From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Grafton New South Wales
Population:	17,380[1]
Established:	1851
Postcode:	2460
Elevation:	5 m
Location:	640 km from Sydney 345 km from Brisbane
LGA:	Clarence Valley Council
State District:	Clarence
Federal Division:	Page
Mean Max Temp Mean Min Temp Rainfall 25.8 °C 78 °F 12.7 °C 55 °F 992.3 mm 39.1 in

Grafton is the commercial hub of the Clarence River Valley which has a population approaching 50,000. Established in 1855 Grafton features many fine historic buildings and beautiful tree lined streets. Located approx 630 klms north of Sydney and 340 klms south of Brisbane, Grafton and the Clarence Valley is easily reached by Road, Rail or Air.

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 perhaps also known for its double-decker road/railway bridge, opened in 1932, completing the standard gauge rail connection between Sydney and Brisbane. This bridge is a one of a kind and is a major feature on the Clarence River in Grafton.

Contents 1 Culture 2 Notable buildings 3 Transportation 4 Born in Grafton 5 Radio Stations 6 References 7 External links 8 See also

Grafton is also known as the Jacaranda City, in reference to its tree-lined streets and annual Jacaranda Festival, held in October/November -- late antipodean Spring. The festival runs for about 2 weeks. Most of the local people get into the spirit of the festival with the main street being closed on the city's public holiday, falling on the last Thursday of October or first Thursday of November, known as "Jacaranda Thursday", to make way for street entertainment. Each year, a Jacaranda Queen is announced. This tradition dates back to the beginning of the festival. The Queen is chosen from about 6 female contestants, and is judged by the Jacaranda Queen Committee. The judging of the contest is based largely on community involvement. Also, the contestant who raises the most money for charity is crowned the "Holiday Princess". Each year, the central 'market square' is a buzz of activity for the crowning ceremony.

The people of Grafton have a large interest in country music. Local artist, Troy Cassar-Daley [1], received 4 Golden Guitar awards in the 2006 Tamworth Country Music Awards - The largest and most prestigious country music awards in Australia. At the same awards event, Samantha McClymont, the 2005/2006 Grafton Jacaranda Queen also received an award for her country music talent.

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.

Christ Church Cathedral, designed by John Horbury Hunt was opened in 1884 and is the seat of the Anglican Bishop of Grafton.^[2]

Schaeffer House is a historic 1900 Federation house and contains the collection of the Clarence River Historical Society which was formed in 1931.

The Murwillumbah - Byron Bay -Lismore railway (opened in 1894) was extended to north Grafton in 1905. The North Coast Line reached South Grafton from Sydney in 1915. Pending the opening of the combined road and rail bascule bridge in 1932, Grafton had a train ferry to connect the two railways.

• Sir Earle Page (8 August 1880 – 20 December 1961), Prime Minister of Australia, 1939
• Brent Livermore (July 5, 1976), Australian field hockey midfielder
• Dr Elizabeth Annette Essex-Cohen (21 April 1940 - 21 March 2004), She gained international recognition as a first class ionosphere physicist with her pioneering work on the global positioning satellite (GPS) system. A brass plaque was presented on her behalf at her former highschool, Grafton High one year after she died.

• 2GF 1206 AM/103.9 FM (commercial)
• FM 104.7 (commercial)
• JJJ 91.5 FM/96.1 FM
• ABC Northern Rivers 738 AM/94.5 FM
• Classic FM 97.9 FM/95.3 FM
• Radio National 99.5 FM/96.9 FM
• Racing Radio 101.5 FM
• Life FM 103.1 (community)

1. ^ Grafton (Urban Centre/Locality). 2001 Census QuickStats. Australian Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved on November 20, 2006.
2. ^ Diocese of Grafton. Grafton Cathedral. Retrieved on May 19, 2006.

• http://www.tropicalnsw.com.au/aaa_site/places/towns/grafton.html
• http://www.nor.com.au/community/museums
• http://www.geocities.com/tim_fisherturville/grafton.htm

• Grafton Correctional Centre

Coordinates: 29°41′S, 152°56′E

	Cities of New South Wales
Capital:	Sydney
Cities:	Albury | Armidale | Bathurst | Broken Hill | Cessnock | Coffs Harbour | Dubbo | Gosford | Goulburn | Grafton | Griffith | Lismore | Lithgow | Maitland | Newcastle | Nowra | Orange | Queanbeyan | Tamworth | Wagga Wagga | Wollongong

Countrylink North Coast
Coffs Harbour	↔	Grafton	↔	terminus (Grafton XPT) Casino (Casino XPT) (Brisbane XPT)