Travel Notes | Exploring the most beautiful jacaranda town in Australia, Grafton, alone, but actually the female version is in trouble?

"Waiting for love in despair"

It is the flower language of jacaranda

When hearing about jacaranda for the first time, most people will think that

This romantic name matches the blue romantic flowers

But this is not the case

The scientific name of Jacaranda is Jacaranda

Deciduous tree

Flower color ranges from lavender to deep purple

annual flowering time

Like a shy girl

Enough to bring visual shock to the viewer

↑Grafton town streets

The "examination flower" of the University of Sydney

Friends who are familiar with Tu'ao must know

Every October to November is the time when Australian jacarandas are in full bloom.

Purple jacaranda tree next to the Magic Castle at the University of Sydney

It has also become one of the favorites of tourists

Jacaranda is also known as the "examination flower"

This goes back to 1928

Professor Eben Waterhouse, University of Sydney

At the corner of The Quadrangle, the oldest teaching building

Planted this famous jacaranda

When the sky full of purple petals are flying on campus

Exam season is here

Legend has it that if the jacaranda blooms

If you haven’t started reviewing yet

I was accidentally hit on the head by a flower petal

But you’re going to fail the class!

Jacaranda Town: GRAFTON

If Sydney’s jacarandas have already fascinated you,

Then the small town of Grafton in New South Wales will definitely take your breath away.

Another name for this town

It’s called Jacaranda Town

Because here,6500 jacaranda trees were planted

It's like a fairy tale place

Incredibly beautiful

The town holds the Jacaranda Festival every year in early November.

The day I arrived was the last day of the Jacaranda Festival

Although there are no more tourists

But the scenery is quite comfortable

This is a beautiful and thrilling story about her and me

(Danger, please do not imitate)

It takes an overnight drive from Sydney to Grafton

I took my favorite Greyhound bus and embarked on a flower-viewing trip alone.

When I opened my eyes in the morning, I saw the green landscape

There are many kangaroos that were hit on the roadside

They may also be confused

Obviously jumping happily

Why was it knocked away?

The Greyhound bus station is where I get off every time I arrive.

It is also the pick-up point for the next destination.

Therefore, the accommodation you book must be close to the station.

after all

I hold more than 30 kilograms of luggage...

(Note: This lays a deep foreshadowing for the embarrassing journey ahead)

This small town is very worrying.

There is no youth hostel that I love

The nearest hotel still requires me to walk 4 kilometers.

Walkable motel

But he was young and energetic at the time

That’s all

A few days before departure, I booked the remaining six beds in the hotel.

↑Exterior view of the motel

I walked more than two kilometers on the highway with a similar cheerful pace.

Going around all the roads and alleys

Finally arrived at the hotel (pictured above)

It can be obtained from the picture

There is also a liquor store on the first floor:)

Walking in the door with anticipation

Live TV of football match hanging on the wall

Some grandpas are eagerly buying lotto tickets

Some grandpas were drinking and chatting at the front desk

There is also a grandpa sitting on the sofa on one side watching the game comfortably.

This floor is like a classic small town senior citizen bar!

As soon as I walked in, I nodded to them.

One of the grandpas enthusiastically helped me call the front desk.

Checked in quickly on the second floor

Already sweating profusely, I immediately bought a bottle of beer

Moved a wing chair to the door of the bar

Learn from the old man next to you in the shade

Leaning on a chair, drinking a small beer, blowing in the wind, and looking at the street scenery

(Inner OS: This little life is really fun)

Soon I started chatting with my grandpa all the time.

When I say that I am a backpacker, I come here specifically to see the flowers.

Then grandpa looked at Google Maps

He explained it street by street and gave me a guide to viewing flowers.

I feel more confident and ready to go~

The long road to flower viewing

This town is so beautiful that even a small road is covered with flowers.

The town is divided into two parts by the water system

If I want to see more flowers, I have to walk across a bridge

Then walk around the town along the Jacaranda street route

↑Scenery on the bridge

The scenery seen from the bridge makes me feel like this is a paradise

Suddenly I understand why many elderly people choose to retire here.

Ahhhhhhhhh it’s so beautiful!

There was a handsome Australian young man riding a bicycle passing me on the bridge.

We smiled and greeted each other

Smile from the heart to strangers

is one of the most important lifestyle lessons I learned here

Just walk off the bridge and see the graffiti wall here.

What immediately comes into view on the wall is a portrait of an aborigine.

(If you want to know more about the stories of aboriginal people, you can read the previous article hehe)

Then cross a small road

I set my pace very slowly, very slowly

I just want to try my best to enjoy this colorful path

wonderful wonderful

Went to the street and appeared

A magnificent purple fairy tale

There are flowers under your feet~

A street with only a few tourists

Very comfortable to walk on

No one will disturb the peace of the hike

On the way, I was pleasantly surprised to meet a jacaranda making ice cream.

It was made by a kind-hearted old man himself

Two knives for one

This tastes so delicious (suck)

There are also cute clothes on the street

It has a big print on it

I love jacaranda~

This is the most famous Jacaranda Street

Personally, I suggest that you can choose to hike on the side path on this street.

