Grafton ( Bundjalung: ''Gumbin Gir'') is a city in the

Northern Rivers Northern Rivers is the most northeasterly Regions of New South Wales, region of the Australian state of New South Wales, located between north of the state capital, Sydney, and encompasses the catchments and fertile valleys of the Clarence Ri ...

region of the Australian state of

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

. It is located on the Clarence River, on a

floodplain A floodplain or flood plain or bottomlands is an area of land adjacent to a river. Floodplains stretch from the banks of a river channel to the base of the enclosing valley, and experience flooding during periods of high Discharge (hydrolog ...

, approximately by road north-northeast of the state capital

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

. The closest major cities,

Brisbane Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...

and the Gold Coast, are located across the border in

South East Queensland South East Queensland (SEQ) is a Bioregion, bio-geographical, Megalopolis, metropolitan and Statistics, statistical Regions of Queensland, region of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland in Australia, with a population of ...

. At the 2021 census, Grafton had a population of 19,255. The city is the largest settlement and, with Maclean, the shared administrative centre of the Clarence Valley Council

local government area A local government area (LGA) is an administrative division of a country that a local government is responsible for. The size of an LGA varies by country but it is generally a subdivision of a federated state, state, province, division (politica ...

, which is home to over 50,000 people in all.

History

Before European settlement, the Clarence River marked the border between the BundjalungTindale, Norman (1974) "Badjalang" in his ''Catalogue of Australian Aboriginal Tribes''. South Australian Museum
and Gumbaynggirr peoples, and so descendants of the speakers of both language-groups can now be found in the Grafton region. Grafton, like many other settlements in the area, was first opened up to European settlement by the cedar-getters. An escaped convict, Richard Craig, explored the district in 1831. With the wealth of "red gold" cedar just waiting for exploitation, he was given a pardon and one hundred pounds to bring a party of cedar-getters on the cutter ''Prince George'' to the region. Word of such wealth to be had did not take long to spread. One of the arrivals on the ''Susan'' in 1838, pioneer John Small, first occupied land on Woodford Island. 'The Settlement' (as the embryonic Grafton was then imaginatively named) was established shortly after. In 1851

Governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

FitzRoy officially named the town Grafton, after his grandfather, the

Duke of Grafton Duke of Grafton is a title in the Peerage of England. It was created in 1675 by Charles II of England for Henry FitzRoy, his second illegitimate son by the Duchess of Cleveland. The most notable duke of Grafton was Augustus FitzRoy, 3rd Duke o ...

, who had served as

Prime Minister of the United Kingdom The prime minister of the United Kingdom is the head of government of the United Kingdom. The prime minister Advice (constitutional law), advises the Monarchy of the United Kingdom, sovereign on the exercise of much of the Royal prerogative ...

from 1768 to 1770. Grafton was proclaimed a city in 1885. Local industries include logging, beef cattle, fishing/prawning, sugar, manufacturing and tourism. The Grafton Bridge, connecting the main townsite with South Grafton, opened in 1932. It completed the standard-gauge rail connection between Sydney and

, also forming a vital link for the Pacific Highway. Previously the only way to travel from Grafton to South Grafton was via ferry. As a result, South Grafton developed quite a separate identity, and in fact had its own municipal government from 1896 to 1956. The introduction of fluoride to the town

water supply Water supply is the provision of water by public utilities, commercial organisations, community endeavors or by individuals, usually via a system of pumps and pipes. Public water supply systems are crucial to properly functioning societies. Th ...

in 1964 was accompanied by protest which became physical. The fluoride plant was blown up the night before commencement, the dentist supporting fluoridation received bomb threats against his family and later pro- and anti-fluoridation float participants at the annual Jacaranda Festival came to blows and a gun was produced.

Heritage listings

Grafton has a number of heritage-listed sites, including: * Duke Street: Christ Church Cathedral * 170 Hoof Street: Grafton Correctional Centre * North Coast railway: Grafton Bridge * 95 Prince Street: Saraton Theatre * 150 Victoria Street: Arcola, Grafton

Demographics

At the 2021 census, Grafton had a population of 19,255. According to the Census: * Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made up 10.4% of Grafton's population. * 87.1% of people were born in Australia. The next most common countries of birth were England 1.4% and New Zealand 0.7%. * 90.5% of people spoke only English at home. * The most common responses for religion were No Religion 37.8%, Anglican 20.9%, and Catholic 18.2%.

