Oyster leases

The abundance of wild oysters on Australia's coasts sharply declined in the 19th century with their popularity as a food item and a source of the lime used in cement. The government started to encourage oyster fisheries from 1868 and later introduced oyster leases. This webinar will focus on the Oyster Lease Cultures files, which tell the stories of the people who held these leases between 1920 and 1978.