Harbour Bridge is 90 and town that gave it pylons celebrates

In 1959, the Moruya Examiner ran a headline 'Mardi Gras draws thousands'. It would be equally apt today.

For the first time in more than 40 years, Moruya held a Mardi Gras parade in celebration of the town's role in the construction of the Sydney Harbour Bridge - which turned 90 on the day.

The granite for the two Harbour Bridge pylons was cut from the Moruya Quarry on North Head Drive. The granite was transported by boat along the Moruya river and up the coast to Sydney.

Event coordinator Gary Traynor decided the iconic Bridge's 90^th birthday was a fantastic time to resurrect the Moruya Mardi Gras parades of old - not to be confused with the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras.

There were a few differences of course - the parade was on Church Street, not Vulcan Street, automobiles from the 70s were now considered 'history' and were interspersed amongst modern Mustangs and floats on trucks - "representative of the decades of traffic over the Harbour Bridge" Mr Traynor said.

However the spirit of the event was the same, and the locals loved an opportunity to celebrate their town and their history.

Mr Traynor's highlight was all the returning expats travelling to attend the event.

"All the expats came back, he said. "People who grew up in Moruya but have moved away - they came from Queensland, the Gold Coast, Victoria, all over Australia, to relive a childhood memory.

"People were so happy and so joyful.

"A lot of people have suffered in the past few years and it was a good excuse to get out among the people.

"It was a privilege to be a part of it."

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The parade began with a reenactment of the Harbour Bridge opening 90 years ago, including the infamous protest of Francis de Groot. At the original event, de Groot, a member of the New Guard of Australia, rode into the official proceedings on horseback and cut the ribbon with his sword before the NSW Premier - Jack Lang - could officially open the bridge. The "ghost of de Groot" - as Mr Traynor called him - sliced the ribbon with his ceremonial sword before being marched through the parade. The ribbon was retired, just as in 1932 - and officially cut by member for Bega Dr Holland and Gilmore MP Fiona Phillips.

The parade was led by an Aboriginal smoking ceremony, and two vehicles containing Yuin matriarch Dorrie Davis and Moruya-local Michel Nader - who famously rode a camel through the parade in the 70s.

There were almost 60 different floats in the parade, including throw backs to the history of the Mardi Gras: The "Wild Man from Bendethera" was still terrorising local children and the local lifesavers carried their now-retired life saving equipment of old.

Mr Traynor said the Wild Man from Bendethera float demonstrated the community support of the event: The ghillie suit was donated by local cadets, and a Moruya-based fence-maker drove to Nowra to borrow the cage from PCYC.

"The community was so prepared to help," Mr Traynor said. He estimated there were more than 300 people involved in the floats - but said that number could easily exceed 400.

The parade was halted at moments so traffic could pass through the Princes Highway, and Mr Traynor said the event would not have been possible without the incredible support of the Batemans Bay Police.

Too many people registered for a tour of Moruya Quarry on March 20 - a site that has never been open to the public for tours. Mr Traynor hopes these tours will become an annual event. He hopes the parade will become a bi-annual event.

At 9pm, fireworks lit up the sky over the Moruya River.

"There were so many kids born during COVID who had never seen fireworks before," Mr Traynor said. "How amazing is that?"

"The young people will remember this - just like the expats who came back for the weekend.

"We have created new memories.

"I get goose bumps just thinking about it."

This story first appeared on the Bay-Post-Moruya Examiner