Grafton Jacaranda Festival 2024
Join us as we travel to Grafton for the Jacaranda Festival. Celebrate the blossoming of hundreds of Jacaranda trees with street markets, live entertainment and more!
4 Day Tour
Friday 1 November - Monday 4 November 2024
Tour Cost (GST inclusive):
$1,395 per person twin share
$230 single supplement
Inclusions
- Luxury Coach Travel in our Business Class Coach
- Lunch at Casino Golf Club
- Guided tour of Grafton
- Grafton Jacaranda Festival Parade
- Entry and morning tea at Schaeffer House
- Entry to Grafton Regional Gallery
- Talk and lunch at Lanbruk’s Gunyah
- Talk at Zentvelds Coffee
- Lunch at Byron Bay Services Club
- 3 nights motel accommodation
- 3 cooked breakfasts, 3 two course dinners, 3 lunches
Tour Itinerary
Day 1: (LD)
Brisbane to Grafton
Fri 1 Nov 24
Welcome to our four-day tour to Grafton for the Jacaranda Festival. As early as 1866, the Grafton Council resolved to consider by-laws for planting and preserving of trees and shrubs in the streets and recreation grounds. There are now some 7000 trees in Grafton and many beautiful parks. The most famous of trees is of course the Jacaranda. We have a picturesque drive today as we travel into the Scenic Rim region via Beaudesert. Driving on towards the charming country town of Kyogle, it is clear that cattle grazing, dairy farming and forestry are the primary industries here. We stop in Casino, located on the Richmond River, for lunch before travelling through the scenic Summerland Way. We pass Ellangoran, Whiporie and Banyabba before arriving in Grafton.
Day 2: (BD)
Jacaranda Festival
Sat 2 Nov 24
This morning we are met by a local guide who will join us on the coach for a town tour. We are lucky to be here on the last Saturday of the Jacaranda Festival as today is parade day. Wander through the markets, viewing the many stalls selling wares, enjoy the entertainment of Market Square, experience the Grafton gardens or simply take in all the festival fun – the choice is yours! Watch as Grafton comes alive with riotous colour and sounds for the Grand Float Procession down Prince Street. At a designated time, we meet the coach to transfer us back to our motel.
Day 3: (BLD)
Grafton Touring
Sun 3 Nov 24
We step back in time to a bygone era with a visit to Schaeffer House, now home to Clarence River Historical Society, the oldest society in the country. Built from 1901 to 1903, the homestead was built by the son of a pioneer German family, Mr Frederick Schaeffer, who was the town’s first architect. We spend some time at the Grafton Regional Gallery, which is a source of community inspiration, delivering a vibrant and innovative program of exhibitions. Next, we head to Junction Hill to visit Lanbruk’s Gunyah – a property belonging to Dorothy and Don Enders. Here we’ll enjoy a talk and delicious homemade lunch. The museum is housed in a huge traditional barn on the property that will transport us back to a long-gone era before technology. See authentic tools and machinery from the early 1900s including farm tractors, horse drawn implements and Don’s pride of the shed – a fully restored 1927 Chevy Truck.
Day 4: (BL)
Grafton to Brisbane
Mon 4 Nov 24
Following breakfast, we board the coach for our final day on tour. Heading the towards the NSW North Coast, we stop at Zentveld’s Coffee for a talk on the story of coffee from crop to cup. Located in the pretty village of Newrybar, we’ll gain an understanding of coffee growing, the regenerative practices and environment care as well as the stages of processing, roasting and packing before enjoying a cup on the verandah. Lunch today will be at the Byron Bay Services Club before we arrive home late afternoon from a fantastic tour.