Best places to see Australia’s jacaranda trees this spring

One of the great joys of travelling through Australia is our abundance of natural beauty.

From late October to November jacaranda season is in full swing in Sydney, and other states across the country. According to Sydney Living Museums, there are many stories behind the purple haze that fills the city’s streets late in the year. One story credits a hospital matron who sent each newborn home with a jacaranda seedling. A less romantic explanation lies in the fact the trees were a popular civic planting in the beautification programs of the early 20th century and interwar years, right up to the 1950s and 1960s.

Although indigenous to brazil, the jacaranda has certainly found a home here in Australia, and the effects of the tree in full bloom is truly a sight to see. Here’s where you can see the best of the blooms in Australia this spring, and grab a sneaky snapshot for Instagram while you’re at it.

Where to see Sydney’s jacaranda trees

Sydney City

You can see jacaranda trees in the Royal Botanic Gardens, plus a few trees around Circular Quay and the Rocks.

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Eastern suburbs

Just outside Victoria barracks is Oxford Street where you’ll find some of the most famous jacaranda sights in the suburban backstreets of Paddington. Walk towards the Five Ways in Paddington, then mventure into Woollahra and Double Bay for more purple jacaranda trees.

North shore

Go for a trip towards Lavender Bay on Sydney’s lower north shore to see a purple haze hovering above the streets of Wollstonecraft, Waverton and in Kirribilli’s jacaranda ‘tunnel’ on McDougall Street. While you’re on the north shore, venture west towards Hunters Hill where trees line the streets in a riot of colour, Greenwich and Longueville.

Inner west

If you're keen to get a great snap of the purple blooms, try taking a walk through University of Sydney campus. Also take a stroll through Glebe, Camperdown and Erskineville for more.

Camden

Around an hour’s drive from Sydney is a little suburb called Camden where 39 jacaranda trees were planted in the town centre at some point during the 1920s. Thanks to that, every November the township is blessed with a bounty of purple blossoms.

Grafton

Although a hefty six hour drive from Sydney, every year the city of Grafton hosts the Jacaranda Festival, and this year the festival takes place on October 27 to the 4^th of November.

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The Grafton Jacaranda Festival is a colourful celebration of the hundreds of gorgeous Jacaranda trees which line the streets of Grafton in Northern NSW ...just like this impressive sight on Turf Street. Our trees are so wonderful that we simply must hold an entire nine day festival to celebrate them! Held annually from the last weekend in October to the first weekend in November, come along and join in the @graftonjacarandafestival fun starting next weekend. * * * * * #graftonjacarandafestival #thejacarandacity #jacaranda #jacarandatrees #jacarandaarch #turfstreet #grafton #jacarandablossoms #spring #springflowers #floralfestival #myclarencevalley #owneverymoment #summerlandway #visitnsw #destinationnsw #newsouthwales @visitnsw #seeaustralia 📷 Image via @justinemcclymont

Brisbane

Further north, in Brisbane, you will find jacaranda trees bloom throughout October, and many of the city’s streets are framed by a sea of purple.

The University of Queensland has a spectacular display of purple blooms. New Farm Park, Woolloongabba and the Botanic Gardens are other places you can find fabulous jacaranda trees in Brisbane.

Perth

The jacarandas start to flower in November and peak in December in Perth. Try the suburbs north of the river such as Inglewood and Subiaco, or south of the river, where Applecross has spectacular jacaranda-lined avenues.

Adelaide

The jacaranda season starts in November in Adelaide and you can find the best sights in the suburbs south of the Botanic Gardens such as Millswood, Goodwood and Unley

Melbourne

Although you won’t see any jacaranda trees bloom until December in Melbourne, once they do, the Botanic Gardens and University of Melbourne are awash with them.

Have you seen the gorgeous jacaranda festival in Grafton? Check it out in the video below.

Laura Barry

Laura Barry is a writer, bookworm and interior design enthusiast with a love for reporting on all things homes, travel and lifestyle. When not tapping away at her keyboard, Laura can be found making endless cups of tea or perusing the shelves of Sydney’s many bookstores.

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