Blogs from Nimbin, New South Wales, Australia, Oceania
February 18th 2012
Saturday 18th Feb Went for a drive to Nimbin today, what a beautiful drive it was - with all the rain we have been getting it is all very lush and green. Met up with John's cousin Joan (who lives there) and had a walk around the town - called into the Nimbin Museum and noticed the unusual signs along the street. (yes that is John and Joan in the combi van in the Museum). Very busy place with a lot of Hippie type people around but just as many tourists there as well. We were having an afternoon snack the other day when this Eastern Water Dragon came right up to us and when we threw down some biscuits he come right up to us to eat them. We were very supprised to see how ... read more
October 3rd 2011
Day 21, 02/10/11 Slept in until 10 as was shattered from little sleep the night before, rang up OzExperience coach company to book the next leg of my journey to Surfers Paradise on Wednesday. I had planned to work here in Byron Bay but it is a tiny town with not much here, I have heard that Surfers Paradise is very good for work and is more built up. Took a circular walk up to the lighthouse and a few metres further to Australia's most easterly point. Later I went back to the free internet shop and booked accommodation at surfers paradise and searched for a job, found 7 ones I like the look of so have sent out emails and phone calls so fingers crossed. Booked a trip to Nimbin tomorrow and the local bar ... read more
June 13th 2011
Well... as promised... we are now inland... and I have to say... you cant possibly get much more culturally diverse than going from Noosa to Nimbin... Where Noosa is sophisticated and stylish... Nimbin is downright dirty and grungy... Yep... your in Australia's version of Amsterdam... pot heaven for those of you that indulge... Where as in Amsterdam... pot is legal to sell, purchase and partake of in public... in Nimbin it is not... Nimbin however... seems to have been conveniently left to its own devices by the powers to be, with an occassional blitz being the only interference from your local boys in blue... Nimbins other claim to fame is its renown all over as the country's most famous hippie/alternative destination. They all arrived in the 70's when Nimbin hosted the 1973 Aquarius festival... and... they ... read more
November 4th 2010
Today was the day which we had been most curious about....Nimbin! Famous as a hippie cannabis-smoking town we were told we would get high just by standing too close to the locals!! The bus there was amazing! Our driver John picked us up in a bus which Elin said was like her old school bus and we drove the hour and half journey to Nimbin, with John narrating (we learnt a lot about macadamia nut farming and the many MANY uses of them!!). Set in a valley, we saw the famous rocks of Nimbin before walking up the main street where we were approached by several locals who were selling 'special' cookies!! Browsing through the shops we discovered Becky's true home, as her hair perfectly matched some of the alternative headwear including a beautiful shaggy multicoloured ... read more
August 20th 2010
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 ... read more
March 1st 2009
Hola!! Our next stop was Nimbin for the afternoon, on our way up to Surfers Paradise! Well.... what to say about Nimbin... its a crazy crazy little colourful hippie town where everyone has done a little bit too much smoking (and we're not talking about cigarettes here!) so its not just the place that is interesting... the people seemed very special too hehe!! We just wandered around, went to the candle-making factory which was really cool, went to the insane musuem (I've never seen anything like it.... the most random/made up crazy stuff!) and had lunch! It was a very fun little town with a cool vibe but I'm not sure I would want to live there! ;o) xxxxxxxxxx... read more
February 20th 2009
Today started off with something I haven't done for over twenty three years...waiting for a School Bus!!! I had to catch it in order to accomplish my master plan of connecting with the 9am bus to Byron Bay which I successfully made aided by my very own young tour guide Andrew...compete with skateboard!! Once I arrived, I invaded the Tourist Information Office (that's if one person can invade somewhere that is...mind you, streakers can... technically) in order to purchase a ticket to Nimbin...an old hippie town in the hills. I felt very under-packed on the coach, all I had was my camera...we were sightseeing after all, so how worried was I when I saw suitcases, guitars and surf boards being loaded up by one very stressed confused looking driver!! Once the luggage...and the nine fellow passengers ... read more
February 12th 2009
Nimbin is the town that all the hippies moved to once byron bay became a lot of popular. We took a day tour to go visit it, and it included lunch, waterfall jumping and a couple hours to wander the town. It was such a fun day!... read more
February 12th 2009
A brief detour from our coastal drive into the hinterland and Nightcap national park. We stayed in Nimbin, the site of the famed Aquarius festival that apparently launched the Australian hippie culture when it took place in 1973 - apparently some of those that came for the festival never left and thus Nimbin developed - famous for its new age therapies, music and crafts among other things! It really is like taking a step back in time...proper hippie apart from all the camper vans and gawping tourists like us! We visited the living museum where there's a Kombi van stuck in the front wall - apparently left there after someone drove it through the front wall??? We spent the rest of the day people watching as we weren't able to do any of our planned walking ... read more
December 11th 2008
Nimbin capitale australienne des Hippies. Et comme on a des fleurs sur notre bus, on s'est senti obligés d'y faire un tour. C'est un petit de 300 habitants mais qui a beaucoup de visiteurs qui viennent pour "goûter" aux spécialités locales. Le village entier semble avoir été décoré, les petits cafés et bistrots sont très acceuillants et l'ambiance est très relax. Il faut avoir une attitude cool si tu va à Nimbin. On a également vu beaucoup de bus qui, au niveau design, nous font de la concurrence. Les rastas aborigènes et les gars à longues barbes en voitures délabrées vont et viennent le long de la rue principales. Mais si l'on s'intéresse un peu plus à Nimbin, on peut visiter la fabrique de bougie. Le procédé utilisé est très simple et consiste à simplement tremper ... read more
