How to celebrate 90 years of Grafton’s Jacaranda Festival

Shaney Hudson Shaney Hudson
hero media
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.

Need tips, more detail or itinerary ideas tailored to you? Ask AT.

AI Prompt

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)

Want to see more stories from Australian Traveller in your Google search results?

  1. Click here to set Australian Traveller as a preferred source.
  2. Tick the box next to "Australian Traveller". That's it.
Shaney Hudson
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.
View profile and articles
Temple Hangars in Nashua, NSW
NSW North Coast

Sleep in a luxury hangar at this exclusive stay in the Northern Rivers

The boutique retreat breaking the mould for luxury stays.

Read more
aerial of adults-only pool at crystalbrook byron bay, winner in nsw north coast tourism awards
NSW North Coast

This Byron Bay gem was just crowned the NSW North Coast’s best luxury hotel

The North Coast tourism awards have been announced, and we can't wait to check back into the luxurious winning hotel.

Read more
marina resort
Port Stephens

We check into the luxe, light-bathed retreat upping Nelson Bay’s hotel scene

Once a weary seaside block, Marina Resort is Port Stephens' newest benchmark for swish coastal stays.

Read more
People hiking in Dorrigo National Park
NSW North Coast

A new 54km hiking trail through ancient rainforest is coming to the Coffs Coast

Work has officially begun on the four-day Dorrigo Great Escarpment Walk.

Read more
hero media

Art, wine & fireplaces: 8 reasons Bowral is the ultimate winter getaway

(Credit: Destination NSW)

    Carla Grossetti Carla Grossetti
    Continue
    The Southern Highlands earns its title as Australia’s top country town in the cooler months, and it’s worth every minute of the 90-minute drive from Sydney.

    Many Sydneysiders head to the Southern Highlands in spring for the tulips. It’s one of the most stunning spring carnivals in Australia. But the ones in the know come to Bowral in winter.

    The first thing you notice at this time of year is the quality of the light. It catches the tangled limbs of the gums and tints the fields, farms and forests a pretty shade of Granny Smith green. And then, a world-class art museum, an impressive network of walking trails, great shops, cosy restaurants and bars and luxury accommodation take centre stage, making Bowral a place you want to linger as the mercury drops.

    Just 90 minutes south of Sydney, a Bowral winter getaway is the coolcation city folk desperately need. Here are eight reasons to pack a good coat and head for the Southern Highlands.

    1. Check in

    aerial of Ardour Milton Park Bowral in winter
    Check in to the gorgeous Ardour Milton Park Bowral. (Credit: Destination NSW)

    Ardour Milton Park Bowral rises like a hologram in the hazy green light as you turn onto Horderns Road. A $10 million refurbishment of the grand 1910 estate was completed in early 2026, and the beautifully restored hotel now includes 44 guest rooms washed in sage green, cobalt blue and dusty blush. The dining room at Horderns Restaurant continues with a botanical theme – earthy banquettes, floral touches throughout – and a menu that moves with the seasons.

    After enjoying slow-braised Cowra lamb and a second glass of red, move to the Polo Bar, which has a fireplace and views across the estate gardens. Build a grazing board from the dedicated Charcuterie Room and take it outside while the light lasts. If the sky clouds over, use this as your cue to enjoy a next-level spa experience at Èliva.

    2. Hunt for treasure

    couple exploring Dirty Janes bowral
    Find vintage treasures in Dirty Janes. (Credit: Destination NSW)

    Winter is the perfect season to lose an afternoon inside Dirty Janes Bowral. Over 1600 square metres of covered space houses 90 individual sellers of everything from mid-century furniture to industrial lighting, antique silverware, vintage clothing and objects whose previous lives you can only imagine. Enjoy a bit of off-the-cuff banter with your fellow fossickers in between searching for that must-have military jacket or vintage silk scarf.

    Around the corner, find the Instagram-famous front door of FoundAntiques, though the real finds are deeper inside. Bring cash, wear comfortable shoes and leave some room in the boot.