Climate

Grafton has a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...

: ''Cfa'', Trewartha: ''Cfal'') with significantly more rainfall in summer than in winter. Rainfall is lower than in stations directly on the coast, but monthly rain totals can often surpass . The wettest month since records began was March 1974 when

Cyclone Zoe Severe Tropical Cyclone Zoe was the second-most intense tropical cyclone on record within the Southern Hemisphere and was the strongest tropical cyclone worldwide in 2002. The system was first noted on December 23, 2002, as a tropical depressi ...

produced a monthly total of , whilst during periods of anticyclonic control and strong westerly winds monthly rainfall can be very low; for instance in August 2017 only fell. Grafton gets around 115.2 clear days on an annual basis. Grafton like many NSW regional centres, is affected by heatwaves in the summer months. On 12 February 2017 Grafton recorded a maximum temperature of 46.3 °C (115.3 °F), the city's highest recorded temperature since records began in 1966. Winter has a relatively high diurnal range.

Culture

Grafton is known and promoted as the

Jacaranda ''Jacaranda'' is a genus of 49 species of flowering plants in the family Bignoniaceae, native to tropical and subtropical regions of the Americas while cultivated around the world. The generic name is also used as the common name. The species ' ...

City, in reference to its tree-lined streets and to the annual Jacaranda Festival. Inaugurated in 1935, Jacaranda is held each October/November. A half-day public holiday is observed locally on the first Thursday of November, the Festival's major focal day. During the 1963 festival, inventor John W. Dickenson demonstrated on the Clarence River the first hang glider that was controlled by weight shifts of the pilot from a swinging control frame – the birth of modern

hang gliding Hang gliding is an air sports, air sport or recreational activity in which a pilot flies a light, non-motorised, fixed-wing aircraft, fixed-wing heavier-than-air aircraft called a hang glider. Most modern hang gliders are made of an aluminium al ...

. A half-day public holiday is also observed for the Grafton Cup horse race, held each year on the second Thursday in July. It is the high point of the city's annual Racing Carnival—Australia's largest and richest non-metropolitan Carnival—which takes place over a fortnight in that month. Grafton is the birthplace of several renowned

country music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...

players. Local artist

Troy Cassar-Daley Troy Cassar-Daley (born 18 May 1969) is an Australian country music songwriter and entertainer. Cassar-Daley has released thirteen studio albums, two live albums and five compilation albums over 30 years, including the platinum-selling '' The ...

received four Golden Guitar awards at the 2006 Tamworth Country Music Awards—the largest and most prestigious country music awards in Australia. At the same event Samantha McClymont, the 2005/2006 Grafton Jacaranda Queen and sister of Brooke McClymont, 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 popular music in

Cold Chisel Cold Chisel are an Australian Pub rock (Australia), pub rock band, which formed in Adelaide in 1973 by mainstay members Ian Moss on guitar and vocals, Steve Prestwich on drums, Les Kaczmarek on bass and Don Walker (musician), Don Walker on pia ...

's song '' Flame Trees'', written by band member Don Walker, who had lived in Grafton during his formative years.

Sports

The most popular sport in Grafton is

Rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as rugby league in English-speaking countries and rugby 13/XIII in non-Anglophone Europe, is a contact sport, full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular Rugby league playin ...

. There are two clubs from Grafton in the Group 2 Rugby League competition; the Grafton Ghosts and their arch-rival South Grafton Rebels. The two clubs each have a rich history, and derbies between the clubs have been known to draw attendances in excess of 3000 people. Other sports such as soccer, Rugby union, Australian rules and Field Hockey are also played in Grafton.

Notable buildings

Christ Church Cathedral, designed by

John Horbury Hunt John Horbury Hunt (1838 – 30 December 1904), often referred to as Horbury Hunt, was a Canadian-born Australian architect who worked in Sydney and rural New South Wales from 1863. Life and career Born in Saint John, New Brunswick, the son of ...

, was consecrated in 1884 and is the seat of the Anglican Diocese of Grafton. Schaeffer House is a historic 1900 Federation house and contains the collection of the Clarence River Historical Society, which was formed in 1931.

