South Coast, in Nowra.
Pia will share with the tour some of the incredible new discoveries about the seaweed grown right there on-site in their seaweed nursery, including how this and other “cool crazy toys” at the facility are being re-tooled to produce new seaweed extracts, including a “snowflake” format.
And what would a distillery be without cool crazy toys?
Founder & head distiller at Jervis Bay Distilling Co, Rob Bartlet explains that two main “toys” in the distillery do different jobs “and together they’re where the magic happens.
“Still one is our flavour still,” he says of the 300L tank that shapes the character of their products. “It starts with a copper onion head, then runs into a tall copper ‘witches’ hat’, all those curves and copper contact are where we craft the coastal notes like saltbush, lemon myrtle and other coastal botanicals.”
The second still is a super-clean 250L pot still with a 1.2m copper column and a dephlegmator up top.
Rob says, “Only previously distilled spirit goes into this one—it’s how we keep things crystal clear and smooth before it is diluted to the perfect alcohol percentage with our purified and remineralised Jervis Bay rainwater.”
The Ancient Arts of Brewing and Distilling
The Sheds Woollamia is home to a growing number of craft brewers and distillers, who are infusing the ancient techniques with modern flavours, a sustainable approach and a community vibe.
Jervis Bay Brewing Co was the “original shed” that started the trend here in Woollamia just over six years ago, the original hidden gem that invited the locals into their Taproom to sample the brews and refill their growlers, enjoy a food truck snack and catch up on local news.
Head brewer, Oisín Sweeney (who, incidentally, is another doctor of marine science) will open the roller doors of their second, bigger shed across from the Taproom, and share their journey. He says, “Beer is one of humanity’s oldest and most diverse beverages, and we’ll relax and talk about different beer styles, what distinguishes them from each other and where they came from.”
The Inside Stories
Trial and error has played a huge part in the development of many of these businesses, and their directors told us they will share some of the stories with you on this tour.
Pia says she has adapted tools and machines from other industries such as dairy and brewing, and even Ikea kitchens to build a factory that is doing something completely new – growing, processing and producing food and skincare with a seaweed called Species 84.
She will share how she went from extracting a teaspoon of seaweed “goo” to now building a new medical-grade facility – thanks to a new government grant – that will be able to produce tons of the molecule extracted from Species 84.
At the mussel farm, Scott says trial and error has defined the past six years as the aquaculture business has grown from one shed to three, which now also includes milling equipment for producing shell grit and pet supplements, are all part of the business’s zero-waste ambitions.
Scott says, “We are now only producing 25% of the waste that we produced five years ago, thanks to what we do with the byproducts of the farming process.”
There are some new human supplement products on the horizon too, and Scott will share the latest innovations with you on the tour.
Eat What We Grow
The Sheds tour culminates in a long lunch and there will also be a few tasty morsels along the way, including from the working hives at Bay & Bush Nature Retreat. The first stop on the tour, just past the industrial estate proper is a 27-acre property that offers cottage and safari tent accommodation, a wellness studio, and a café that celebrates the output of the property’s apiary.
One of the beekeepers will reveal (safely!) the inner workings of the hives and talk about how they function ecologically and as a source of food here in Jervis Bay.
At Jervis Bay Shellfish Market, sushi chef Egi will be on hand to prepare some miniature flavour bombs for you, and the Bakehouse will be providing essential sustenance from the start of the tour, to keep you going until lunch.
The piece de resistance of this tour is a long table lunch at Jervis Bay Brewing Co inside their shed, aka the Taproom, where 5 Little Pigs chef Rowan Andrew is creating a menu based on all of the incredible produce from The Sheds tour collaborators.
We asked Rowan how he approaches such a challenging task – when faced with a list of ingredients based purely on what is produced in Woollamia, how does he come up with a cohesive and delicious menu?
Rowan says this is his favourite type of creative challenge, taking the best and freshest ingredients in front of him and tapping into his well of inventiveness to bring it all together.
He says, “My task is to find a common language through the meal and answer the questions, how do I get a seaweed into a dessert, and how do I fit five suppliers into one main course?”
Sustainable seafood is at the centre of this event, and on the plate will be a squid ink agnolotti produced in the shed belonging to Pasta Buoy – which is also whipping up a special batch of gelato for the day. Oysters will be dressed in something extraordinary from Jervis Bay Distilling Co, and of course, there will be honey flavours and fresh leaves and flowers from Bay & Bush.
Rowan says, “We are lovers of the ocean, we spend a lot of time in it and we want to eat food that will be around for a long time and will be renewed. We want the diners on this tour to be open to eating something new, maybe something they haven’t tried before.”
Cocktail Hour Completes the Tour
The tour wraps up with a cocktail and tapas finale at Club Jervis Bay, back in the heart of Huskisson, with Club CEO John West. The Club is the major sponsor of Discover the Streets of Huskisson & Beyond, a whole week focused on the seaside villages of Huskisson, Vincentia and the surrounding areas that will include Pizza Fest, World Oceans Day, Wine Appreciation Dinner, Chef’s Table at Paperbark, Street Beats & Eats Saturday night street party, The Sheds tour of course, and the grand finale, the Masquerade Ball at Club Jervis Bay.
The Club is providing a significant portion of proceeds from the Ball to the Shoalhaven Food Network, for their ongoing work promoting hospitality in the region. John says supporting community organisations and delivering achieveable outcomes for them is a key role of the Club, which has been a major sponsor of SFN since 2017.
WIN! Our exclusive reader competition
TWO TICKETS TO THE MASQUERADE BALL: Enter the competition to WIN two tickets to the Masquerade Ball, courtesy of Club Jervis Bay, value $440. On Monday 15 June at 6pm, adopt an air of mystery as you enter the Masquerade Ball in your finery and mask, the spectacular grand finale of the Autumn Celebration of Food. Dine on delicacies created by our region’s most-celebrated chefs, mingle in good company and marvel at the extraordinary hospitality of the Shoalhaven.
TWO EXPERIENCE PACKAGES FOR THE SHEDS WOOLLAMIA TOUR: Two lucky ticket holders to The Sheds of Woollamia walking tour will win an “Experience Package” for two, including accommodation at either Bay & Bush Nature Retreat or Paperbark Camp on Thursday 11 June, along with some included meals, and an envelope bursting with gift vouchers provided by The Sheds of Woollamia. Each prize is worth over $1000 and you must have a ticket on the Tour to be in the running.
The Sheds Woollamia Participating Businesses
Bay & Bush Nature Retreat and apiary
5 Little Pigs Café and Food Truck
Paperbark Camp and The Gunyah Restaurant
PhycoHealth Powered by Seaweed
Big Thank You to Club Jervis Bay
