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

Northern Rivers Northern Rivers is the most north-easterly 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, Richmond, and Tweed rivers. ...

region of the Australian state of

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

. It is located on the Clarence River, approximately by road north-northeast of the state capital

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

. The closest major cities,

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

and the

Gold Coast Gold Coast may refer to: Places Africa * Gold Coast (region), in West Africa, which was made up of the following colonies, before being established as the independent nation of Ghana: ** Portuguese Gold Coast (Portuguese, 1482–1642) ** Dutch G ...

, are located across the border in

South-East Queensland South East Queensland (SEQ) is a bio-geographical, metropolitan, political and administrative region of the state of Queensland in Australia, with a population of approximately 3.8 million people out of the state's population of 5.1 million. Th ...

. At the 2021 census, Grafton had a population of 19,255. The city is the largest settlement and, with

Maclean MacLean, also spelt Maclean and McLean, is a Gaelic surname Mac Gille Eathain, or, Mac Giolla Eóin in Irish Gaelic), Eóin being a Gaelic form of Johannes (John). The clan surname is an Anglicisation of the Scottish Gaelic "Mac Gille Eathai ...

, the shared administrative centre of the

Clarence Valley Council Clarence Valley Council is a local government area in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales, Australia. The council services an area of and draws its name from the Clarence River, which flows through most of the council area. The area ...

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 State (administrative division), state, province, divi ...

, 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 The Gumbaynggirr people, also rendered Kumbainggar, Gumbangeri and other variant spellings, are an Aboriginal Australian people of the Mid North Coast of New South Wales. Gumbathagang was a probable clan or sub-group. The traditional lands of th ...

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 Woodford Island is an inland island in the Far-North Coast of New South Wales, Australia. It is formed by the Clarence River where it splits into the South Arm and North Arm at the small village of Brushgrove then reforms at the town of Maclea ...

. 'The Settlement' (as the embryonic Grafton was then imaginatively named) was established shortly after. GraftonBasculeBridgeSpanLiftingCirca1932

GraftonBasculeBridgeSpanLiftingCirca1932

In 1851 Governor 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 ...

, 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 advises the sovereign on the exercise of much of the royal prerogative, chairs the Cabinet and selects its ministers. As modern pr ...

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 Brisbane, 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. Thes ...

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 The former Grafton Gaol, later called the Grafton Correctional Centre and then Grafton Intake and Transient Centre is a heritage-listed former medium security prison for males and females, located in , Clarence Valley Council, New South Wales, A ...

* North Coast railway:

Grafton Bridge Grafton Bridge is a road bridge spanning Grafton Gully in Auckland, New Zealand. Built of reinforced concrete in 1910, it connects the Auckland CBD and Karangahape Road with Grafton. It spans about 97.6 metres (320 feet), rises 25.6 metr ...

* 95 Prince Street:

Saraton Theatre Saraton Theatre is a heritage-listed theatre at 95 Prince Street, Grafton, Clarence Valley Council, New South Wales, Australia. It now operates both as a cinema and a venue for live performances. The original 1926 building was designed by F. ...

* 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 zone of climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between latitudes 25° and 40° ...

(

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

: ''Cfa'', Trewartha: ''Cfal'') with significantly more rainfall and higher temperatures 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 ºC (115.3 ºF), the city's highest recorded temperature since records began.

Culture

Jacaranda are mostly Purple-03 (22698486926)

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. The generic name is also used as the common name. The species ''Jacaranda mimosifolia'' has achie ...

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 sport or recreational activity in which a pilot flies a light, non-motorised foot-launched heavier-than-air aircraft called a hang glider. Most modern hang gliders are made of an aluminium alloy or composite frame covered ...

. 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. Saraton Theatre, Grafton, NSW, 2021, 01

Grafton is the birthplace of several renowned

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

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 G ...

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 Samantha McClymont (born 1986) is an Australian singer-songwriter. She is a member of the country music family band The McClymonts with her older sister Brooke McClymont and younger sister Mollie. She is also a television presenter on travel pr ...

, the 2005/2006 Grafton Jacaranda Queen and sister of

Brooke McClymont Brooke Maree McClymont (born 16 May 1981) is an Australian singer, songwriter and guitarist. With her two younger sisters, Samantha and Mollie, she is a founder of a country music trio, the McClymonts. She has written songs for Kate DeAraugo an ...

