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Jacarandas in Brisbane: where to see the purple bloom

For a few weeks from mid-October Brisbane turns purple. Jacarandas aren't natives — the first ones were raised at the City Botanic Gardens in the 1860s — but the city has planted them for over a century, and the bloom is now a local calendar event. Here is where to see them at their best.

The best spots

💜 New Farm Park
New Farm — The classic — avenues of mature jacarandas along the river, planted from 1914.
💜 University of Queensland, Great Court
St Lucia — “Purple panic” — the bloom that famously coincides with exam season.
💜 Sherwood Arboretum
Sherwood — A heritage-listed arboretum with jacarandas among 1,100 planted trees.
💜 Highgate Hill Park
Highgate Hill — Hilltop views over the city framed by purple canopies.
💜 Goodwin Park & the Teneriffe hill streets
Teneriffe — Street trees over woolstore terraces — best on foot in late October.
💜 Camp Hill & Whites Hill Reserve edges
Camp Hill — Suburban streets that go quietly purple without the crowds.

When to go

The bloom usually starts in mid-October, peaks in late October to early November, and the petals carpet the ground for a week or two after. A dry, warm spring brings it forward; storms end it early. Golden hour light through a purple canopy is the photo — New Farm Park before 8 am beats the weekend crowds.

Individually mapped trees

OpenStreetMap contributors have pinned 41 individual jacarandas so far — they appear as markers on the isometric map when you zoom right in:

Milton (13) Herston (7) Windsor (7) St Lucia (6) Toowong (4) West End (4)

Tree locations from OpenStreetMap contributors — know a great jacaranda street? Map the trees on OSM and they will appear here with the next refresh.

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