How to celebrate 90 years of Grafton’s Jacaranda Festival

By Shaney Hudson
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Every spring, Grafton’s streets are plunged into a purple paradise by its iconic jacaranda trees. This year the season culminates in 90 years of the city’s famous Jacaranda Festival.

To see Grafton’s jacaranda trees in bloom is to see a town transformed almost overnight. For just a few short weeks each spring, clusters of lilac bell-shaped blooms unfurl and stretch out lazily across the branches of the town’s jacaranda trees, shrouding the streets in a purple haze. Not only does Grafton then emerge as one of the most enchanting places in Australia, but it’s also proudly home to the famous Jacaranda Festival.

This year, the festival celebrates its 90th anniversary. What began as a small act of civic pride among locals is now regarded as the country’s longest-running and most beautiful floral festival, capturing the romance of regional living and celebrating a unique tree like no other.

Girl looking at jacaranda trees

Experience the most beautiful floral festival in Grafton.

A verdant history

The first of Grafton’s iconic jacaranda trees were planted in the 1880s as part of a town beautification project. They’ve since become a much-celebrated tourist attraction, with many of the 1700 heavily scented jacarandas reaching well over 100 years old.

Grafton Jacaranda Festival highlights

For its 90th birthday this year, the festival is celebrating with a dynamic lineup of performances, parades and parties, not to mention market stalls, rides and live entertainment.

Food is front and centre, so expect a showcase of the best Clarence Valley produce, as well as the CHS Training Blossom Wine & Dine Long Lunch, which takes place outdoors under the purple canopy. There’s also the country-style Whiddon Jacaranda Afternoon Tea, as well as a variety of food trucks located in and around festival hubs.

Traditionally, the Clarence River marks the boundary between the Bundjalung and Gumbaynggirr people. Along with the Yaegl people, the three Traditional Custodians of the Clarence Valley will come together for a day of shared culture, performance, music and dance as part of the River Dreaming program. The Women of Song music event also features First Nations Choral Group performances.

Jacaranda trees with a ferris wheel

Enjoy the festival with thrilling rides.

Stay overnight and you’ll get a chance to see the jacaranda trees illuminated in See Park. Here, some of the city’s best jacaranda canopies are lit up at night, juxtaposing the vibrant purple against the night sky and reflecting on the park’s water features.

There’s plenty for kids, too. Along with the Friday night fireworks, the festival kicks off with the Children’s Party, featuring dress-ups, food trucks and games for kids. Carnival Capers, held in South Grafton, has free family entertainment. There’s also a free community breakfast held in Market Square.

One of the best ways to experience the festival is on a bus tour, which will take you to all the hotspots around town and South Grafton. You can also choose to take a hop-on, hop-off bus service around the hubs and events.

Jacaranda trees illuminated at night

Immerse yourself in the beauty of the Jacaranda trees as they are illuminated at night.

Why not stay a little longer?

While the jacarandas take all the attention, Grafton is also home to one of Australia’s most important regional art prizes: the Jacaranda Acquisitive Drawing Award (JADA). Shown at the Grafton Regional Gallery, the competition attracts some of Australia’s premier artists, and entries are exhibited during the festival.

The Grafton Heritage Trail showcases the best of the city’s Edwardian and Victorian architecture, including the National Trust-listed Schaeffer House; now a museum, it was built in 1901 by local architect F.W.C Schaeffer, who helped shape the area. Just outside town you’ll also find the quirky Remember When Cottage Museum, a historic building fitted out with memorabilia from life in the Clarence Valley.

Signage at the Grafton Regional Gallery.

Discover more about Grafton through its art. (Image: Destination NSW)

It’s also worth stopping by Grafton’s iconic “bendy" bridge, a double-decker bascule truss bridge, built with a bend on either approach for vehicles to accommodate the rail line. Part of the heritage walking trail and best experienced on foot, the purple flowers reflect brilliantly on the Clarence River below when the winds are still, then dot the river in flecks of mauve when a breeze appears.

The Clarence Valley region is the perfect place for a road trip. Drop a line at the mouth of the Clarence River at Iluka, surf Yamba’s iconic break, visit the historic river town of Maclean with its Scottish heritage, or take to the waterways on the spectacular 195-kilometre Clarence Canoe and Kayak trail. Then, stay a night or two in any one of the numerous caravan parks, cosy pubs, boutique hotels, retro motels or private rural properties dotted around the area.

Surfer surfing at Yamba

Catch a wave in Yamba. (Image: Destination NSW)

Shaney Hudson is an award-winning freelance writer based in Sydney, Australia. After five years living in Europe, she now loves jumping in the car to explore Australia with her young family. Most of all she loves to go where the wild things are.
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This NSW coastal walk has secluded beaches, wildflowers and whale watching

    By Emily Murphy
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    Rugged headlands, hidden beaches and sweeping ocean views.

    Tucked inside Hat Head National Park, Connors Walking Track is one of those quintessential North Coast hikes that rewards you at every turn. Beginning near the famous Trial Bay Gaol at South West Rocks, the 3.7-kilometre one-way trail hugs the clifftops and leads walkers across windswept headlands, heathland and shaded forest before spilling out onto the golden arc of Gap Beach.

    Why it’s worth the walk

    This isn’t a trek that demands heavy boots or a packed lunch; it’s a short hike you can squeeze into a morning or afternoon. But don’t be fooled: what it lacks in distance, it makes up for in difficulty. The coastal walk is on a relatively rough track, with short, steep hills, occasional steps and natural obstacles along the way.

    You’ll pass lookouts with front-row views over the Pacific Ocean, and in whale season (May to November), you might even catch the telltale blow of a humpback passing offshore. The trail weaves through banksia and eucalypt forest before opening onto exposed headlands where the sea breeze is at its fiercest. At its finish, Gap Beach is a wild, unpatrolled stretch of sand that feels a world away from South West Rocks.

    How to do it

    Scenic coastal views from Little Bay Picnic Area, South West Rocks

    You can start the walk from Little Bay picnic area. (Image: Destination NSW)

    Start the walk from Trial Bay Gaol or Little Bay picnic area and allow one to two hours one way. Some hikers opt for a return trip, while others arrange a pick-up at the other end to keep things easy. The track is well-marked, but you’ll need some bushwalking experience and a moderate level of fitness to tackle the steep sections and sandy approach to the beach.

    If you’ve got more energy to burn, Connors Walking Track connects with other trails in Hat Head National Park, including the Smoky Cape Range Walking Track, giving you options to extend your adventure.

    Need-to-know

    Green hills covered with juicy grass by the ocean, beautiful beach surrounded by cliffs in Australia, Connors Beach in Hat Head National Park, NSW

    Connors Walking Track is a must-do hike in northern NSW. (Image: Getty Images / Jakub Maculewicz)

    Distance: 3.7 kilometres one way
    Time: 1-2 hours
    Difficulty: Grade 4
    Experience required: Yes
    Start/finish: Trial Bay Gaol or Gap Beach
    Best for: Coastal views, whale spotting, wildflowers

    Connors Walking Track is one of the North Coast’s most rewarding short hikes, a chance to lace up your shoes and, in under two hours, be transported from historic ruins to windswept headlands to an untouched stretch of sand. If you’re heading to South West Rocks, consider this your must-do walk.