, 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 band, which formed in Adelaide in 1973 by mainstay members Ian Moss on guitar and vocals, Steve Prestwich on drums and Don Walker on piano and keyboards. They were soon joined by Jimmy Barnes (at the ...

's song ''

Flame Trees "Flame Trees" is a song by Australian pub rock band Cold Chisel from their 1984 album ''Twentieth Century''. One of their best known songs, it was written by drummer Steve Prestwich and keyboardist Don Walker. On its release it reached No.&nbs ...

'', 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 just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 112 ...

. There are two clubs from Grafton in the

Group 2 Rugby League Group 2 is a rugby league competition on the north coast of New South Wales Since 1966, run under the auspices of the Country Rugby League. The Group 2 area runs from Grafton in the north to Macksville in the south. Group 2 teams played for ma ...

competition; the

Grafton Ghosts The Grafton Ghosts are an Australian rugby league football team based in Grafton, New South Wales. The club was founded in 1963 as a joint venture of the Grafton All Blacks and Grafton United teams. Notable players * Danny Wicks (2006-16 St Ge ...

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. Rugby League Clubs in Grafton: *

* South Grafton Rebels 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 – December 30, 1904) was a Canadians, 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 a builder, Hunt was tra ...

, 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

Grafton Bridge, Grafton, New South Wales, 2021, 24

The

Murwillumbah Murwillumbah ( ) is a town in far north-eastern New South Wales, Australia, in the Tweed Shire, on the Tweed River. Sitting on the south eastern foothills of the McPherson Range in the Tweed Volcano valley, Murwillumbah is 848 km north-e ...

–

Byron Bay Byron Bay ( Minjungbal: ''Cavvanbah)'' is a beachside town located in the far-northeastern corner of the state of New South Wales, Australia on Bundjalung Country. It is located north of Sydney and south of Brisbane. Cape Byron, a hea ...

– Lismore railway (opened in 1894) was extended to Grafton's original railway station in 1905; for details, see

Murwillumbah railway line The Murwillumbah railway line is a mostly disused railway line in far north-eastern Northern Rivers New South Wales, Australia. The line ran from Casino to Lismore, Byron Bay, Mullumbimby and Murwillumbah, opening in 1894. It is one of only ...

. 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- or ...

in 1932, Grafton had a

train ferry A train ferry is a ship (ferry) designed to carry railway vehicles. Typically, one level of the ship is fitted with railway tracks, and the vessel has a door at the front and/or rear to give access to the wharves. In the United States, train ...

to connect the two railways.

Clarence Valley Regional Airport Clarence Valley Regional Airport also known as Grafton Airport, is an airport southeast of Grafton, New South Wales, Australia. The airport is used by the NSW Air Ambulance Service, Royal Flying Doctor Service, LifeFlight, Westpac Life Save ...

is the airport that services Grafton. Grafton also lies on the Pacific Highway, the main North–South road route through Eastern Australia, and links it to the

Gwydir Highway Gwydir Highway is a state highway in northern New South Wales, Australia. The highway was named after the Gwydir River, which in turn was named after a locale in Wales. Route Gwydir Highway traverses the New England region from the inland pla ...

, one of the primary east–west routes through Eastern Australia.

Busways Busways is an Australian bus company operating services in Sydney, and in the Central Coast, Great Lakes, Mid North Coast regions of New South Wales and Adelaide. It is the largest privately owned bus operator in Australia. History The ...

Grafton is the operator for local routes, as well as out-of-town routes to Junction Hill, Jackadgery/Cangai, Copmanhurst, and

and Yamba. Lawrence Bus Service operates a shopper service, as well as school service on school days, to and from

Lawrence Lawrence may refer to: Education Colleges and universities * Lawrence Technological University, a university in Southfield, Michigan, United States * Lawrence University, a liberal arts university in Appleton, Wisconsin, United States Preparator ...

. Northern Rivers Buslines operates a weekday service to Lismore via Maclean, Evans Head and

Coraki Coraki is a small town that sits on the confluence of the Richmond and Wilson Rivers in northern New South Wales, Australia in Richmond Valley Shire. At the 2016 census, Coraki had a population of 1,277 people. Material was copied from this ...

