The jacarandas and the festival
Grafton Jacaranda Festival 2026
The practical page: dates (30 October – 8 November), the published programme, where the 1,700 trees are street by street, parking at See Park, weather, accessibility and how to get there. Start here if you are coming in season.
The trees without the festival
The blossom runs about three weeks from mid-October and the streets are open all season. Pound Street's Jacaranda Avenue (planted 1910), See Park, Victoria Street, the cathedral grounds and the river end of Prince Street are the essentials; the visitor centre's tree map marks the rest. Which week to choose is worked through in the Journal's best time to see the jacarandas.
See Park after dark
From 23 October the arboretum's canopies are lit nightly, 7.30pm to 10.30pm, through the season. Free, and the one thing a day trip cannot give you.
Heritage
Christ Church Cathedral
John Horbury Hunt's 1884 cathedral, finished in 1934 with more than a hundred brick moulds in the detailing, in its own grounds with the 1872 deanery. Open most days; the heritage trail starts nearby.
Schaeffer House
The 1900 home of architect Frederick Schaeffer, now the Clarence River Historical Society's museum. Volunteer-run with limited hours; the place to understand the river trade and the town it built.
Grafton Regional Gallery
In Prentice House (1880) on Fitzroy Street: Ken Done, Doris O'Grady, a strong contemporary Indigenous collection, and the Jacaranda Acquisitive Drawing Award during the festival. Free and air-conditioned.
The Grafton Heritage Trail
A self-guided loop of about ninety minutes linking the cathedral, the gaol, the post office, the old banks on Prince Street, Schaeffer House and the bridge. Leaflet from the visitor centre or My Clarence Valley.
The Bendy Bridge
The 1932 double-decker, railway below and road curving above. The walkway at dusk is the best view of the river.
The river and the outdoors
Memorial Park and the boulevard
The river end of Prince Street: shaded seats, tables, the view across to Susan Island and up to the bridge. Susan Island's rainforest holds one of the southern hemisphere's largest flying-fox colonies; watch them leave at dusk.
South Grafton
Across the bridge, the older settlement: its own riverside boulevard with picnic facilities, Alex Bell Reserve's playground and barbecues, and Fig Tree Avenue on Breimba Street. Most visitors never cross; do.
Paddling the Clarence
The Clarence Canoe and Kayak Trail runs 195 km from the gorge country to the sea, with Nymboida's whitewater upstream and flat water through Grafton. Local operators hire and guide; ask at the visitor centre.
Walking
The centre is flat; the heritage trail and the tree map are the town walks. The Washpool and Gibraltar Range national parks, an hour west on the Glen Innes road, have World Heritage rainforest walks.
Markets, food and drink
Grafton Farmers Market
Prince Street, every Thursday of the year. Clarence Valley produce: prawns and oysters from the coast, sugar, macadamias, beef and dairy.
Grafton Brewing Co
The local brewery, with a festival night of its own on 3 November 2026.
The festival food events
Food trucks in Market Square and See Park on event days; the ticketed Blossom Wine and Dine long lunch under the canopy; the jacaranda ice cream, which is purple, berry-flavoured and a tradition.
Day trips down the valley
Ulmarra
15 minutes downstream: a preserved river village, a pub on the bank, and the last vehicle ferry on the Clarence.
Maclean
25 minutes: the Scottish town, tartan on the power poles, pubs on the water, and the usual festival overflow for accommodation.
Yamba and Iluka
45 minutes: the river mouth. Yamba's surf beaches, prawn fleet and the valley's best restaurants; Iluka's World Heritage littoral rainforest across the water by passenger ferry.
Further afield
Byron Bay and the Northern Rivers to the north; Coffs Harbour and the Waterfall Way to the south; Glen Innes over the range to the west. The Grafton travel guide covers the valley in full.
Grafton by traveller
- Families: See Park, Jacaranda Thursday's rides, the flying foxes at dusk, Yamba's beaches
- Older travellers: the flat centre, the heritage trail, the festival's seated events, and the coach tour
- Photographers: Pound Street before nine, See Park at night, the bridge at dusk
- Gardeners: the tree map, See Park's arboretum, the Blossom long lunch
Questions people ask before they go
What is there to do in Grafton besides the jacarandas?
A heritage precinct with an 1884 cathedral, an 1880 gallery and a 1900 museum house; the river with its bridge, parks and flying-fox colony; a Thursday farmers' market; and day trips downriver to Ulmarra, Maclean and Yamba.
Is Grafton worth visiting outside jacaranda season?
Yes for heritage, the river and the valley, and the accommodation is easy. It is quiet; autumn and winter are the best walking and paddling weather.
How long do I need in Grafton?
A day covers the trees and the centre. A weekend adds See Park at night and the coast at Yamba. Three days adds the gorge and the parks to the west.
Want someone else to drive?
Cooee's Jacaranda Festival coach runs from Brisbane, the Gold Coast and the Sunshine Coast on selected days through the festival.