Emma Pritchard
As the beautiful harmonies of carol singers enchanted the crowd and business owners along Coldstream Street cheerfully welcomed tourists to their historic village, the riverside community of Ulmarra joyfully embraced the festive season when they hosted a magical Christmas evening on December 10.
Shops and boutique stores remained open until 8pm, allowing customers the opportunity to indulge in some late-night retail therapy, while Santa made a special guest appearance and presented several delighted children with some early Christmas gifts.
Following the inaugural success of the event last year, local business owner and member of Ulmarra Village Inc Steve Pickering said it was absolutely fantastic to see another enthusiastic turnout on the weekend, adding many people, including Santa, had made the return journey to Ulmarra in 2022.
“It’s great to know that a lot of people came back this year,” he said.
“Along with supporting our local businesses, it’s also a great chance for people to come and visit Ulmarra, and to see what a great community we have here.
“We’re already thinking ahead to hosting the event again in 2023, and the elves of the North Pole have told me Santa would love to come back, which is great.”
While many visitors had been eagerly looking forward to returning to Ulmarra for the magical Christmas evening this year, Louis Tutty and his partner Robin Schultz revealed they had a very different reason for attending.
The couple from Victoria were passing through on their way to Coffs Harbour when they saw the festivities underway and decided to make an impulsive stopover.
Describing the ambience of Ulmarra as utterly charming, Mr Tutty and Ms Schultz said they were pleased their trip south had literally taken the wrong turn, enabling them to visit the riverside community.
“We’d been in Maclean, and we inadvertently drove along the Big River Way instead of turning onto the Pacific Highway,” Mr Tutty revealed.
“But if I hadn’t taken the wrong turn, we would have missed out on visiting the incredible village of Ulmarra and seeing the magical Christmas event.”
“We honestly didn’t know anything about Ulmarra until we drove through it,” Ms Schultz added.
“We had a fantastic time going into all the shops and just having a look around, and I can’t remember the last time I saw such a small community put on such a tremendous event.
“I hope it’s on again in 2023, because we will definitely come back.”