The 8 Best Places To See Jacarandas Around Australia

From Sydney to the Scenic Rim, the purple haze of jacaranda trees is synonymous with Australian spring.

Every spring, Australian social media accounts become flooded with purple as people line up in front of vibrant jacaranda trees in full bloom. Despite being imported, over the last 100 years or so, they’ve become a symbol of Australian spring, and their popularity only seems to increase yearly. Heck, they even have a 90-year-long annual festival in their honour. Read on for the best places around Australia to see jacarandas and join in the purple craze.

History

view of Lavender Bay with jacarandas in the spring — Sydney is taken over by purple in spring. (Image: Destination NSW)

Endemic to South America, the first jacaranda specimens were sent to British shores by Botanist Alan Cunningham from Rio de Janeiro. They were planted in Kew Gardens in 1818, and one theory of how they got into Australia is that they were brought from these very gardens during colonisation. But it’s also possible Cunningham himself brought them here during his later postings.

So, who got the first jacaranda tree in Australia? Brisbane claims the titles with its earliest tree being planted in 1864, but records show that the Sydney Botanic Garden jacaranda is dated to about 1850. Not to mention, jacarandas were listed for sale around Sydney in 1861. Sorry, Brisbane.

1. Grafton, NSW

Jacarandas Grafton Roches Family Hotel — Grafton is arguably Australia’s most famous destination for jacaranda trees. (Image: My Clarence Valley)

It would be remiss not to start with Grafton, arguably Australia’s most famous destination for jacaranda trees and home to the Jacaranda Festival, which turns 90 this year (making it the country’s longest-running floral festival). Join in long lunch events, stay after dark to see the purple trees in lights, learn from the three Traditional Custodians of the Clarence Valley and bring the kids for plenty of family-friendly events.

2. Sydney, NSW

view of Circular Quay from The Rocks with jacarandas in the spring — Sydney is awash with purple as it dusts off the chill of winter. (Image: Destination NSW)

It’s hard to avoid jacaranda trees in Sydney, the city is awash with purple as it dusts off the chill of winter. Inner-city areas like Circular Quay and The Rocks, Paddington and Kirribilli are all very popular photo spots and tend to provide beautiful Harbour Bridge and city or sandstone backdrops for the trees. Lavender Bay, Hunters Hill and the lower North Shore also put on a show, though they’re harder to get around if you’re relying on public transport. The University of Sydney has a beautiful campus already, and it becomes dotted with purple each year.

The Inner West joins in the show, especially around Camperdown, Newtown and Glebe. Out west, Parramatta isn’t to be outdone, especially around the popular River Walk. A little further afield of the city, Argyle Street in Camden is popular for jacaranda photos, as is Macarthur.

3. Brisbane, Qld

Jacaranda at Brisbane's Wilsons Lookout — Jacarandas can be spotted all around Brisbane. (Image: Tourism and Events Queensland)

Queensland’s capital has proven itself to be just as jacaranda happy as its southern counterpart. The first stop for those hoping to see jacarandas must be Brisbane City Botanic Gardens. In fact, this is where the state’s first Jacaranda tree was planted, in 1864 (as we know, Queensland does claim this is the first in Australia, but it seems unlikely). It was blown down by weather events, but these days, plenty bloom in its place.

Also around the city, the University of Queensland campus, Princess Street in the CBD, Goodna and New Farm all fill with a purple haze. While the Dockside walk at Kangaroo Point is the perfect way to enjoy these trees, Yeronga even has an aptly named Jacaranda Park.

If you have the time (and you should make time), Leis Park in Lawnton is an hour out of the CBD and doesn’t play with its jacaranda display, while sipping local wine and looking out at a purple Mt Tamborine is pretty spectacular.

4. Melbourne, Vic

Jacaranda tree in Park in Melbourne — See jacarandas dot Melbourne Royal Botanic Gardens in spring. (Image: Getty Images / Zoya Avenirovna)

Melbourne may already draw crowds keen to sip its world-renowned coffee while they gaze at its plentiful and colourful street art. But come spring, there’s one more, purple, reason to visit. Head to the Royal Botanical Gardens to wander through a range of stunning florals, see jacarandas against the historic sandstone Parliament House and the University of Melbourne buildings, or drive a little further out of the CBD to see the impressive display in Fitzroy North’s Edinburgh Gardens.

