OYSTERS
Archaeology in Oceania, Vol. 59 (2024): 91–124
DOI: 10.1002/arco.5310
The archaeology of 19th century oyster consumption in Melbourne
Brendan Marshall
-image of the Boon Wurrung women harvesting local flat oysters from around the natural reefs of Port Albert and Western Port bay
you might see them possibly telling the whites to eff off or you might see them helping them and showing them how
-By 1841 the angasi oysters were in such demand that a law was passed banning the Boon Wurrung women from harvesting them
– source https://www.richardcornish.com.au/blog/flinders-oysters
by 1860 these reefs are devastated by demand
-after this oysters are increasingly sourced from sydney or tasmania.
‘Wild oysters that would have been tended to and managed by aboriginal people supplied the Melbourne market with tonnes of lives oysters from between 1840-1860 and definitely in 1851 demand was greatest and would have accelerated the overfishing’
Native mud oysters thick and flat
the major mud oyster fisheries between 1840
and 1860 were based at Corner Inlet (Port Albert) in
south-east Gippsland and at Western Port Bay
Sydney rock oyster is smaller, more compact and triangulate
Whats with the other shells? From a trip to the seaside? From manual dredging process?
In both reports a distinction is made between food and
non-food shellfish predicated on preservation and
abundance, whereby it was assumed that unidentified shell,
or shell in minor quantities, occurred for non-dietary
reasons. With an NISP of 18321 oyster is at the top of the
food list whereas minor taxa for example, cowrie, cones and
whelks, were relegated to the non-food class as incidentally
collected or ornamental shell (Simons, 2004, pp. 441-2). At
the same time, Simons acknowledges that the unidentified
‘bivalve shells’ (NISP= 711) which comprise most of the
non-food shell were also probably consumed (Simons,
2004, p. 442).
At least
part of this assemblage has pre-1859 origins when there
were no regulations on harvesting undersized shellfish,
as the local Victorian reefs became less
productive, it appears that oysters for the Melbourne market
came increasingly from multiple sources further afield.
Tasmania’s peak period for wild mud oyster fisheries was
1860–1870, the decade after Melbourne’s apex. Likewise,
south-east Queensland Sydney rock oyster fisheries export
trade included dredged oysters from Moreton Bay to
Melbourne in the 1870s (Gillies et al., 2018, table 3;
Thurstan et al., 2020; see also Calder, 1868, p. 8 who
records ‘Melbourne’ as the destination for the Tasmanian
oysters).
The mud oyster at Mackenzie Street reflects the
closeness of the fisheries, the commonness of this shellfish
as food, and its introduction into Melbourne’s gold rush
economy in commercial quantities. The presence of Sydney
rock oyster demonstrates interstate trade between the east
coast fisheries of New South Wales and Melbourne and the
importation of a second type of oyster to supplement the
supply of, or as an alternative to, the local variety during a
period of high demand. Melbourne’s demand for mud
oysters would contribute to the demise of the local fisheries
and this shellfish as a common component of its food
economy.
Mud oysters were dredged manually
—western port Angus haven’t been commercially harvested in almost 150 years —-source https://www.richardcornish.com.au/blog/flinders-oysters
Me:
-oysters are common, cheap and plentiful and a good source of protein for the poor
-there are oyster stalls to buy fresh shucked oysters and eat on the spot around theatres on Bourke st, there’s sleazy oyster saloons around the brothels in little lons and oyster patties are referred to amongst mince pies as a ready meal.
—-By 1841 the angasi oysters (native mud oysters) were in such demand that a law was passed banning the Boon Wurrung women from harvesting them – source https://www.richardcornish.com.au/blog/flinders-oysters
Green sea snail shell:
Turbo crassus, common name the crass turban
sad but true history of native oysters https://www.richardcornish.com.au/blog/flinders-oysters
“19th to 20th century
In the 19th century, oysters were plentiful and cheap; and were sold on almost every street corner in London. Oysters were very popular with the lower class who used oysters as a substitute for expensive beef in stews and soups. One of the most popular Victorian dishes with the lower class was oyster pie.”
source https://simplyoysters.com/oyster-history#:~:text=Oysters%20were%20very%20popular%20with,lower%20class%20was%20oyster%20pie
The archaeology of 19th century oyster consumption in Melbourne – Marshall – 2024 – Archaeology in Oceania – Wiley Online Library
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/arco.5310
It is significant for its use for forty years in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries as
an oyster saloon, an early type of restaurant which has now disappeared; these were patronised by the less well-
off, and were the forerunner of modern cafes. see: 195 elizabeth st (cbd)
Victorian Heritage Database Report
receipe
RECIPES. (1870, January 15). The Australasian (Melbourne, Vic. : 1864 – 1946), p. 7. Retrieved March 31, 2025, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article138062431
oysters costing 2 shillings a dozen:
THURSDAY MORNING, MAY 16, 1861. (1861, May 16). Geelong Advertiser (Vic. : 1859 – 1929), p. 2. Retrieved April 1, 2025, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article148698610
—identifying mullusc
https://australian.museum/learn/animals/molluscs/turban-snail/
little bivalve
https://portphillipmarinelife.net.au/species/5605
the gruesome display
https://www.aftersalazar.com.au/musings/zdzw8og8pzxlluu1adfvjvnh70xye4
window dressing 1853 – still oysters
https://www.oddhistory.com.au/other-areas-including-melbourne-the-western-district-and-overseas/window-dressing-circa-1853/
description of stands versus oyster saloons
APA citationAT AN OYSTER STALL. (1868, June 6). Leader (Melbourne, Vic. : 1862 – 1918, 1935), p. 8. Retrieved March 31, 2025, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article197427562
great writing
SATURDAY NIGHT IN MELBOURNE. (1863, November 24). The Tarrangower Times and Maldon and Newstead Advertiser (Vic. : 1862 – 1873), p. 3. Retrieved March 31, 2025, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article265366526
THE STATE OF LITTLE BOURKE-STREET. (1862, July 19). Leader (Melbourne, Vic. : 1862 – 1918, 1935), p. 4. Retrieved March 31, 2025, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article196392906
gertrude st oyster and baker
SUBURBAN POLICE. (1867, October 4). The Age (Melbourne, Vic. : 1854 – 1954), p. 6. Retrieved March 31, 2025, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article185505808
burrows & co 