Ulladulla Blessing of the Fleet It`s not quite Italy but the pasta, music and tradition is the same. With Catholic priests sprinkling fishing boats with holy water, accordion music, mama`s best seafood and pasta specials, couples strolling arm in arm, lantern parades and all the exuberance of the Mediterranean Ulladulla`s blessing of the fleet festival at Easter is a Little Italia. Picturesque Ulladulla, 200 kilometres south of Sydney on the Australian coast, is a long way from the Mediterranean but the festival is now a tradition of 46 years and was brought by fishermen from Italy where fishing fleets have been blessed for centuries. The towns population swells from 12,000 to 60,000 for the weekend of festivities with Italian communities from Sydney, Melbourne and the motherland making a pilgrimage here along with many other Australian holidaymakers. After living in Italy for a few years, Joanne Lane attended the event to see what all the fuss was about and to see if it compared to celebrations the other side of the Mediterranean. 8.30am Easter Sunday
It`s a ridiculous hour for Easter Sunday but I`m here to get in on the spirit of things at the Ulladulla Harbour area to join the local netball teams, locals and keen visitors for a 2.7km fun run. In small town tradition no one seems to know the route, distance or start time and really it`s too early to care. So it`s hardly surprising when the start whistle blows when a semi trailer reverses into the start line and we are all trying to avoid being run over. And so the dash begins past the floats preparing for the 11am parade as people in costume step aside as we flash past. I`m halfway through the race when I realise I`ve got an opportunity to win my division. But an overindulgence of food and drink in the last two weeks cost me a AUS$50 winning prize to a local girl. Never mind. 10.30am
Still recovering from the loss I have staked out a prime position on the main street to wait for the parade. It`s a multi ethnic affair. An Indian family chats away about the congestion on the road, three local girls push in beside us and talk excitedly of their friends costumes and the Italian man next to me looks at them disapprovingly. 11am
Floats inspired by movies like Moulin Rouge, Peter Pan and Lord of the Rings pass by with can-can girls, swashbuckling pirates and an army of princesses sponsored by local hardware, electrical and beauty shops. Every now and then the Italian man next to me gives me a nudge to take a photo of a float he declares to be "molto interessato" (very interesting). When an Aboriginal man comes past playing a didgeridoo he says I will remember this moment forever. A group of women on my right discuss some of the controversies behind the event, saying the RSPCA asked for the night fireworks to be banned so animals would not be stressed. They also complained about the pollution of the local church releasing balloons declaring, "He is Risen" on Easter Sunday. One joked that they must have God`s permission. Behind their jokes and petty gripes it was easy to detect a concern for an event which not only represents a religious tradition but is a major source of revenue for Ulladulla, and of great entertainment for holidaymakers. 12pm
The crowd jostles down to the harbour front for the official blessing ceremony. It`s elbow room only when two priests and a representative from the Italian community get into a boat with the coast guards to sprinkle their holy water over the fishing fleet. The priests have the prime role but the other man or "nonno" (grand father) is the popular character with his relatives yelling out to him from every corner of the harbour. Each boat is blessed for their year of fishing ahead with a daub of water. Some boat owners jokingly ask for a bucket of water but most of them seem genuinely pleased as they cook up steaks and seafood from BBQs on the boats. Italians that have come from Sydney think it`s all very entertaining, joking with the priests from the pier and chatting to everyone else. It`s sunny, warm and everyone is friendly and jovial. It could be the shores of the Mediterranean. 1.30pm
Now the official business is out of the way, everyone sits back in typical Italian fashion to wine and dine the afternoon away. The "Italy Down Under" performance comes to the main stage with traditional tunes and jokes from Italian-Australian performers. Conveniently situated behind this is the "Taste of Italy" alfresco feast of traditional Italian dishes including seafood, salad and pastas. The locals settle in on seats, calling out to the performers in Italian, requesting songs and generally helping entertain the other bystanders. Between songs I chat to Deidre, a local dance instructor, dressed in electrifying blue with huge dark sunglasses. She sings and claps away in the front row and the performers themselves soon acknowledge her. 3.30pm
The crowd moves to the beach in the middle of the afternoon for games such as spaghetti eating competitions (hands free), tug-of-war and the greasy pole - all combined for people to lose their inhibitions and enter freely in the celebrations if they have not done so already. 6.30pm
An aboriginal dance performance involving local school children strikes up a spirit of harmony and sets the stage for the Spirit of Ngulla Lantern parade - a procession of more than 300 people carrying paper and bamboo lanterns, giant illuminated puppets and the Spirit of Peace - a giant illuminated boat made out of rice paper. It seems a fitting statement for the current political situation on Aboriginal affairs. The boat is carried around the harbour and then down along the beach to the far end where it is sacrificially burnt like an effigy to the delighted cries of the crowd. It`s a little disconcerting in the half dark as the flames roar up the beach but the spirit of goodwill continues as the fireworks light up the sky after 8pm. Thousands try to leave the beach as the tide comes up but perhaps the holy water for the fishing boats sprinkled the event in safety too and we all leave get off the beach without mishap. IF YOU GO
The Blessing of the Fleet festival is held over the Easter long weekend so accommodation and other arrangements need to be prepared well in advance. There is a backpackers on the Princess Highway and plenty of caravan parks and camping grounds nearby. Holiday homes and units are also available for rent. OTHER THINGS TO DO
Sydney is only a half-day trip further north for those wanting to see one of the Southern Hemisphere`s most famous cities. The fishing port of Batemans Bay is another popular holiday centre south of Ulladulla. Closer to Ulladulla is Pigeon House mountain, numerous lakes for fishing and boating and water sports, wonderful beaches and small historical towns like Milton. WHEN TO GO
If you can`t make it at Easter another popular holiday time in Ulladulla is over the Christmas period although accommodation can be scarce and the region busy. Weather is generally good between September and April. HOW TO GET THERE
The nearest airports to Ulladulla are Sydney and Canberra, although there is a more direct bus service to Sydney with Pioneer, Premier and Greyhound for about AUS$20. Ulladulla is approximately 200 kilometres south of Sydney on the coast. BOOK HERE |