NSW TrainLink NSW TrainLink is a train and coach operator in Australia, providing services throughout New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory, along with limited interstate services into Victoria, Queensland and South Australia. Its primary interc ...

provides a coach service to

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

Industry

From 1904 to 1917 the Grafton Copper Mining Company Ltd operated a

copper mine Copper extraction refers to the methods used to obtain copper from its ores. The conversion of copper consists of a series of physical and electrochemical processes. Methods have evolved and vary with country depending on the ore source, loca ...

, 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 rivers, today about 70 km over the

. 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 beers and ciders under the ''Tooheys'' and '' Hahn Brewery'' trademarks, and is part of the Lion beverages group which was acquired by the Japanese Kirin Company ...

since 1961, the Grafton brewery provided Grafton Bitter to the North Coast. The nearby

Harwood Mill The Harwood Sugar Mill (also known as ''Sunshine Sugar Mill'') is located on Harwood Island on the Clarence River in the Northern Rivers region in north-eastern New South Wales, Australia. It began operations in 1874, and is the oldest sugar ca ...

is the oldest working sugar mill in New South Wales.

Newspapers

The daily 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 media conglomerate Australian Provincial Newspapers (APN).

Radio and television

Radio stations

* 2GF 1206 AM/103.9 FM (commercial) *FM 104.7 (commercial) *

Triple J Triple J (stylised in all lowercase) is a government-funded, national Australian radio station intended to appeal to listeners of alternative music, which began broadcasting in January 1975. The station also places a greater emphasis on broad ...

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 Radio National, known on-air as RN, is an Australia-wide public service broadcasting radio network run by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). From 1947 until 1985, the network was known as ABC Radio 2. History 1937: Predecessors a ...

99.5 FM/96.9 FM * 2KY Racing Radio 101.5 FM *Life FM 103.1 (community) *Raw FM 87.6

Television channels

Seven 7 is a number, numeral, and glyph. 7 or seven may also refer to: * AD 7, the seventh year of the AD era * 7 BC, the seventh year before the AD era * The month of July Music Artists * Seven (Swiss singer) (born 1978), a Swiss recording artist ...

(Formerly

Prime7 Prime7, formerly Prime Television and other names, was an Australian television network. Prime Television launched on 17 March 1962 as '' CBN-8'' in Orange, and later expanded to cover regional New South Wales, Victoria and the Australian Ca ...

7HD 7HD is an Australian television channel, owned by Seven West Media, originally launched on 15 October 2007 featuring unique breakaway programming from 10 December 2007 to 4 October 2009 and a HD simulcast of Seven until 25 September 2010. The ...

, 7two,

7mate 7mate is an Australian free-to-air digital television multichannel, which was launched by the Seven Network on 25 September 2010. The channel contains sport and regular programs aimed primarily to a male audience, with programming drawn from a c ...

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 ...

ishop tv ishop TV is an Australian free-to-air television channel and a digital advertorial datacasting service that was launched on 30 April 2013. The channel is owned by Seven West Media (formerly Prime Media Group) and Brand Developers, broadcastin ...

, Racing.com, owned and operated by the

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

. *

Nine 9 is a number, numeral, and glyph. 9 or nine may also refer to: Dates * AD 9, the ninth year of the AD era * 9 BC, the ninth year before the AD era * 9, numerical symbol for the month of September Places * Nine, Portugal, a parish in the ...

(

NBN Television NBN is an Australian television station based in Newcastle, Australia. The station was inaugurated on 4 March 1962 as the first regional commercial television station in New South Wales, and has since expanded to 39 transmitters throughout Nor ...

);

9HD 9HD is an Australian television channel owned by Nine Entertainment, originally launched on 17 March 2008 featuring unique "breakaway" programming until 2009 and a high-definition simulcast of the Nine Network from 2009 to 2010 and again s ...

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 Nine N ...

9Gem HD 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 Nine N ...

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, anim ...

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 Scripp ...

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

, owned and operated by the

Nine Network The Nine Network (stylised 9Network, 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 five main free-to-air television netw ...

. * 10, 10HD, 10 Bold, 10 Peach – ( 10 Northern NSW, owned by

WIN Corporation WIN Corporation is a private Australian media company, that owns assets including the WIN Television network, Crawford Productions and several local radio stations. The company is based in Wollongong, New South Wales. History Founding The WIN b ...

