Car ferry at Lawrence

Yamba

Clarence River near Maclean

Clarence Gorge

Dalmorton convict tunnel

A pleasant city on a horseshoe bend of the Clarence River. The beautiful purple-flowering jacaranda trees are an integral part of the image of Grafton, and their flowering is celebrated in the famous annual Jacaranda Festival. A vision of Grafton with its numerous brilliantly-flowered trees in bloom, is immortalised in Australian music culture in Cold Chisel's song 'Flame Trees'.

Where is it?: New South Wales: North Coast. Grafton is approximately 630 kilometres north of Sydney and 340 km south of Brisbane. Grafton and the Clarence Valley can be reached by road, rail or air.

Events:

• National Trust Heritage Festival - April
• Grafton Agricultural Show - May
• International Philosophy, Science and Theology Festival - June
• Sunshine State Navex Air Race (South Grafton to Maroochy) - August
• Grafton Artsfest - October
• Jacaranda Festival - October

Things to see and do:

Susan Island, in midstream opposite the city, is a recreation reserve covered with rainforests containing giant fig trees and stringing trees, It is rich in bird life. During the day, the island is a fascinating place to visit, with barbecue and picnic facilities for family fun and the rainforest and island to explore for children of all ages. Access is by private boat or on the Clarence Islander. Houseboats and larger craft can tie up at the wharf on the eastern side.

Surrounding area:

Grafton is a great base for explorations of the many national parks in the region, and those within a one-hour drive are Yuraygir and Bundjalung on the coast and the World Heritage-listed Washpool and Gibraltar Range parks to the west. The Solitary Islands Marine Park off the coast from Coffs Harbour north to the Sandon River, and marks the zone where warm tropical currents meet cool currents from the south, creating an incredible diversity of marine life for scuba divers and snorkellers to explore.

A pleasant day trip from Grafton is the Clarence River Scenic Drive. From Grafton, take Grafton Lawrence Road on the north side of the Clarence River. The road crosses the river by car ferry and Lawrence, then follows the south bank of the river into Maclean. From Maclean, continue following the river to its mouth at Yamba. Return to Grafton via Pacific Highway on the south side of the Clarence.

Another road trip to take from Grafton is the Old Glen Innes Road Scenic Drive. The 244km loop trip takes in the picturesque junction of Nymboida and Boyd Riversand the old township of Dalmorton, the heart of an abandoned gold mining area. In its heyday, there were reportedly 5,000 inhabitants in this area and 13 pubs!  Many of the surrounding hills are studded with abandoned gold mine shafts dating back to the 1860's. The remains of the old butcher shop are still standing on the left as you enter the town. Not far from Dalmorton is the Historic Tunnel, hand built and carved out of rock in the 1860's with convict labour. More >>

Clarence Gorge is surrounded by a 8314 acre property which fronts onto the Clarence River for about 10km.  The property itself is originally and still today, a working cattle station, in more recent years has become a tourist destination for those seeking fresh mountain air with a gorgeous view. More >>

About Grafton:

In 1851, Governor FitzRoy officially named the town "Grafton", after his grandfather, the Duke of Grafton, a former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. Grafton was proclaimed a city in 1885. Local industries include, logging, beef cattle, fishing/prawning, sugar, manufacturing and tourism is a growing part of the local economy.
The town is known for its double-decker road/railway bridge, opened in 1932, completing the standard gauge rail connection between Sydney and Brisbane, and also forming a vital link for the Pacific Highway. This bridge is a one of a kind and is a major feature on the Clarence River in Grafton.

History: Before European settlement, the Clarence River marked the border between the Bundjalung and Gumbainggir nations, and so descendants of both language groups can now be found in the Grafton region.
Grafton, like many other settlements in the area, was first opened up to white settlement by the cedar-getters. An escaped convict, Richard Craig, 'discovered' the district in 1831. With the wealth of 'red gold' cedar just waiting for exploitation, he was given a pardon and one hundred pounds to bring a party of cedar-getters on the cutter 'Prince George' to the region. Word of such wealth to be had did not take long to spread and one of the arrivals was pioneer John Small on the 'Susan' in 1838, and he first occupied land on Woodford Island. 'The Settlement' (as the embryonic Grafton was then imaginatively named) was established shortly after.

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