    3. Slow down in a beautiful gallery

    kids posing with donald bradman statue in bowral's The Bradman Museum
    Learn about an Aussie legend at The Bradman Museum. (Credit: Destination NSW)

    Ngununggula – meaning ’belonging’ in the language of the Gundungurra First Nations people – is the region’s first dedicated regional gallery, housed inside the sustainably transformed old dairy building at historic Retford Park. The onsite White Cottage Gallery and restored grounds of the former Fairfax estate reward a slow wander. Find a spot to sit in the courtyard filled with rivulets of winter light and enjoy the plaintive call of a currawong carrying across the heritage-listed grounds. It’s one of the best things to do in Bowral.

    Add Bowral Honey Farm for a hands-on harvest experience, then continue into town to the Milk Factory Gallery to admire eclectic works by local artists in a converted industrial space. The Bradman Museum also knocks it out of the park. Australia’s largest dedicated cricket museum sits beside the heritage-listed Bradman Oval, where a young Sir Donald Bradman first picked up a bat.

    4. A taste of France

    table spread at Lucette bowral
    Enjoy a taste of France at Lucette.

    For a taste of France without the airfare, husband-and-wife team Julien and Romy Besnard – of long-loved Franquette Crêperie – have opened Lucette, a French cafe-bistro with Paris-born chef Guillaume Dubois at the helm. Dubois brings serious pedigree from Michelin-starred kitchens in France and Sydney’s former two-hatted Monopole, and it shows. Start your day with pastries for breakfast and bookend it with boeuf bourguignon for dinner. The chocolate mousse, freckled with Guerande Salt, is the kind of dish that will make you feel smug about the decision to drive south. Join the Sydneysiders dressed in charcoal coats, boots and black tights who’ve already worked this out; the whole scene is worthy of splicing it into an Instagram reel.

    Francophiles should also be across Julien’s Bowral Brasserie – led by Frenchman Julien Viel, who also found his way to the Southern Highlands and stayed.

    5. Indulge in a tipple

    Centennial Vineyards bowral in winter
    Spend time amongst the local vines. (Credit: Destination NSW)

    The drive to Centennial Vineyards passes through a beautiful woodland idyll, the countryside a fuzz of green all around. Inside the Barrel Room, a tasting flight of cool-climate pinot noir, chardonnay and reserve shiraz viognier flaunts how well the Southern Highlands does winter.

    This is a region that takes its cool-climate wines seriously, and the pinot noir is one of the stars – a gentle, easy-drinking style with red cherry aromas. Follow your tutored cellar door tasting with another glass of wine in the Terrace Bar, which overlooks the vineyard and manicured grounds.

    6. Blend your own gin

    Millsheds Distillery & Bar
    Pop into Millsheds Distillery & Bar. (Credit: Mattia Panunzio)

    Millsheds Distillery & Bar is somewhat of a local secret. The award-winning small-batch operation produces gin, vodka and liqueurs using Australian botanicals and has picked up silver medals at both the London Spirits Competition and International Wine & Spirit Competition. Beyond the tasting paddle, the hands-on blending masterclass – where you design and leave with two bottles of your own custom gin – is the experience to book, while the terrace bar that wraps around the courtyard is a fine place to settle in afterwards.

    7. Go for a walk at dawn

    Switch your phone off sleep mode and set your alarm to early. Mt Gibraltar rises to 864 metres just east of Bowral’s main street and offers the best views in town. You will pass a raggle-taggle bunch of hikers on the way up to the summit, all making the same quiet pilgrimage into the crisp high-altitude air. On a clear morning, the bony ridges of the ranges come into sharp relief against the light. The return loop takes roughly 90 minutes. A flat white in Bowral tastes considerably better after completing one of the scenic walking trails.

    8. Cosy up by the fireplace

    Aspinalls Whisky Bar & Lounge at the Berida Hotel
    Get cosy in the Berida Hotel’s whiskey bar.

    A cosy bar is the perfect complement to winter in Bowral, and there are a few worth committing to. Aspinalls Whisky Bar & Lounge at the Berida Hotel is built for long, languorous evenings. Take a seat beside the fireplace laden with gnarled logs and work your way through a few whiskies and bar bites like Rangers Valley beef tartare, or salt cod and potato croquettes.

    At Hickory’s within Peppers Craigieburn, well-dressed waiters in denim and leather move quietly between tables, and the cosy fireplace in the adjoining guest lounge attracts an Escape to the Country crowd.

    Start planning your Bowral escape at visitsouthernhighlands.com.au.