), (

Network 10 Network 10 (commonly known as Ten Network, Channel 10 or simply 10) is an Australian commercial television network owned by Ten Network Holdings, a division of the Paramount Networks UK & Australia subsidiary of Paramount Global. One of five ...

affiliated channels). *

ABC Television ABC Television most commonly refers to: *ABC Television Network of the American Broadcasting Company, United States, or *ABC Television (Australian TV network), a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Australia ABC Television or ABC ...

including

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

ABC TV Plus ABC TV Plus (formerly ABC2 and ABC Comedy) is an Australian free-to-air television channel owned by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and part of its ABC Television network. The channel broadcasts a range of general entertainment pr ...

ABC Me ABC Me (stylised as ABC ME) is an Australian English language children's free-to-air television channel owned by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. It was officially launched by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd on 4 December 2009 as ABC3. Hist ...

and

ABC News ABC News is the news division of the American broadcast network ABC. Its flagship program is the daily evening newscast ''ABC World News Tonight, ABC World News Tonight with David Muir''; other programs include Breakfast television, morning ...

, part of the

Australian Broadcasting Corporation The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is the national broadcaster of Australia. It is principally funded by direct grants from the Australian Government and is administered by a government-appointed board. The ABC is a publicly-own ...

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

, SBS,

SBS Viceland SBS Viceland (stylised as SBS VICELAND) is an Australian free-to-air television channel owned by the Special Broadcasting Service (SBS). It began as SBS TWO on 1 June 2009, and was branded as SBS 2 between 2013 and 2016. On 8 April 2017, SBS ...

SBS Food SBS Food 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 revealed it would laun ...

SBS World Movies SBS World Movies is an Australian free-to-air television channel showing international movies. The channel features foreign language films, documentaries, independent and mainstream cinema and interviews with international movie stars. It w ...

SBS WorldWatch SBS WorldWatch is an Australian free-to-air television channel owned and operated by the Special Broadcasting Service (SBS). The channel shows multilingual international news bulletins in more than 30 languages, as well as two local bulletins i ...

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 half-hourly nightly ''NITV News'' ...

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 Foxtel is an Australian pay television company—operating in cable television, direct broadcast satellite television, and IPTV streaming services. It was formed in April 2018, superseding an earlier company from 1995. The service was establi ...

. 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 ''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 television, high definition studios in Martin Place, Sydney, while f ...

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

WIN Television WIN Television is an Australian television network owned by WIN Corporation that is based in Wollongong, New South Wales. WIN commenced transmissions on 18 March 1962 as a single television station covering the Wollongong region. The WIN Netw ...

’s

WIN News ''WIN News'' is a local television news service in parts of regional Australia, produced by WIN Television. 12 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 ( ), colloquially referred to as The Gong, 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 wa ...

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

) * Woodford Leigh 1869–1956 * Woombah 1872–1953

Military history

During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, 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 "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = RAAF Anniversary Commemoration ...

and the

US Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

at a total cost of £900,000 ($1,800,000).

Notable people

Notable people who were born or lived in Grafton include: * James Armah (moved to Grafton in 2016) professional dual Commonwealth champion boxer *

, 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, progressive intellectual and social reformer who studied human sexuality. He co-wrote the first medical textbook in English on homosexuality i ...

(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 Eldred James Eggins (7 April 1898 – 28 January 1952) was an Australian politician and a member of the Country Party of Australia. Jim Eggins was born at Grafton, New South Wales and educated in state schools. He served in the military in 19 ...

(1898–1952), politician *

Gary Foley Gary Edward Foley (born 1950) is an Aboriginal Australian activist of the Gumbainggir people, academic, writer and actor. He is best known for his role in establishing the Aboriginal Tent Embassy in Canberra in 1972 and for establishing an Abo ...

(born 1950), Aboriginal activist, academic, writer * Charles Hercules Green (1919–1950), officer * George Green (1883–unknown), rugby league player * Henry Kendall (18 April 1839 – 1 August 1882) * Andrew Landenberger (born 1966), Olympic sailor and medalist *

Robyn Lambley Robyn Jane Lambley (born 26 January 1965) is an Australian politician. She is an independent member representing the division of Araluen in the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly, having been first elected in a 2010 by-election as a membe ...

