ULLADULLA

Ulladulla started its life as the port for settlers in the area near the town that today is Milton.

The first settler in that area was the Reverend Thomas Kendall (the poet Henry Kendall’s grandfather) who received a land grant and then, in 1828, set up his farm, ‘Kendall Dale’, north of Milton.

That was the same year that Thomas Florance surveyed the coastline from ‘Burrill Mouth’ (spelt Bhurril) to Narrawallee (which he spelt as Nurrahwherree). The south point of what is now Ulladulla Harbour was named ‘Long Nose Point’ by Florance. It seems from Florance’s notes that the native name of the harbour was 'Woollabderrah’ (from which the name Ulladulla may have been taken), but Florance called it ‘Wasp Harbor’ after the name of his boat, which he had anchored in the bay.

Those from ‘The Settlement’ (present day Milton) simply called it ‘The Boat Harbour’. And there is some evidence - for example in an advertisement in ‘The Australian’ newspaper of Tuesday 14th December 1841, that refers to a shipping service from Sydney to ‘Holy Dollar and Broulee direct’ – to suggest that Ulladulla may once have been known as, and is a corruption of, ‘Holy Dollar’. (Or perhaps - more likely - the newspaper’s typesetter just misheard the name of that destination!!)

Settlers such as Thomas Kendall exploited the stands of Australian red cedar in the area and Ulladulla prospered as a timber port from the 1840s. From about 1840 a shipbuilding industry also developed after David and James Warden established a yard on the beach inside Ulladulla harbour. ‘Long Nose Point’, to the south of the harbour, later became Warden Head in their honour.

Other early local industries included dairying, wheat growing, pig raising, and maize and vegetable cultivation. In 1854 a tannery was opened by Richard Millard on Millards Creek at the very bottom of town. It survived until 1939 when it was destroyed in a bushfire. A timber mill operated on the opposite bank of the creek.

By 1856 the population of Ulladulla had grown to around 300.

In 1858 the route of a road to Ulladulla was defined, and a private jetty was built into the harbour. It was paid for by public subscription. This was replaced in 1865 by a more substantial public wharf.

The safety of the harbour was enhanced in 1873 when a lighthouse constructed of cast iron plates was erected on the breakwater at the entrance to the harbour. It was moved in 1889 to Warden Head.

Back in 1862 the people of Ulladulla helped to launch Henry Kendall’s literary career when they financed, through a public subscription, the publishing of his first book, ‘Poems and Songs’. He was to become one of Australia's most distinguished contemporary poets.

Today, Ulladulla is home to one of the state’s largest fleets of commercial fishing trawlers. But, increasingly, the town has become a significant commercial centre as well as a coastal holiday resort and popular place for retirees.

A popular local annual event is the Ulladulla Blessing of the Fleet. This event began in January 1956 when the Catholic Parish Priest, Father Weatherall, suggested to boat owners and crews that they should embrace what was originally a 15th century Mediterranean tradition of blessing local fishing boats, to ensure they benefitted from a safe and bountiful season.

Image: Ulladulla lighthouse, 1879