The vessel is a fully equipped hospital ship complete with operational theatre and pharmacy and will be docked in Ulladulla for several days.

The Pacific Link is a Youth With a Mission (YWAM) vessel manned by volunteers.

It is currently on a tour of Australia's east coast raising awareness of a forthcoming medical mission to Papua New Guinea.

The Pacific Link will be in Ulladulla from March 9 to March 15.

Volunteers from the ship will be taking part in a range of different activities during their stay including visits to local Lions groups and church groups.

They will also be taking people on guided tours of the ship daily between 9am and 4pm.

The Ulladulla-Milton Lions Club will be throwing a barbecue at Lions Park from 6.30pm on March 13 for those people wanting to meet the crew and learn more about their mission.

Senior pastor from Ulladulla's Harbourlife Community Church, Warren Spooner, is encouraging visit to support the visit by donating old pairs of spectacles that will be 'recycled' for use in Papua New Guinea.

"We take our sight and our access to optical services so much for granted here but in places like Papua New Guinea people who could live a normal, functioning, productive life are being denied that gift simply because they can't afford or can't access appropriate reading glasses," Warren said.

"It's such a simple matter - from our perspective - but for many of the people of Papua New Guinea, an insurmountable challenge."

Lions Club International has a Memorandum of Understanding with YWAM to assist with the collection of spectacles.

Local Lion, Elaine Smith, this week issued a challenge to other clubs and special interest groups to join with the Ulladulla-Milton Lions Club and to donate as many old pairs of reading glasses and spectacles as possible.