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Published: August 30th 2010
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While walking the streets of Byron Bay, I noticed a few vans and buses of different sizes all painted with collages of colourful flowers and peace signs. The dread-locked drivers had given me a large grin and wave in passing. I was wondering where these vans and buses where going? Then I remembered somewhere along the line I was told about a little hippie village not far from Byron Bay. So these happy, colourful vans and buses were the tour operators from Byron to Nimbin. I was feeling like I should see more of New South Wales then the beaches around Byron Bay, so I signed up for a tour to Nimbin. I thought “Hippies are fun or at least funny”.
I was to be picked up at 10 O'clock, but found myself standing waiting for awhile. It was after 10:30 before the van with “Be Happy” written across the hood, and a smiling man with dreadlocks pulled up. I climbed in only to be greeted by the fast talking hippie man, who was asking me questions and telling me jokes in the same sentence. We picked up some more people from other hostels then stopped to have an ice
breaker chat. So Fred, I think he changed his name to Frank later that day, and I think the locals called him Dave. Anyway Fred broke the ice by telling some cringe worthy jokes, that I don't think everybody appreciated. We were off to a great start.
We drove with the music cranked, the windows open, the morning sunshine shining down on us. The first stop was to be a water fall and was to take 6 songs in time to get there. The 6th song was finishing up as Fred was backing the van into its parking place. We walked a little trail through the forest and when the trees opened back up we were standing at the top of a water fall. We enjoyed the scenery and enjoyed the random facts and stories shared by hippie Fred. There was a little scene caused when I told a young German girl to be careful for snakes. She screamed hysterically and began to panic. I had a hard time explaining that it was a bad joke. Did I feel bad afterwards, no. I still find it rather amusing (Is that bad?).
Next, we drove through the countryside hills
and down little back roads till the bus stopped in a little hollow. We jumped out and walked only a few steps into the forest to see the largest tree I've ever seen in my life. It was told to us that it is likely the largest and oldest wet gum tree in the world. A tree viewing is not what I had on my list of exciting things to do, but it was quite fun. Well maybe not fun but at least interesting. The large gum tree's neighbour had a large vine that reached the ground. We took turns climbing the vine, or swinging from the vine and making Tarzan noises. This time I caused a scene. As I was wearing sandals and we were discussing snakes and spiders and investigating what was believed to be a spiders home, something rubbed across my toes. So I jumped up and made some noises to everybody else's amusement. The culprit was a little twig I had stepped on. How does that saying go? “What goes around, comes around”
Back in the van, music playing loudly as we drove through the hills and valleys and into nearby Nimbin. Nimbin is a
colourful little town, where it seems like no one works. The shops are quiet and the streets are busy with hippies and other herb lovers hanging out on the street drinking from brown paper bags, smoking or trying to sell to tourists. I checked out some shops, said no to a few people trying to sell me some weed and met the local buskers. Nimbin has a relaxed pace and the shop fronts have painted murals in many colours. I spent a couple of hours of checking out all the funny things you can find in shops in hippie towns. Funny t-shirts and stickers, handmade bags and other clothing, Bob Marley anything, items made of hemp, or tie dyed or earth dyed clothing, oh and of course smoking paraphernalia. We had a little barbecue with the group and headed back to Byron Bay. We were running late and Fred told us he had to pick up his two sons from tennis practice. The van sped through the countryside trying to make it to the tennis courts on time. We were stopped by a herd of cattle crossing the road, that seemed to take forever. The cows were mostly unresponsive to
our constant mooing from the van. Some cows stopped to give us confused looks, but that was it.
We found ourselves picking up Fred's children before we were all dropped off back in Byron Bay. And that was my happy little day trip to Nimbin.
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David
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Happy Bus
Last time I saw the Happy Bus was while we were on the way into Nimbin being chased by a bikie gang and it came hurtling down the road filled with Very Happy tourists on the way back to Byron rounding a corner at some speed and managing to get up on two wheels as it did so in some peril of toppling over into the scrub.