On the Pacific Highway 50 km North of Coff’s Harbour. An inland country town on the banks of the Clarence River, Grafton is famous for its Jacaranda Festival, which takes place during the last week in October and the first week in November. A bit long for a jacaranda festival? Not if you know what goes on here for the rest of the year. The person who sets up an insomnia clinic in Grafton could well corner the market.

To get in the mood, visit Schaeffer House, 190 Fitzroy Street (see www.visitnsw.com). It contains a small regional museum which is all that one expects of this remarkably persistent species. Guaranteed no excitement here: just a mildly interesting meander through the byways of mundaneness. Then head on down the same street to Grafton Regional Gallery in Prentice House, one of Grafton’s several preserved 19thC houses.

Now you’re ready for a superbly uneventful trip down the wide Clarence River (contact Clarence River Ferries, www.clarenceriverferries.com). After the crass hustle which characterizes so many of the coastal resorts during the high season, Grafton is a genuine tonic. A spot to unwind in: savour it at your leisure.

If you can’t do without the sea, head for the adjacent coastline which is part of the Yuragir National Park, where you’ll find a few remote fishing villages and surfing spots, most of which have a serviceable motel.