Mediterranean reflections

Italy comes to Australia in Ulladulla's Blessing of the Fleet festival, writes JOANNE LANE.

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, on the coast 200km south of Sydney, is a long way from the Mediterranean but the festival, which was brought by fishermen from Italy where fishing fleets have been blessed for centuries, is now a tradition of 46 years.

The town's population swells from 12,000 to 60,000 for the weekend, with Italians from Sydney, Melbourne and the motherland making a pilgrimage here, along with many other Australian holidaymakers.

Having lived in Italy for some time I decided to see how it compared with celebrations the other side of the globe.

My research into the festival spirit starts at 8.30am on Easter Sunday.

I join the local netball teams, residents and keen visitors at the Ulladulla Harbour 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 that the start whistle blows as a semi trailer is reversing into the start line and we all try to avoid being run over.

The route goes past the floats preparing for the grand parade and we sidestep people in colourful costumes along the way.

I'm halfway through the race when I realise I could win my division. But an overindulgence in food and drink during the past two weeks costs me the A$50 ($57.60) prize, which goes to a local girl. Never mind.

The parade starts at 11am so, while still recovering from the loss, I stake out a prime position on the main street.

It's a multicultural affair. An Indian family chats 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.

Floats inspired by movies such as Moulin Rouge, Peter Pan and The 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 gives me a nudge to take a photo of a float he declares to be "molto interessato" (very interesting).

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 complain about pollution caused by the local church releasing balloons declaring, "He is Risen" on Easter Sunday, with one joking that the church must have God's permission.

Behind their jokes and petty gripes it is easy to detect a concern for an event that is not only a religious tradition but also a major source of revenue for Ulladulla and great entertainment for holidaymakers.

After the parade the crowd jostles down to the harbour for the official blessing ceremony at noon. It's elbow room only when two priests and a venerable 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 local man or "nonno" (grandfather) is the popular character, with his relatives yelling out to him from every corner of the harbour.

Each boat is blessed with a daub of water for its year of fishing ahead.

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 barbecues on the boats.

Italians 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.

With the official business 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.

In the middle of the afternoon the crowd moves to the beach for games such as hands-free spaghetti-eating competitions, tug-of-war and the greasy pole, all of which combine to make people lose their inhibitions and enter freely into the celebrations, if they have not done so already.

As evening draws close 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 with rice paper.

The boat is carried around the harbour and then 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.

Perhaps the holy water for the fishing boats may have sprinkled the rest of the event, too, as thousands pour from the beach at the end of the celebrations.

IF YOU GO

The Blessing of the Fleet festival is held over the Easter long weekend so you need to book accommodation and other arrangements need to be prepared well in advance.

You can get the programme and information from Blessing Fleet.

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

The fishing port of Batemans Bay is a popular holiday centre south of Ulladulla. Closer to Ulladulla are Pigeon House Mountain, numerous lakes for fishing and boating and water sports, wonderful beaches and small historical towns such as 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 A$20 ($23).

Ulladulla is approximately 200km south of Sydney.