5. Perth, WA

Beautiful Jacaranda trees are reaching out to sky on a sunny blue sky day, Perth, Australia — Perth is not to be left out in the jacaranda season. (Image: Getty Images / Hideaki Edo)

Home to another jacaranda festival, Perth is not to be left out in the jacaranda season. Head to Applecross for the annual Rotary Jacaranda Festival to find stalls and live entertainment to celebrate these beauties, as well as all things community. Elsewhere around the capital, Highgate, Inglewood and Marlborough Street in East Perth all present photo opportunities. While Old Jacaranda Way in Subiaco is famous for these trees, it was even named after them.

6. Adelaide, SA

Jacarandas in Adelaide North Terrace — Seek out jacarandas in Adelaide. (Image: Michael Waterhouse Photography)

Perhaps not as filled with these purple trees as other capital cities, you’ll still find a decent smattering of purple all around the Adelaide CBD, as we as throughout the suburbs of Goodwood, Blair Athol, Blackforest, Beulah Park, Clarence Gardens and Clarence Park.

7. Southeast Queensland

a jacaranda tree in bloom in front of glasshouse mountains queensland — View jacarandas and the usual stunning view from the Mary Cairncross Scenic Reserve lookout.

The Glasshouse Mountains in Sunshine Coast’s hinterlands, seen from the lookout by Mary Cairncross Scenic Reserve, are a stunning sight year-round, but over spring, when the foreground becomes dotted with purple jacaranda flowers, the colour palette becomes unbeatable. A quaint country town, Boonah, also has a reputation for its purple blooms (and its world heritage-listed surrounds), and the adorable Scenic Rim Farm Shop & Cafe sits in the shade of a giant jacaranda. Here, you can taste an ever-changing menu that champions local ingredients, and a particularly popular range of house-made cakes.

8. Herberton, Qld

train and stalls at Herberton Jacaranda Festival in queensland — Head to Herberton in October for the Jacaranda Festival.

Further north, near Atherton and its famous Tablelands in Tropical North Queensland, Herberton also puts on a seasonal festival . During October, one weekend is filled with live music, entertainment, food trucks and even competitions, all in the name of jacaranda trees.

The charm of Mildura is hidden in plain sight along the Sturt Highway. The capital of Tropical North Victoria is in a league of its own.

From the moment you arrive in Mildura , the warm air and palm trees invite you to slow down. While most Australians might drive right past it, Mildura is full of surprises. Here you’ll spend one day witnessing over 50,000 years of First Nations history in a UNESCO-listed National Park, and the next dining in a hatted restaurant after wandering through 12,500 fireflies as the outback sunset bursts to life above. From roadside fruit stalls and family-run wineries to houseboats and galleries, it’s time to explore Mildura.

Feast Street, at the heart of Langtree Avenue in Mildura. — Taste, wander and be surprised in Mildura.

Taste Mildura’s produce

It makes sense to start your trip by addressing the most important question: where to eat. In the beating heart of Australia’s food bowl, sample the local produce directly from the source. And then, of course, experience it through the menu of a hatted chef. Or sandwiched between pillowy slices of Nonna’s ciabatta.

Rows of orchards and olive groves invite you to spend the day traipsing from farm to farm. Taste olives propagated from Calabrian trees brought over in the 40s, oranges picked right from the tree and squeezed into juice and spoons full of honey . Bring the holiday back to your kitchen by stocking your pantry at roadside produce stalls, or calling into the ‘silver shed ’ (Sunraysia’s gourmand Mecca).

Thanks to the warm, balmy air and fertile soils, the wineries dotted along these hills produce award-winning local wines. Like Chalmers , a family-run, innovative winery dedicated to making their wines as sustainable as possible. And picturesque Trentham Estate offers views of the snaking Murray River as you sample their vintages.

Venture beyond the gnarled shadows of olive groves and fragrant rows of blossoming fruit trees and you’ll find an otherworldly side to Mildura. With Discover Mildura as your guide, visit Murray River Salt’s Mars-like stacks. The naturally pink salt is formed from an ancient inland sea and evaporated entirely by the sun to create one of the region’s most iconic exports.

Start your day with just-squeezed sunshine.

