Oyster reefs are the most degraded marine ecosystem on Earth. Analogous to coral reefs of the tropics, oyster reefs once provided a vast array of ecosystem services to coastal temperate environments. In Southern Australia, the Australian flat oyster, Ostrea angasi, is functionally extinct with few natural reefs remaining. To reinstate the ecosystem services that were lost alongside oyster reefs we need to ensure that restoration efforts are occurring across the full historical range of the target species. Flat oysters are generally considered a subtidal species, and this is where restoration has occurred thus far. However, historical evidence suggests that, at least in some locations, intertidal reefs existed prior to European colonisation. Understanding the biotic and abiotic pressures that have prevented the flat oyster from natural recovery in the intertidal is instrumental if we are restore this species back to its full historical range. This talk highlights what we’ve learned from multidisciplinary approaches to intertidal restoration of Ostrea angasi; what’s worked, what hasn’t, and where the research is heading next.