Grafton

Grafton sits on a bend of the Clarence River in the Northern Rivers, and its wide streets were planted with jacarandas from the late nineteenth century, so heavily that when they flower in late October the whole town turns lilac and the fallen petals carry the colour into the road. The Jacaranda Festival, held since 1935, is the longest-running floral festival in Australia and fills the last week of October and early November. Beyond the trees, the city keeps Victorian and Federation buildings, a regional gallery in Prentice House, the long bendy bridge over the Clarence, and a river that supports fishing and boating. Summer is hot and humid this far north.

History

Before Europeans the Clarence River was the border between the Bundjalung and Gumbaynggirr peoples, and the escaped convict Richard Craig explored the district in 1831 and was pardoned and paid to bring a party of cedar-getters here. John Small, arriving on the Susan in 1838, took up land on Woodford Island, a settlement followed, and in 1851 Governor FitzRoy named the town Grafton after his grandfather, the Duke of Grafton, British prime minister in 1768-1770; it was proclaimed a city in 1885, and the Grafton Bridge of 1932 completed the standard-gauge railway between Sydney and Brisbane (Wikipedia, Grafton, New South Wales).

Highlights

• The jacaranda streets - avenues in full purple flower through late October.
• The Jacaranda Festival - Australia's longest-running floral festival.
• The heritage buildings - Victorian and Federation architecture in the centre.
• The Clarence River - the wide river and its bridges through the city.

When to go

Late October to early November for the jacarandas, whose exact peak shifts by a week or two each year with the season. Outside that window the trees are green and the town is quiet. Summer is hot and humid, winter mild.

What to expect

The flowering window is short and unpredictable, and arriving early or late means green trees. Accommodation is booked out during the festival. Outside it, Grafton has limited visitor attractions.

Nearby

Yamba lies at the river mouth east; Coffs Harbour is south along the highway.

Key facts