AUSTRALIA

Australia is a country, and continent, surrounded by the Indian and Pacific oceans. Its major cities – Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, Adelaide – are coastal, but its capital, Canberra, is inland and nicknamed the "Bush Capital." The country is known for its Sydney Opera House, Great Barrier Reef, the vast Outback (interior desert wilderness) and unique animal species including kangaroos and duck-billed platypuses.

In Australia the hippie movement originated at the Aquarius Festival held in 1971 in Canberra and again in Nimbin two years later. Many festival goers stayed in Nimbin, transforming the town and local area. It also resulted in the formation of one of Australia's largest and most successful communes.

Australia was once the underdog of the Hippie culture. However, places like Byron Bay, Nimbin and Lismore have emerged as havens for the alternative cultures and communities. Nimbin especially, is Australia's hippie capital. Just breathe in the air and youd know what we are talking about. A tiny little village located in New South Wales, Nimbin's counter culture wave have survived till date and is going strong.

NIMBIN

Nimbin is a small village in the state of New South Wales, Australia and it has experienced many things to be reminded for over the years. Nimbin is a village in the Northern Rivers area of the Australian state of New South Wales, approximately 30 km north of Lismore, 33 km southeast of Kyogle, and 70 km west of Byron Bay.

Nimbin (the name comes from the local aboriginal "Whiyabul Clan's" belief that the sacred area is protected by the Nimbinjee spirit people) is now a Mecca for maverick travelers, back-packers, musicians, artists, healers and would-be hippies from around the world.

The village was the scene of a counterculture revolution in the 70’s that persists until this very day. And did you ever hear of the "Aquarius Festival"? Well, Nimbin was the site of the festival in 1973!

Between 1976 and 1981, hippie music festivals were held on large farms around Waihi and Waikino in New Zealand- Aotearoa. Named Nambassa, the festivals focused on peace, love and a balanced lifestyle, featuring workshops and displays advocating alternative lifestyles, clean and sustainable energy, and unadulterated foods. Nambassa is also the tribal name of a trust that has championed sustainable ideas and demonstrated practical counterculture and alternative lifestyle methods since the early 1970's.

Once a small town servicing the farming community, Nimbin shot to stardom in 1973 with the original Aquarius festival. Attracting hippies and alternative types from all over the country, the festival was such a success that many of the participants simply stayed and made Nimbin their home. Although it must be said that all their dreams did not come true, the utopia-seekers of that time have certainly made their mark on Nimbin. Some still seek nirvana through whatever means, while others have become well-established working professionals, or have simply gone bush and make a living from their own resources.

Now a colourful, alternative-lifestyle centre, Nimbin hosts the Hemp Embassy and a Museum that's more a trip down memory lane for aging hippies and those who remember the 60s. A relatively tolerant attitude to soft drugs attracts day-trippers from Byron Bay on daily tour buses. With tourism wealth, Nimbin has revamped its psychedelic 1970s image and basks in its magical mystery tour reputation.

The township (a 2006 survey put the population at 352, but nobody really knows as commune-dwellers tend not to fill out census forms) has been on a trip for four decades, since the time it began its anti-establishment adventure led by the alternatives from not only Australia but Britain and elsewhere.

We’re talking here about hippies all across the world, so marijuana simply has to be brought up. The locals here established a Hemp Embassy who tries its best to teach people about the use of marijuana and to also provide paraphernalia for the same.

If that interests you, that’s perfect because they also have a Hemp bar!!.

Locals explain they have an interesting relationship with the police and other authorities, who have pretty much given up attempting to make the 'soft' drug laws of the land apply to this never-never land. Its notoriety has also brought international tourists flooding to this human zoo and with them come juicy, tax-free dollars. Property began seriously booming in 2004 and now modest building plots cost upwards of a quarter of a million dollars (about £165,000) and $500,000 homes are common.

Dave Cannabis used to run the Hemp Bar and you'd get high just walking through the clouds of smoke wafting from its Wild West-style doors. The joint got shut down, but has recently re-opened selling a multitude of hemp-inspired food and snacks, which the owners claim is totally legal.

But you don't have to wander far before a friendly native inquires: "D'ya wanna smoke?"

The natives are friendly and musician Jim, whose parents are English tourists who came for a visit and stayed, says it's sad I'm not in Nimbin later in the year for the MardiGrass festival, held annually since 1993. Now, he says, it's one of the most multi-national/cultural places anywhere - a source of satisfaction for those original free-thinkers. Not to miss out on the Prohibition Protest Rally and Parade, the Ganja Faeries, the Nimbin Cannabis Cup as well as the Hemp Olympix, which apparently includes Bong Throwing and Joint Rolling.

More importantly, the residents, who have political protest in their genes, are currently fighting controversial mining plans and hope to emulate their 1979 feat of convincing the NSW government it must impose a pan-state 'no rain forest logging' policy. A world first. So I find it's not all idealistic pipe-dreams here in the hills. The environment is benefiting from the hippies in their haven. And, even if they are sitting on a property fortune, I don't think they are about to sell up and move out. "Where would we go?", muses Jim. 'There's only one Nimbin."

However, Nimbin's not just Lucy in the sky with diamonds, it's on the doorstep of World Heritage national parks, signposted by the towering Nimbin Rocks just outside the town, which are of significant Aboriginal importance. The Bundjalung people who originally inhabited this area are still active and vocal in the town's affairs. Nimbin is said to be the resting place of Warrajum, the Rainbow Serpent, and is known as a place of healing.

On the third Sunday of each month, Nimbin hosts a craft and produce market in the primary school grounds and, in celebration of its alternative nature, the Mardi Grass festival every May. The Spring Arts Festival in October and the School of Arts Autumn Festival complete the seasons' activities, with the farming community showcasing their industry at the Nimbin Agricultural Show in September.

How to get there:

From the Pacific Highway, exit at Bangalow/Lismore and take the road from Bangalow to Lismore. About 14km from Bangalow, you can turn right towards Rocky Creek Dam and Dunoon and follow the signs to Nimbin; or continue to Lismore, cross the river and follow the signs north-west to Nimbin. Either way, it will take around 40 minutes from the highway.

See You Soon...On Another Famous Hippie Location

Until Then...NAMASTE...

#Trotterhipp