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Grafton
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Between Woolgoolga and Ballina the Pacific Highway runs inland, and the unspoilt coast between the two towns consists of a series of national parks to which access is gained by a few intermittent side roads.
GRAFTON
, an 83-kilometre drive along the Pacific Highway from Coffs Harbour, is a peaceful district capital on a bend of the wide
Clarence River
, which almost encircles the city and occasionally floods it. The "Big River" is the largest river system on the north coast and, with its tributaries, drains a vast area of northern New South Wales. An afternoon sitting on the balcony of the
Crown Hotel
, sipping a beer and watching the majestic river roll by, is truly well spent. Northeast of Grafton, the river widens as it approaches the ocean and branches out into a network of waterways and channels. There are more than a hundred river islands, on many of which sugar cane is grown.
Grafton is proud of its wide, tree-lined streets and has the air of a genteel, old-fashioned town. In spring, when the jacaranda and flame trees are ablaze with purple, mauve and red blossoms, they even have a
Jacaranda Festival
to celebrate them (last week of Oct and first week of Nov). Out of festival time this is a quiet place, where the main attraction is cruising on the river or visiting some of the historic buildings preserved by the National Trust.
Schaeffer House
, 192 Fitzroy St (Tues-Thurs, Sun 1-4pm; $2), has a collection of beautiful china, glassware and period furniture donated to the Trust over the years; on the same street at no. 158 is the
Grafton Regional Gallery
(Tues-Sun 10am-4pm; donation), which has a pretty garden cafAŠ. Other useful information
for tourists (each section contains more specific sub-sections): |
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Australia,
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