Transportation

The Murwillumbah railway line was extended to Grafton in 1905; The North Coast Line reached South Grafton's railway station from Sydney in 1915. Pending the opening of the combined road and rail

bascule bridge A bascule bridge (also referred to as a drawbridge or a lifting bridge) is a moveable bridge with a counterweight that continuously balances a span, or leaf, throughout its upward swing to provide clearance for boat traffic. It may be single- o ...

in 1932, Grafton had a

train ferry A train ferry is a ship (ferry) designed to carry Railroad car, railway vehicles, as well as their cargoes and passengers. Typically, one level of the ship is fitted with Track (rail transport), railway tracks, and the vessel has a door at the f ...

to connect the two railways. Clarence Valley Regional Airport is the airport that services Grafton. Until bypassed in May 2020, the Pacific Highway, the main North–South road route through Eastern Australia, passed through Grafton and linked it to the Gwydir Highway, one of the primary east–west routes through Eastern Australia. Busways is the operator for local routes, as well as out-of-town routes to Junction Hill, Jackadgery/ Cangai, Copmanhurst, and Maclean and Yamba. Lawrence Bus Service operates a shopper service, as well as school service on school days, to and from Lawrence. Northern Rivers Buslines operates a weekday service to Lismore via Maclean, Evans Head and Coraki.

NSW TrainLink NSW TrainLink is a regional train and coach operator in Australia, providing services throughout New South Wales and into Australian Capital Territory, the Australian Capital Territory, Victoria (state), Victoria, Queensland and South Australia ...

operates a coach service to Byron Bay, connecting off the train from Sydney. It also offers a coach service to Moree via Glen Innes, connecting from the train from

Industry

From 1904 to 1917 the Grafton Copper Mining Company operated a copper mine, smelter and tramway at Cangai,"Assessment of Mineral Resources in the Upper North East CRA Study Area: A project undertaken as part of the NSW Comprehensive Regional Assessments November 1999"
November 1999, New South Wales Government & Commonwealth Government. Retrieved on 6 May 2017. more than 100 km from Grafton via the Clarence and

Mann Mann may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * ''Mann'' (film), a 1999 Indian Hindi-language romantic drama * Mann (chess), a variant chess piece * ''Mann'' (magazine), a Norwegian magazine * Mann (rapper), Dijon Shariff Thames (born 19 ...

rivers, today about 70 km over the Gwydir Highway. From 1952 to 1997, first as an independent company, then owned by

Tooheys Tooheys is a brewery in the suburb of Lidcombe, in Sydney, Australia. It produces beer under the ''Tooheys'' and ''Hahn Brewery'' trademarks, and is part of the Lion (Australasian company), Lion beverages group which was acquired by the Japanese ...

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.

Newspapers

The daily online-only newspaper of Grafton is ''

The Daily Examiner ''The Daily Examiner'' is a daily newspaper serving Grafton, New South Wales, Australia. The newspaper is owned by News Corp Australia. At various times the newspaper was known as ''The Clarence and Richmond Examiner and New England Advertiser ...

'', owned by

News Corp Australia News Corp Australia is an Australian media conglomerate and wholly owned subsidiary of News Corp. The group's interests span newspaper and magazine publishing, Internet, market research, DVD and film distribution, and film and television prod ...

Radio and television

Radio stations

* 2GF 89.5 FM (commercial) *FM 104.7 (commercial) *

Triple J Triple J is an Australian government-funded national radio station founded in 1975 as a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). It aims to appeal to young listeners of alternative music, and plays far more Australian conten ...

91.5 FM/96.1 FM * ABC Northern Rivers 738 AM/94.5 FM * ABC Classic FM 97.9 FM/95.3 FM *

Radio National ABC Radio National, more commonly known as Radio National or simply RN, is an Australian nationwide public service radio network run by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). From 1947 until 1985, the network was known as ABC Radio 2. ...

99.5 FM/96.9 FM * Sky Sports Radio Racing Radio 101.5 FM *Life FM 103.1 (community) * Vision Christian Radio 1611 AM/88.0 FM

Television channels

* Seven (Formerly

Prime7 Prime7, formerly Prime Television and other names, was an Australian Television broadcasting in Australia, television network. Prime Television launched on 17 March 1962 as ''CBN (Australian TV station), CBN-8'' in Orange, New South Wales, Ora ...

7HD Seven Network (stylised 7Network, and commonly known as Channel Seven or simply Seven) is an Australian commercial free-to-air Television broadcasting in Australia, television network. It is owned by Seven West Media, Seven West Media Limited, ...