(born 1965), politician * Carly Leeson (born 1998), cricketer * Jimmy Lisle (1939–2003), rugby league and rugby union player *

Brent Livermore Brent James Livermore OAM (born 5 July 1976 in Grafton, New South Wales) is a field hockey midfielder from Australia. He was first selected in the Australian team in 1997, and was awarded the Kookaburras player of the yea ...

(born 5 July 1976), field hockey midfielder * Ryan Maskelyne (born 1999), Olympic swimmer, competing for Papua New Guinea *

The McClymonts The McClymonts are an Australian country music trio comprising sisters Brooke McClymont (born 1981), Samantha McClymont (born 1986) and Mollie McClymont (born 1987), originally from Grafton, New South Wales. They have released one eponymous EP a ...

, country music group consisting of sisters Brooke,

Samantha Samantha (or the alternatively Samanta) is primarily used as a feminine given name. It was recorded in England in 1633 in Newton Regis, Warwickshire. It was also recorded in the 18th century in New England, but its etymology is uncertain. Specu ...

and Mollie *

Frank McGuren Francis William McGuren, OAM (15 October 1909 – 13 June 1990) was an Australian politician. Early life and career Born in Grafton, New South Wales, he was educated at St Augustine's School in Coffs Harbour. He then became a public ser ...

(1909–1990), politician *

Iven Giffard Mackay Lieutenant General Sir Iven Giffard Mackay, (7 April 1882 – 30 September 1966) was a senior Australian Army officer who served in both world wars. Mackay graduated from the University of Sydney in 1904 and taught physics there fr ...

(7 April 1882 – 30 September 1966),

Lieutenant General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) 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 ...

* David Marchant AM (born 1954), railway industry executive *

Bill McLennan William Patrick McLennan (26 January 1942 – 19 March 2022) was an Australian statistician who was Director of the Central Statistical Office (CSO) of the United Kingdom and Australian Statistician, head of the Australian Bureau of Statistic ...

(born 1942), statistician *

Chris Masters Christopher Todd Mordetzky (born January 8, 1983) is an American professional wrestler, currently signed to National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) under the ring name Chris Adonis as a member of Strictly Business. He is a former two-time National Ch ...

(born 1948), journalist *

Gillian Mears Gillian Mears (21 July 1964 – 16 May 2016) was an Australian short story writer and novelist. Her books ''Ride a Cock Horse'' and ''The Grass Sister'' won a Commonwealth Writers' Prize, shortlist, in 1989 and 1996, respectively. ''The Mint La ...

(born 1964), author *

James Lionel Michael James Lionel Michael (October 1824 – 26 April 1868) was an Anglo-Australian solicitor and poet. Early life Michael was born in Red Lion Square, London, the second son of James Walter Michael, a solicitor, and his wife, Rose Lemon ''née'' Hart. ...

, poet and solicitor (moved to Grafton 1861, died in Grafton 1868) * Tony Mundine (born 1951), boxer *

Warren Mundine Nyunggai Warren Stephen Mundine is an Australian Aboriginal leader and politician. He was the National President of the Australian Labor Party (ALP), but quit the party in 2012. Mundine was appointed chairman of the Coalition government's Indig ...

(born 1956), politician *

Kevin Nichols Kevin John Nichols (born 4 July 1955 in Grafton, New South Wales) is a former track cyclist and Olympic gold medallist. His daughter, Kate Nichols, is a road racing cyclist.Sir Earle Page (8 August 1880 – 20 December 1961), 11th

Prime Minister of Australia The prime minister of Australia is the head of government of the Commonwealth of Australia. The prime minister heads the executive branch of the Australian Government, federal government of Australia and is also accountable to Parliament of A ...

, 1939 *

Geoff Page Geoffrey Donald Page (born 7 July 1940) is an Australian poet, translator, teacher and jazz enthusiast. He has published 22 collections of poetry, as well as prose and verse novels. Poetry and jazz are his driving interests, and he has also writ ...

(born 1940) poet *

Ruby Payne-Scott Ruby Violet Payne-Scott, BSc (Phys) MSc DipEd (Syd) (28 May 1912 – 25 May 1981) was an Australian pioneer in radiophysics and radio astronomy, and was one of two Antipodean women pioneers in radio astronomy and radio physics at the end of the ...

(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 award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously ...