Hatted dining & Italian history

Mildura is home to a proud community of Calabrians and Sicilians. This, paired with the exceptional local produce, means that you can find paninos on par with those in Italy. The Italian is a Paninoteca serving up made-to-order, hefty, authentic Sicilian paninos. Nonna Rosa’s pork meatballs, slowly cooked in tomato ragu and served in a crusty, fluffy roll topped with gratings of Grana Padano cheese and salsa verde, will call you back to Mildura for the rest of your days.

To find hatted dining in Mildura, simply follow the staircase down into the basement of the historic Mildura Grand Hotel to find Stefano’s . Following the muscle memory and instinct of his Italian roots, he delivers on the principle of ‘cucina povera’. That is, the Italian cooking ideology that turns simple, local ingredients into magic.

Things to do in Mildura include dining at the acclaimed Stefano’s, where simple local ingredients are transformed into Italian culinary magic beneath the historic Grand Hotel. — Bite into Mildura’s Italian heritage.

Discover a thriving culture scene

The city is alive with culture. Whether it’s painted on the town’s walls, told in ancient yarns, or waiting for you in a gallery.

The Mildura Arts Centre was Australia’s first regional art gallery. Behind the walls of Rio Vista Historic House, you’ll find a lineup of ever-changing exhibitions. The gallery’s wall space pays tribute to the art and songlines of local First Nations People, the region’s awe-inspiring landscapes and more. Outside, on the gallery’s lawn, find 12 contemporary sculptures in the Sculpture Park.

Mildura’s streetscapes are a punch of colour. Swirling strokes of paint blend the winding artery of the Murray River, red dirt and local characters into a story you can see with your own eyes, thanks to the Mildura City Heart’s Mural Art Project . Pick up a copy of the Murals of Mildura guide from the Visitor Information Centre.

Follow the border of NSW and Victoria on a map and you’ll see it hugs the curves of a tiny island on the Murray. That’s Lock Island, where, as the sun and moon trade places, the island comes alive as darkness falls. The island is dotted with 12,500 firefly lights that lead you on a meandering path through the outback sunset. The installation is known as Trail of Lights and was created by the same visionary who dreamt up Field of Light at Uluṟu, Bruce Munro.

Things to do in Mildura include exploring its rich cultural scene. From vibrant street art and ancient stories to exhibitions at the Mildura Arts Centre, Australia’s first regional gallery. — Find culture around every corner.

Wonder at ancient landscapes

The landscapes of Mildura feel almost transcendental. The skyline bursts to life with reds, pinks, and deep, sparkly night skies.

The nature will leave you in awe. See hues of pink water changing with the weather at Pink Lakes inside Victoria’s largest national park, Murray Sunset National Oark. Cast a line into Ouyen Lake. Watch the sunset against 70-metre tall red cliffs that reflect the setting sun. Or get the heart racing and sandboard down the Perry Sandhills dunes, formed 40,000 years ago at the end of an ice age.

Just don’t leave without following the twists and turns of the Murray. Stroll or ride along the Shared River Front Path, or jump onboard a boat for a scenic ride.

Your itinerary will be incomplete without a visit to UNESCO World Heritage-listed Mungo National Park . Head out with an Indigenous ranger to witness ancient campsites and footprints, before standing in awe of ancient civilisation near the discovery site of Mungo Man—Australia’s oldest human skeleton at 42,000 years old.

Mungo National Park at night is a vast, silent landscape where ancient dunes glow under moonlight and stars blanket the sky in breathtaking clarity. — Walk in the footsteps of ancient civilisation.

Meet your home away from home

On equal par with planning your meals and adventures, is finding the perfect place to relax at the end of each day.

Sleep inside a Palm Springs postcard at Kar-Rama . A sleek boutique hotel complete with a butterfly shaped, sun-soaked pool. Here you’re staying right in the heart of Mildura but you’ll feel worlds away. Or if you really wish to connect with nature, a night glamping under the stars at Outback Almonds will have you spellbound.

When in Mildura it’s only right to stay on one of the Murray River’s iconic houseboats . Wake up each day to the calm waters of the Murray lapping outside your window. Enjoy days full of river swims, fishing and exploring. All boats are solar-powered and can be self-skippered or moored along the river.

A solar-powered houseboat on the Murray River in Mildura. — Stay and play on the Murray in a solar houseboat.

Start planning the perfect getaway at mildura.com .

The 8 best places to see jacarandas around Australia