It will feel better when walking

I feel tired after walking

Take a seat under the largest jacaranda tree in the town park

took out my kindle

Eat some snacks to replenish energy while reading a book

sat for a while

My head is full of flowers

After a while, an Australian girl came towards me.

She is a staff member of the local tourist center

A survey on tourists is ongoing

I happily filled out a questionnaire

Tell her I'm a tourism major

Questionnaires are also often distributed at scenic spots for surveys.

So everything is very familiar hehe

Walked around the town for four hours

I'm ready to go back in a hurry

I collected the two jacaranda petals on the ground

Tucked into my excerpt

Hope it goes with the closed old yellow paper

While the fragrance lingers

Keep growing up with me

There are still huge trees in the town

Return to the hotel in the evening and cook a salted fish

A hotel with few rooms

Guests who came back earlier also quickly became familiar with each other.

There is a young lady from England and a young man from Germany.

My little brother goes to the nearby farm to pick fruits every morning

Work is over at two or three o'clock in the afternoon

I often buy a bottle of beer and sit on the balcony in a daze

There is also a girl from Singapore

The two of us chatted in English for a long time before we realized that the other party could speak Chinese.

This is the second time she has returned to Grafton

She said, the flower season has arrived

Living in this small town is a pleasure

So she will live here for a long time

Until the jacaranda fades

Maybe I walked too much today

I fell asleep at eight or nine o'clock and the next day came in the blink of an eye.

People on an embarrassing journey: I got out but can’t leave

This hotel has an amazing external staircase

It’s specially prepared for backpackers like us.

There is an iron door between the stairs and the living room on the second floor.

The hotel owner gave me the key to this iron gate the night before

Tell me to open the door and just hang the key inside.

Because the hotel only opens at 11:00

So this operation is quite user-friendly!

I woke up happily the next morning

Pack my suitcase and hiking bag

I'm getting ready to leave on time at 8:30

We have reserved 2 hours for the journey from the hotel to the station.

…

Although the road is long and difficult

But I’m smart enough to stay long!

then

I opened the iron door and hung the key inside

Then he dragged out the more than 10 kilogram mountaineering bag and put it on the stairs outside.

I was about to continue dragging the suitcase out

Discover

…

Door……

It's locked! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !

ARE YOU KIDDING ME???

What to do with my suitcase? ?

I called out to my friends inside

I found that the room is too far away from this door and no one can hear it.

I walked outside the hotel and walked around twice more.

Didn't see a single person

I tried contacting the owner

However, the phone is at the front desk and no one answers...

When I circled around the garage for the third time

heard a little noise

I immediately asked my friends inside for help

It turns out that this is the boss, who happened to come to repair the car today...

The boss smiled and said to me

You are our hotel

The second person ever to lock himself out

Then he kindly helped me move my suitcase down.

….

This is the first part of my embarrassing journey today

At this time

There's only an hour and a half left until departure time

Next, it will be even worse

After getting more than 30 kilograms of luggage, I immediately dragged all my belongings

Go to the station

The hotel is about 4 kilometers from the station

There are about 500 meters of quiet rural roads

There is 1.5 kilometers of noisy road

There are also more than 2 kilometers of highway

Take a taxi?

nonexistent

No Uber here

I went through all kinds of hardships and got to the highway

Already exhausted, I struggled to drag my suitcase

Discover

Can't drag it anymore

There is only a small path of less than one meter next to the wide highway.

It's covered with stones

Take two steps and click

Take two steps and click

I put my hiking bag across the suitcase

Two hands dragging on the road

If it's stuck, pull hard.

The suitcase tilts in an impressively elegant manner

Declare war on me: I can’t walk

Different from the comfortable weather when we arrived

The scorching sun this day is burning my skin

I finished my water quickly

Terrible, really terrible

Less than 50 minutes left

I still have 2 kilometers of gravel road to tow.

At this time, someone must want to ask me about my psychological activities at that time:

I thought so:

I may not be able to do it

There are only two roads before me now

First: Try your best to catch up with the car and continue the journey for the next week

Second: I went back, but there was no place to stay and the accommodation was fully booked.

And I have to walk this road again

Besides, transportation and accommodation at the next few stops will be cancelled.

I’d better work harder and work harder.

If you really can't keep up, forget it.

So I immediately took out my headphones

Connect to the Bluetooth of your phone and play "Wang Gang Tells Stories"

I clearly remember this is a story that happened in a village

Son ran away from home

My parents have been looking for it for many years

Then he suddenly appeared again... and brought a wife with him

The more I listen, the more I want to laugh

A very fast car speeds past me

I laughed while dragging my luggage on the gravel road on the highway

Half an hour passed

I still have more than 1 kilometer to go

obviously

I may not be able to do it

Sad, disappointed and helpless

Just when my eyes are dull and exhausted

Suddenly a white off-road vehicle slowed down on the highway

He turned around and stopped on a lawn not far in front of me.

then

An Australian guy with an angel halo on his head walked down.

he is shining

He is smiling at me...

He walked up to me and asked me

"Do you need help"

"YES!!!"

He said that he also happened to go to the station to find a friend

Then I moved my luggage to the trunk without saying anything.

I sat in the car

Thank you with tears in your eyes

at last

caught up with the car

Brother, help me take down my luggage

The grandparents waiting for the bus greeted us cordially

I suddenly feel

came alive