How to celebrate 90 years of Grafton’s Jacaranda Festival

Shaney Hudson 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.

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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)

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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.
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This stretch of Sydney beaches topped the annual Best Australian Beaches list

    Carla Grossetti Carla Grossetti
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    Bate Bay’s sweep of beaches has been crowned Australia’s best for 2026, placing Sutherland Shire in the spotlight as a top coastal destination just south of Sydney’s CBD.

    The beaches fringing Bate Bay – Cronulla, North Cronulla, Wanda, Elouera and Greenhills – have topped Tourism Australia’s 2026 list of best Australian beaches (as curated by Beach Ambassador Brad Farmer). For locals, it’s less revelation, more recognition.

    The mood shifts from the moment you step off the T4 train service from Central to Cronulla and catch a glimpse of the ocean. At dawn, the Esplanade is already buzzing with regulars, and by mid-morning, parents have staked out a toasty spot on Cronulla Beach where excited toddlers clamber over rocks, and the Jellybean swim squad at Oak Park have donned their bright pink caps while singing Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin’.

    By the afternoon, towels are being collected from across the sand as visitors wander back to Cronulla in loose formation.

    North Cronulla beach
    Dive into the world’s best beaches.

    That’s the thing about Bate Bay beaches. This isn’t a story about a single beach. This long, uninterrupted sweep of sand and sea, where you can walk for kilometres without breaking stride, is not just enjoyed over summer; it’s a year-round destination. Here, Cronulla’s buzz gives way to Wanda’s wild edges, before stretching out to the quieter reaches of Greenhills.

    But while Bate Bay’s beaches may have taken top honours in the 2026 Best Australian Beaches list, they’re only part of the drawcard. Sutherland Shire stacks up as a full-spectrum coastal escape, where good food, national park adventures and on-the-water experiences sit within easy reach of the shoreline. Whether you’re planning a long weekend or stretching out a stay, here’s how to make the most of Cronulla beyond the sand, sea and surf.

    Beyond the beaches

    Dining

    the dining room at Pippis Cronulla
    Enjoy a sundowner by the sea at Pippis Cronulla.

    The Sutherland Shire dining scene delivers from early morning to late at night with a mix of vibrant cafes, bars and pubs. Start your day at Grind Espresso, where the coffee comes strong and fast. From there, drift towards HAM for pastries, best eaten buttery warm.   

    By midday, locals linger across sun-lit tables. Loaf and Next Door appeal to the surfers who come in for snacks after chasing waves. Blackwood’s Pantry and The Press are also popular for breakfast and lunch, while Pilgrim’s continues to hold a special place in the hearts of vegans.

    Newer arrivals signal where Cronulla is heading: Homer Rogue Taverna is being hailed as one of the best restaurants in Cronulla, with the confidence that comes from understanding what locals want. Ask a local to reveal their favourite restaurant for a special occasion, and it’ll likely be Pino’s Vino e Cucina al Mare, Yalla Sawa or Alphabet Street. Summer Salt, Sealevel, Benny’s, Bobbys and Pippis are a few of the best waterfront restaurants in the Shire.

    Finally, when most places are winding down, Duke’s Providore shifts gears to become Duke’s After Hours – a low-lit romantic spot perfect for a date night. Parc Pavilion, Northies Cronulla and bars The Blind Bear, Las Chicas and Low & Lofty’s are also part of Cronulla’s identity.

    Visit Bundeena

    Bundeena Ferry Wharf
    Catch a ferry to Bundeena.

    A short ferry ride from Cronulla, Bundeena offers a counterpoint to Cronulla’s mighty surf beaches. If Cronulla is the Shire’s social heart, Bundeena – or Bundenesia, as it’s affectionately known – is the place to go to exhale and unwind.

    Hop on the ferry from Cronulla, and within 30 minutes, you’ll be inhaling the eucalyptus-scented air. Check the creative pulse of the local community by timing your visit with the Bundeena Maianbar Art Trail on the first Sunday of every month.

    One of the best things to do in Bundeena is paddle into Cabbage Tree Basin with Bundeena Kayaks. Follow the five-kilometre Jibbon Beach Loop Track that leads past quiet coves to ancient Indigenous rock art, or simply find a stretch of pearl-white sand to relax on.

    Pristine walking trails

    Royal National Park Cape Baily Walking Track
    Cool off with a coastal stroll.

    Beyond the coastline, Sutherland Shire offers myriad ways to shift gears. Royal National Park – the oldest national park in Australia – sits just minutes from the surf. Clifftop walks trace the edge of the continent, the rugged bushland is threaded with creeks and hidden waterfalls, and a network of tracks rewards those willing to go a little further.

    Take the Coast Track, where the land drops cleanly into the ocean over sheer cliffs that have been stacked together like giant Jenga. Or veer inland, where pockets of forest cool the air and filter the light. It’s a reminder of how close nature sits to the bustle of suburbs in the Sutherland Shire.

    Enjoy whale watching

    humpback whale sighting noosa experiences
    Spot whales from May to October. (Credit: The Edit Suite)

    Twist your binoculars until the ocean is in focus, stretched like a creased blue sheet all around.  Come May, the East Coast becomes the humpback highway. Thousands of whales migrate along this stretch of coastline each year, their movements tracked by keen eyes from vantage points like the Cape Solander platform in Kamay Botany Bay National Park, one of the best places for whale watching in Australia. There’s something quietly thrilling about seeing that first telltale spout or the arc of a breaching body against the vastness of the sea. From June to October, whale-watching cruises depart from Cronulla, offering a closer look at the migration.

    Awards come and go. But places like Cronulla endure because they belong as much to the visitors as they do the early-morning swimmers, walkers and surfers.

    Plan your escape at visitsutherlandshire.com.au.