In the 1930s many Italian fishermen settled in the small fishing village of ULLADULLA , and they're still a strong influence on the atmosphere of this tranquil outpost: the traditional Blessing of the Fleet continues to be celebrated every Easter at the harbour breakwater. It's a beautiful area, dominated by the sandstone plateau of the Morton National Park , rising steeply to the west of town. Mostly this is an inaccessible barrier, but there's a good bushwalk to the top of the 719-metre-high Pigeon House Mountain in the Budawang Range; the walk there and back takes about four hours and is accessed from the Princes Highway, via a turn-off 8km south of Ulladulla. Along the coast in both directions are attractive river mouths, beaches and lakes: among those worth visiting are pretty Lake Conjola , 10km to the north; Lake Burrill , 5km to the south; and Lake Tabourie , 13km to the south - all are popular with fishermen, canoeists and campers. Around Ulladulla there are also some quaint country towns worth visiting. Mollymook , 3km to the north, has some sensational surfing sites and hiking trails and a few kilometres further on there's lots to see and do in the village of Milton , home to numerous antique shops, craft shops and cafés. This region provides a relaxing weekend escape from Sydney or a worthwhile stopover en route to or from Melbourne, but you really need your own transport to appreciate the area and to get off the main roads onto some of the scenic drives.

Tourist information is available from the Civic Centre on the highway (Mon-Fri 10am-5pm, Sat & Sun 9am-5pm; tel 02/4455 1269). They can advise you on accommodation , and the local Chamber of Commerce also operates a central reservations hotline (tel 02/4454 4434). Places to stay include the Quiet Garden Motel on a rocky promontory at 2 Burrill St (tel 02/4455 1757, fax 4454 3090; $90-115); the elegant Ulladulla Guesthouse , near the harbour at the corner of Burrill and South streets (tel 02/4455 1796, fax 5545 4660, www.guesthouse.com.au ; $150 and upwards), which has a spa and sauna and excellent-value singles; and the VIP/South Coast Backpackers , 63 Princes Highway (tel 02/4454 0500; rooms $35-50, dorms under $20), a small, renovated hostel which can provide lifts to Pigeon House Mountain, Jervis Bay or Murramarang National Park, and also have bikes and canoes for hire. The Beach Haven Holiday Resort , on Princes Highway in Ulladulla South (tel 02/4455 2110 or 4455 1712; holiday apartments $50-115, cabins $50-70, on-site vans $20-50), boasts a beachfront location, complete with swimming pools, spa and tennis courts. There's also a council-run caravan park on South Street, close to the beach: Ulladulla Headland Tourist Park (tel 02/4455 2457; six-person cabins $90-115; tent site under $20).

In terms of activities , there's swimming at the free seawater pool by the wharf, or open-water scuba courses run by Ulladulla Divers Supplies, Watson Street (tel 02/4455 5303). The local Budamurra Aboriginal community has also constructed an interesting cultural trail, the Coomee Nulunga (tel 02/4455 5883, www.budamurra.asn.au ); access is via Deering Street, opposite the Lighthouse Oval car park. The track meanders through eucalypts and heath flowers to a viewing platform over the ocean, and then on to a secluded beach. Guided tours ($10) are offered by the Budamurra people, and include tips on boomerang throwing, didgeridoo playing and fire making, as well as some bush tucker.

There are a couple of good Italian places to eat in the town, including Tory's Seafood , 30 Watson St, by the wharf (daily for dinner plus Sun lunch; tel 02/4454 0888). Cookaburra's , 10 Watson St (closed Thurs; tel 02/4454 1443) is an ambient, BYO restaurant with waterfront views serving innovative Asian and Cajun-inspired seafood and poultry dishes, while the Harbourside Restaurant , 84 Princes Highway (tel 02/4455 3377) specializes in modern Australian cuisine and fresh seafood open daily and is licensed and BYO. The Ulladulla Guesthouse has a Provençal-style BYO restaurant, Elizans , and there's also a modern noodle bar, Soba , in the Pavilion Centre on Green Street (tel 02/4454 3565).