Many Australians love this time of year when Jacaranda trees come out in full bloom. but it is hard to compete with the love on display in on New South Wales country town. Grafton has built an entire carnival around Australia’s oldest floral festival, which is now going 90-years strong.
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00:00For almost a century, the city of Grafton has blossomed every spring, thanks to its
00:06embrace of the colour purple.
00:09Purple pleats, purple performances, and most importantly, purple petals.
00:13The blooming is by far the best I've seen in five years I've been back home.
00:17It's just sensational to see, it's got a lot to do with what rainfall we had throughout
00:20the year.
00:21An estimated 45,000 people will take in the sights at this year's Jacaranda Festival,
00:26which is celebrating its 90th anniversary, and bringing on a new wave of nostalgia.
00:32They're very vivid memories for me, and a lot of us here in the house.
00:36We all held a streamer, and we went round and then come back again.
00:40It was really lovely to share.
00:43The city's signature jacarandas go back even further.
00:46This is where it all started.
00:49Grafton's first jacaranda trees were planted right here in the 1890s, and many of those
00:55originals can still be seen here today.
00:57That's why this street is known to locals as Jacaranda Avenue.
01:02Many of the festival traditions have also lasted the test of time, including the crowning
01:06of a Jacaranda Queen.
01:08But some new traditions are being born, including a half-marathon passing by many of the city's
01:141,700 jacarandas.
01:16Sarah Blackman has been training for it, while also getting students involved from the local
01:21high school.
01:22It's just wonderful being able to run in an event with all our local running community
01:28here together, in our town, among the beautiful jacarandas.
01:32Look how many people are here.
01:35There's nothing negative, it's always positive.
01:37Everyone has a good time at Jacaranda.
01:39I love getting to see them enjoy it as much as we used to when we were kids.
01:42I love the town, and I love my history, and I love this place.
01:47Sing about the wonders that are known to all mankind.
01:52Memories old and new, sowing the seeds for a new generation of Jacaranda fans.