, 7twoHD, 7mateHD,

7Bravo 7Bravo is an Australian free-to-air digital television multichannel, which was launched by the Seven Network under license from NBCUniversal International Networks on 15 January 2023. The channel contains programming from NBCUniversal's Americ ...

7flix 7flix is an Australian free-to-air digital television multichannel, which was launched by the Seven Network on 28 February 2016. 7flix targets a variety of viewers and offers drama, comedy, reality, docusoap, and movies. History On 18 Decembe ...

, TVSN, Racing.com, owned and operated by the

Seven Network Seven Network (stylised 7Network, and commonly known as Channel Seven or simply Seven) is an Australian commercial free-to-air Television broadcasting in Australia, television network. It is owned by Seven West Media, Seven West Media Limited, ...

. *

Nine 9 (nine) is the natural number following and preceding . Evolution of the Hindu–Arabic digit Circa 300 BC, as part of the Brahmi numerals, various Indians wrote a digit 9 similar in shape to the modern closing question mark without the bot ...

(

NBN Television NBN is an Australian Australian television broadcasting, television station based in Newcastle, New South Wales, Newcastle, Australia. The station was inaugurated on 4 March 1962 as the first regional commercial television station in New Sout ...

); 9HD,

9Gem 9Gem is an Australian free-to-air digital television multichannel, launched by the Nine Network in September 2010. The channel provides general entertainment and movie programming, from which the original name "GEM" is derived. History The la ...

, 9Gem HD,

9Go! 9Go! is an Australian free-to-air digital television multichannel, which was launched by the Nine Network on 9 August 2009, replacing Nine Guide. It is a youthful channel that offers a mix of comedy, reality, general entertainment, movies, anima ...

9Life 9Life is an Australian free-to-air digital television multichannel owned by Nine Entertainment. The channel airs mostly foreign lifestyle and reality programs, with the channel having a licensing agreement with Discovery Inc. (previously Scr ...

, 9Go! HD,

Extra Extra, Xtra, or The Extra may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Film * The Extra (1962 film), ''The Extra'' (1962 film), a Mexican film * The Extra (2005 film), ''The Extra'' (2005 film), an Australian film Literature * Extra (newspaper), ...

, owned and operated by the

Nine Network Nine Network (stylised 9Network, and commonly known as Channel Nine or simply Nine) is an Australian commercial free-to-air television network. It is owned by parent company Nine Entertainment and is one of the five main free-to-air television ...

. * 10, 10HD, 10 Bold Drama, 10 Peach Comedy, Sky News Regional, you.tv,

Gold Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...

– ( 10 Northern NSW), owned by

Network 10 Network 10 (commonly known as the 10 Network, Channel 10 or simply 10) is an Australian commercial television network. It is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Paramount Global's UK & Australia division and is one of the five national free-to-a ...

. * ABC Television including ABC,

ABC Family American cable television, cable and satellite television network Freeform (TV channel), Freeform was originally launched as the CBN Satellite Service on April 29, 1977, and has gone through four different owners and six different name changes dur ...

ABC Entertains ABC Entertains is an Australian free-to-air television channel owned by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. It was launched on 4 December 2009 as a children's channel called ABC3. It was rebranded on 19 September 2016 to ABC ME. It rebra ...

and

ABC News ABC News most commonly refers to: * ABC News (Australia), a national news service of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation * ABC News (United States), a news-gathering and broadcasting division of the American Broadcasting Company ABC News may a ...

, part of the

Australian Broadcasting Corporation The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is Australia’s principal public service broadcaster. It is funded primarily by grants from the federal government and is administered by a government-appointed board of directors. The ABC is ...

Special Broadcasting Service The Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) is an Australian hybrid-funded public broadcasting, public service broadcaster. About 80 percent of funding for the company is derived from tax revenue. SBS operates six TV channels (SBS (Australian TV chann ...

, SBS, SBS Viceland,

SBS Food SBS Food (formerly Food Network) is an Australian free-to-air television channel owned and operated by the Special Broadcasting Service (SBS). The channel airs programs about food and cooking, from cultures around the world. History SBS first ...

, SBS World Movies, SBS WorldWatch and

NITV National Indigenous Television (NITV) is an Australian free-to-air television channel that broadcasts programming produced and presented largely by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. It includes the six-day-a-week ''NITV News Updat ...

