Taree’s Big Oyster, 100 Manning River Drive

On Friday 30 March 1990, the NSW Premier, Nick Greiner, opened Taree’s newest tourist attraction – the Big Oyster.¹ An ‘oyster shop’ had traded in Taree as far back as 1886, but nothing quite like this!²

It was the brainchild of brothers, Attila and Louis Mokany, whose parents had migrated to Australia from Hungary in the 1950s. Their first venture into ‘Big Things’ had been the Big Merino at Goulburn, followed by the Big Prawn at Ballina and, finally, the Big Oyster.³

Construction pre-dated the by-pass of Taree, so the attraction stood on the Pacific Highway, visible to all traffic travelling the north coast route. The complex showcased the local oyster growing industry and incorporated, amongst other things, a service station, Australian arts and crafts and souvenir shops.⁴

It was built by Glenn Industries and utilised the skills of two sculptors, Tony Colangelo and James Martin.⁵ Construction proved very expensive, in excess of $700,000, and it is rumoured that some finishing touches, including a searchlight type of illuminated pearl, were never completed because of the expense.⁶

The Mokany’s company was wound up in 1995⁷ and the Big Oyster closed in that year. In 1997 the Pacific Highway by-passed Taree depriving the site of its high visibility.⁸ The complex has since had a variety of uses and currently (2019) is home to a car dealership.

Author: Penny Teerman