It’s officially that time of year when pockets of Sydney bloom in a sea of purple, reminding us that spring has sprung and summer is just around the corner.
The jacaranda tree, often mistaken as an Australian native, blankets the city in swathes of a distinctive light purple colour from the middle of October until the end of November.
Here are our picks for the best places within Sydney that are transformed by these dramatic blooms.
Royal Botanic Gardens
Just a short stroll from our Sydney CBD hotels is the Royal Botanic Gardens, one of the oldest public gardens in the Southern Hemisphere. Home to an immense range of plant species, the Royal Botanic Gardens contains some of the most mature jacaranda specimens in Australia that date all the way back to the 1850s.
Circular Quay
While the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge are the sights to see when you visit this iconic location, the full bloom of two large jacaranda trees on the western side of Circular Quay will compliment any scenic happy snap that you may take.
Kirribilli
Just north of the Harbour Bridge and moments from our North Sydney hotel, the lilac tones of the jacaranda trees form a spectacular canopy over McDougall Street. The suburb has increasingly become a tourist drawcard because of its jacaranda “tunnel”, creating a popular trend on social media platforms such as Instagram.
Paddington
As you walk just outside Victoria barracks, along Oxford Street, you’ll find the most famous stretch of purple hues in the entire Eastern Suburbs. If you’re staying at our Bondi Junction hotel, walk towards the Five Ways in Paddington, then venture into the suburban backstreets of Woollahra and Double Bay for more purple jacaranda trees.