Pay television Pay television, also known as subscription television, premium television or, when referring to an individual service, a premium channel, refers to Subscription business model, subscription-based television services, usually provided by multichan ...

services are provided by

Foxtel NXE Australia Pty Ltd, trading as the Foxtel Group, is an Australian pay television company that operates cable television, direct-broadcast satellite, direct broadcast satellite television, and IPTV streaming services. It was formed in April ...

. Of the three main networks, NBN produces an evening news bulletin containing regional, national and international news, screening every night at 6:00pm on Channel 9.

Seven News Seven News (stylised 7NEWS) is the television news service of the Seven Network and, as of 2021, the highest-rating in Australia. National bulletins are presented from Seven's high definition studios in South Eveleigh, Sydney, while its flags ...

produces a mid north coast news bulletin screening weeknights at 6:00pm.

WIN Television WIN Television is an Australian television broadcasting, Australian television network owned and operated by WIN Corporation that is based in Wollongong, New South Wales. WIN commenced transmissions on 18 March 1962 as a single television stat ...

WIN News ''WIN News'' is a local television news service in parts of regional Australia, produced by WIN Television. 14 regional bulletins and news update services are presented from WIN's headquarters in Wollongong, and until 2021 included production ...

produces news updates throughout the day, broadcast from the

Wollongong Wollongong ( ; Dharawal: ''Woolyungah'') is a city located in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia. The name is believed to originate from the Dharawal language, meaning either 'five islands/clouds', 'ground near water' or 'sound ...

studios.

Education

Public schools

* Copmanhurst Public School * Gillwinga Public School * Grafton High School * Grafton Public School * South Grafton High School * South Grafton Public School * Westlawn Public School

Independent schools

* Clarence Valley Anglican School (formerly The Cathedral School) * McAuley Catholic College * St. Joseph's Primary School * St. Mary's Primary School * St. Andrew's Christian School

Defunct public schools

A large number of small (mostly one-teacher) public schools existed in the Grafton and Clarence Valley areas in the past. These schools have included: * Alumny Creek 1872–1969 * Angowrie 1895–1899 * Billys Creek 1946–1963 * Calliope 1890–1983 * Carr's Creek 1877–1964 * Clouds Creek 1943–1964 * Coalcroft 1875–1971 (originally known as Coaldale till 1912) * Coldstream Lower 1873–1966 * Eatonsville 1881–1961 * Glenferneigh 1928–1967 * Kungala 1926–1977 * Lawrence Lower 1883–1955 * Mororo 1886–1939 * Palmers Channel 1869–1975 (originally known as Taloumbi till 1907) * Seelands 1889–1967 * Shark Creek 1877–1927 * Smalls Forest 1885–1971 * South Arm 1871–1967 * Southgate 1867–1875 * Stockyard Creek 1882–1895 * Swan Creek 1870–1994 * Trenayr 1901–1970 (originally known as Milers Waterholes till 1912) * Tullymorgan 1886–1971 (originally known as Cormicks Creek till 1911) * Tyndale 1868–1975 * Ulgundah Island Aboriginal 1908–1951 (near Maclean) * Woodford Leigh 1869–1956 * Woombah 1872–1953

Military history

During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Grafton was the location of RAAF No.6 Inland Aircraft Fuel Depot (IAFD), completed in 1942 and closed on 29 August 1944. Usually consisting of 4 tanks, 31 fuel depots were built across Australia for the storage and supply of aircraft fuel for the

Royal Australian Air Force The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) is the principal Air force, aerial warfare force of Australia, a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Australian Army. Constitutionally the Governor-Gener ...

and the US Army Air Forces at a total cost of £900,000 ($1,800,000).

Notable people

Notable people who were born or lived in Grafton include: * James Armah (born 1976, moved to Grafton in 2016), professional dual Commonwealth champion boxer * Michael Balk, actor and producer * Zoe Buckman (born 1988), Olympic middle-distance runner *

(born 1969), country musician * Fanny Cohen (born 1887), headmistress * Matthew Colless (born 1960) astronomer and director of the Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics (RSAA) at the Australian National University (ANU). He was for nine years previously the director of the Australian Astronomical Observatory (AAO), Australia's national optical observatory. * Peter Drysdale (born 1938), economist * Adam Eckersley, musician *

Havelock Ellis Henry Havelock Ellis (2 February 1859 – 8 July 1939) was an English physician, eugenicist, writer, Progressivism, progressive intellectual and social reformer who studied human sexuality. He co-wrote the first medical textbook in English on h ...

