New Queen of the Jacarandas | Grafton Jacaranda Festival

AS twenty-year-old Mackenzie Harvison was announced the 2009 Jacaranda Queen, the crowd of more than one thousand people broke into applause and cheered as the crown was placed on her head.

During the three hour crowning ceremony, Queens were announced and tears of happiness were shed.

Amanda Finucane, 26, was announced as the 2009 Jacaranda Princess and Samantha Dive, 22, the Holiday Princess after raising more than $11,000 for the festival.

Fourteen-year-old Ashleigh O'Connor was crowned Junior Jacaranda Queen, while Micaela Burgess, 13, was announced the Junior Jacaranda Princess.

New Jacaranda Queen Mackenzie said she was looking forward to representing the Jacaranda city of Graton.

"It really is an honour to have been chosen by the people of Grafton to represent Grafton," she said.

"The nine 2009 Jacaranda Queen Candidates are all great girls and are all deserving of the title and because of that I have never been so shocked to hear my name called in my life."

In total, the Senior and Junior Jacaranda Queen Candidates raised more than $52,000 to ensure the Jacaranda Festival continues to be a part of Grafton for years to come.

Leave your congratulations for all the Jacaranda Queen Candidates in our comment section below.