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New South Wales (Northern NSW) |
| Grafton | |
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Nestled in the Clarence River Valley 65km from the
river's mouth is the historic town of Grafton. Levees, built to protect
the town after many floods now form a riverside walk, while many
watersports may be enjoyed on the river.
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. |
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“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, 190 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, while Grafton Regional Gallery, 158 Fitzroy St, houses the Regional Art Gallery (Tues–Sun 10am–4pm; donation), and has a pretty garden café. Around Grafton |
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Grafton it’s 47km northeast on the Pacific Highway, paralleling
the Clarence River, to MACLEAN, a small delta town which proclaims
its Scottish heritage with street signs in Gaelic. From the Maclean
lookout on Wharf Street, 2km from the centre, panoramic views of the
coast, bushland, canefields, river islands and the town itself can be
enjoyed.
A few kilometres further north, you can turn east off the highway in the direction of the twin towns of YAMBA and ILUKA – increasingly popular holiday spots facing each other across the mouth of the river. Clarence River Ferries shuttles between the two communities (4–5 daily; $3; also cruises to river islands; tel 018/664 555). You can get to Yamba on public transport with the Grafton–Yamba Bus Service (at least 3 daily; tel 02/6646 2019). A few kilometres south of Yamba is Yuraygir National Park, with several basic but attractive NPWS campsites ($5 per site, details from Grafton NPWS) surrounded by isolated beaches and placid lake systems. North of Iluka, between the town and Bundjalung National Park, the Iluka Nature Reserve contains within it a World Heritage-listed rainforest remnant, one of sixteen such areas in northern New South Wales. Bundjalung National Park itself has a long coastline on the Coral Sea, as well as the sheltered inland waterways of the Esk River; camping is available at Woody Head, a site very popular with anglers (bookings advised; tel 02/6646 6134). Just north of Bundjalung, the town of EVANS HEAD has a range of accommodation and shops, plus boat rental outlets. The tropical climate begins to make its presence felt here, with sugar cane growing by the roadside. West from Grafton, the Gwydir Highway takes you to Glen Innes, 160km away on the New England Plateau. En route it passes the rugged and densely forested adjoining national parks of Gibraltar Range and Walshpool. Gibraltar Range is an elevated plateau 1200m above sea level, scattered with huge granite outcrops and intersected by deep gorges, and is famous for its wild flower displays of Christmas bells and waratahs in late summer. There’s a visitors centre on the highway at Dandahra Picnic Area and a gravel road leads from here into the park, where you’ll find walking tracks, lookout points and waterfalls. Walshpool National Park is very remote, a wilderness park on the eastern escarpment of the New England Tableland. Its rainforest is worth visiting, and there are picnic facilities, walks and camping at Coombadjha Creek – reached via the Coombadjha Road off the Gwydir Highway, 88km from Grafton. Practicalities |
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in at the Clarence River Tourist Association, on the Pacific
Highway at the corner of Spring Street, South Grafton (daily 9am–5pm;
tel 02/6642 4677), which can give you information on scenic drives, river
cruises, and the national parks that surround Grafton; there’s also a
centrally located NPWS office at 49 Victoria St (tel 02/6642 0613), in the
State Office Block. Long-distance buses stop near the tourist
association, and Harvey World Travel, 54 Prince St (tel 02/6640 3910), can
provide timetables and make reservations. Watsons City Link (tel 02/6654
1063), a local bus service, leaves from the city centre in the
direction of Coffs Harbour via Red Rock and Woolgoolga (Mon–Fri), and
the Grafton–Yamba Bus Service (tel 02/6646 2019) runs north to Yamba.
There’s plenty of accommodation: try the Grafton Hotel, 97 Fitzroy St, a good pub offering beds and counter meals; or the Crown Hotel-Motel, 1 Prince St, for hotel rooms with a river view or ground-level motel units. If you want a swimming pool, spa and all the mod-cons, check out the more expensive Fitzroy Motel, 27 Fitzroy St, 500m east of the centre. For camping, head for South Grafton to the well-equipped Glenwood Tourist Park on Heber Street. A good place to eat is Crabba Jack’s Takeaway, 79 Fitzroy St, for fresh fish and chips and seafood. Across the street at no. 100, Big River Pizza (tel 02/6643 1555 for deliveries) is also recommended, and it’s usually open when most places have closed. Events |
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