The city of Grafton is the seat of Local
Government, the Federal and State
Government administrative centre, and the
commercial hub of the Clarence River Valley. It
is located approximately 630 kilometres north
of the New South Wales State capital, Sydney,
340 km south of Brisbane, Queensland and
approximately 35 km west of the Tasman Sea
coast. As at June 2015, Grafton had a
population of 18,689.
Grafton has a humid subtropical climate with
significantly more rainfall and higher
temperatures in summer than in winter.
Grafton is known and promoted as the
Jacaranda City, in reference to its tree-lined
streets and to the annual Jacaranda Festival.
From 1952 to 1997, first as an independent
company, then owned by Tooheys since 1961,
the Grafton brewery provided Grafton Bitter to
the North Coast. The nearby Harwood Mill is the
oldest working sugar mill in New South Wales.