(1859–1939), pioneer sexologist, held the position of assistant master at a local private grammar school during 1877. * Nick Emmett, rugby league player * Jim Eggins (1898–1952), politician * Gary Foley (born 1950), Aboriginal activist, academic, writer * Charles Hercules Green (1919–1950), officer * George Green (1883–unknown), rugby league player * Ernest Henry (1904–1998), Olympic swimmer * Henry Kendall (1839–1882) * Andrew Landenberger (born 1966), Olympic sailor and medalist * Robyn Lambley (born 1965), politician * Carly Leeson (born 1998), cricketer * Jimmy Lisle (1939–2003), rugby league and rugby union player * Brent Livermore (born 1976), field hockey midfielder * Ryan Maskelyne (born 1999), Olympic swimmer, competing for Papua New Guinea * The McClymonts, country music group consisting of sisters Brooke, Samantha and Mollie * Frank McGuren (1909–1990), politician * Iven Giffard Mackay (1882–1966),

Lieutenant General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...

* David Marchant AM (born 1954), railway industry executive * Bill McLennan (born 1942), statistician * Chris Masters (born 1948), journalist * Gillian Mears (born 1964), author * James Lionel Michael, poet and solicitor (moved to Grafton 1861, died in Grafton 1868) * Tony Mundine (born 1951), boxer * Warren Mundine (born 1956), politician * Kevin Nichols (born 1955), track cyclist * Sir Earle Page (1880–1961), 11th

Prime Minister of Australia The prime minister of Australia is the head of government of the Commonwealth of Australia. The prime minister is the chair of the Cabinet of Australia and thus the head of the Australian Government, federal executive government. Under the pr ...

, 1939 * Geoff Page (born 1940) poet * Ruby Payne-Scott (1912–1981), pioneer in radiophysics and radio astronomy * Frank Partridge (1924–1964), recipient of the

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious decoration of the Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, British decorations system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British ...

Cameron Pilley Cameron Pilley (born 27 October 1982) is an Australian former professional squash player. He reached a career-high world ranking of World No. 11 in January 2011. Pilley was born in Grafton, New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abb ...

(born 1982), squash player * Bessie Pocock RRC (1863–1946), was welcomed back after WWI with a teaset and timepiece * Eddie Purkiss (born 1934), rugby union player * Tyrone Roberts (born 1991),

Newcastle Knights The Newcastle Knights are an Australian professional rugby league team based in Newcastle, New South Wales that competes in the National Rugby League (NRL) premiership. Playing in red and blue, the Knights joined the top-tier competition in New ...

and Gold Coast Titans footballer * Michael Rush (1844–1921), rower * Lindsay Gordon Scott (1898–1941), architect * Henry Ernest Searle (1866–1889), rower * Sir Grafton Elliot Smith (1871–1937), anatomist and palaeoanthropologist * Tse Tsan-tai (1872–1938), Chinese revolutionary"Grafton Chinese Who Led the revolution"
''

The Sydney Morning Herald ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid newspaper published in Sydney, Australia, and owned by Nine Entertainment. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuous ...

'', 26 September 1932, via

Trove Trove is an Australian online library database owned by the National Library of Australia in which it holds partnerships with source providers National and State Libraries Australia, an aggregator and service which includes full text documen ...

* James Tully (1877–1962), politician * William Edward Vincent (1823–1861), founded ''

'' * Brenda Walker (1957–2024), writer * Don Walker (born 1951), musician * Arthur Bache Walkom (1889–1976), palaeobotanist and museum director * Kenneth "Ken" Weeks (born 1913), supercentenarian, oldest living Australian * Bill Weiley (1901–1989), politician * Edith Alexandra White, (1901–1988) WW2 matron * Danny Wicks (born 1985), rugby league player * Graham Wilson, rugby league footballer of the 1960s * Walter George Woolnough (1876–1958), geologist * Beau Young (born 1974), singer-songwriter, surfer

References

External links

* * {{Authority control 1851 establishments in Australia Populated places established in 1851 Clarence Valley Council Augustus FitzRoy, 3rd Duke of Grafton