Cameron Pilley Cameron Pilley (born 27 October 1982) is a former professional squash player from Australia. He reached a career-high world ranking of World No. 11 in January 2011. Pilley was born in Grafton, New South Wales. From 2001 to 2005, he attended ...

(born 1982), squash player * Eddie Purkiss (born 1934), rugby union player *

Tyrone Roberts Tyrone Roberts (born 1 June 1991) is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who plays for the Burleigh Bears in the Queensland Cup as a or . He previously played for the Brisbane Broncos, Newcastle Knights and the Gold Coast Titan ...

(born 1 June 1991),

Newcastle Knights The Newcastle Knights are an Australian professional rugby league club based in Newcastle, New South Wales. They compete in Australasia's premier rugby league competition, the National Rugby League (NRL) premiership. Playing in red and blue, th ...

and

Gold Coast Titans The Gold Coast Titans are a professional rugby league football club, based on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. The club competes in the National Rugby League (NRL), Australia and New Zealand's national rugby league club competition. The ...

footballer * Michael Rush (1844–1921), rower * Lindsay Gordon Scott (1898–1941), architect *

Henry Ernest Searle Henry Ernest Searle (1866–1889), was a professional Australian sculler, who also was the World Sculling Champion from 1888 until his premature death from typhoid in 1889. Born on 14 July 1866 at Grafton, New South Wales to Henry Samuel Sea ...

(1866–1889), rower * Sir Grafton Elliot Smith (15 August 1871 – 1 January 1937), anatomist and palaeoanthropologist *

Tse Tsan-tai Tse Tsan-tai (; 16 May 1872 – 4 April 1938), courtesy name Sing-on (), art-named Hong-yu (), was an Australian Chinese revolutionary, active during the late Qing dynasty. Tse had an interest in designing airships but none were ever construc ...

(1872–1938), Chinese revolutionary"Grafton Chinese Who Led the revolution"
''

The Sydney Morning Herald ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily compact newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and owned by Nine. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuously published newspaper ...

'', 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 '' The Clarence and Richmond Examiner'' *

Brenda Walker Brenda Walker (born 1957 in Grafton, New South Wales) is an Australian writer. She studied at the University of New England in Armidale and, after gaining a PhD in English (on the work of Samuel Beckett) at the Australian National University ...

(born 1957), writer * Don Walker (born 1951), musician *

Arthur Bache Walkom Arthur Bache Walkom (8 February 1889 – 2 July 1976) was an Australian palaeobotanist and museum director. Walkom was born in Grafton, New South Wales and moved with his family to Sydney where he was educated at Petersham Public and Fort Stree ...

(1889–1976), palaeobotanist and museum director * Bill Weiley (1901–1989), politician *

Danny Wicks Danny Wicks (born 5 December 1985) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer. He played as a in the NRL for the St. George Illawarra Dragons, Newcastle Knights and the Parramatta Eels. From September 2011 to March 2013, Wic ...

(born 1985), rugby league player * Graham Wilson, rugby league footballer of the 1960s *

Walter George Woolnough Walter George Woolnough (15 January 1876 – 28 September 1958) was an Australian geologist. Woolnough was born in Brushgrove, Grafton, New South Wales, and attended Sydney Boys High School (1888-1890), Newington College (1893-1894) and the Uni ...

(1876–1958), geologist *

Beau Young Beau Young is an Australian surfer, singer and songwriter. Early life Beau was born 28 August 1974 in Grafton, New South Wales, the second youngest of four children of the 1960s and 1970s surfer Nat Young Robert Harold "Nat" Young (born 14 ...

(born 1974), singer-songwriter, surfer

References

External links

Clarence Valley Council WebsiteClarence Valley Tourism Website
tropicalnsw.com.au
Photographs of Grafton in 1994

National Library of Australia The National Library of Australia (NLA), formerly the Commonwealth National Library and Commonwealth Parliament Library, is the largest reference library in Australia, responsible under the terms of the ''National Library Act 1960'' for "mainta ...

Jacaranda Festival Grafton

Gillwinga Public School

Grafton High School

Grafton Public School

South Grafton High School

South Grafton Public School

Westlawn Public School

Clarence Valley Anglican School

St Josephs Primary School

St Mary's Primary School

St. Andrew's Christian School
{{Authority control 1851 establishments in Australia Northern Rivers Clarence Valley Council