Here’s how Lonely Planet primed us for the town of Nimbin:
Landing in Nimbin can
be like entering a social experiment, particularly at noon, when Byron day-trippers arrive en masse
and find themselves hectored by dreadlocked, tie-dyed pot dealers on the main
street. This is the stereotype, of course (not all pot dealers wear tie-dye),
and Nimbin’s residents and culture are actually far more eclectic.
Not like we’re pot-smoking hippie fiends or anything, but after
our experiences in Hawaii, we just HAD to see what the scene was like in Nimbin by
comparison!
Entering Nimbin we were prepared for a similar town of size
and culture to Puna, in Hawaii.
Also renowned for its pot culture (so much so that other redeeming qualities
can be overlooked), we figured that Pahoa and Nimbin would be sister towns.
And in no less than 15 minutes, we were indeed offered
various forms of “ganga/smoke/weed/pot/marijuana/hippie grass”. We were even
offered such delicacies as cookies and brownies – but at the asking prices
there had to be some special ingredients in there other than just plain sugar,
butter, and love.
Nimbin also marked our first foray into staying at a caravan
park (aka trailer park in North America). They are very
common in Australia,
as the preferred way to enjoy Australia
is to hire (rent) and drive a camper van or trailer from destination A to B. Given
the vastness of the country, it’s a great way to get around.
But as we had figured out, we occasionally need power. After
days of driving from campsite to campsite in Springbrook,
and only having power to charge our various electronics while we made short
drives, we were starting to get a little power-hungry. And Nimbin’s caravan
park had our solution at a price less than 2/3 of the cost of pitching a tent
at the local hostel. (We are on a budget, after all).
We didn’t know how long we were to stay in Nimbin. Aside
from smoking pot
and watching the years go by, we didn’t initially see too much
to entice somebody to stay longer than a day or so. But in chatting with the
owner of a fruit shop, she told us her story of visiting Nimbin over the years,
falling in love with it more and more each time, and eventually learning to
relax long enough to stay. She said you need at least a few days to get into
the groove. And the groove of which she spoke had nothing to do with pot.
And although Lonely Planet prepared us for the pot culture,
they also hinted at the artistic presence and generally eclectic vibe. We were
happy to visit an Aboriginal Cultural
Center and wile away some time
chatting with a local Aborigine about making and playing didgeridoos. The art
gallery was filled with beautiful artwork, and incredibly reasonable ceramics
(why didn’t I pick up that mortar & pestle for heaven’s sake?).
And the Hemp Embassy is also a sight to behold. In a very
diplomatic and clean fashion, various marijuana paraphernalia is sold (from
pipes to papers), as well as hemp clothing (don’t try to smoke it though – you
won’t get high) and a presentation of the heritage and history of hemp. For
those who don’t know, hemp is actually something of a miracle crop, and can be
used for a variety of products, in many cases more effectively than its cotton
alternative.
Lounging around in the morning at Rainbow Café with a local
paper revealed the constant push to change the image of Nimbin in the eyes of
the tourism industry. There are some amazing projects being pioneered in the
areas of permaculture, solar power, and alternative healthy living that can go
unnoticed by the “tourist” looking to score some weed. After our stint in Hawaii,
it was refreshing to see “intentional community” development, and prominent business
people speaking out for a town with a tiny voice.
And the caravan park was surprisingly cushy. We had power to
charge various appliances, showers to bathe in (muchly needed showers I might
add), laundry facilities, some interesting people to converse with, and a
chance to just plain sit down and catch up on some computer work. Travel for us
involves much juggling of doing the “travel” part, then the “follow-up” part,
which ranges in nature from writing to videos to downloading pictures to just
plain reflecting on our vast and differing experiences.
Nimbin provided just the opportunity for us to relax, slow
down, reflect, write, and soak in a little alternative lifestyle culture. We
don’t know about the “ganga/smoke/weed/pot/marijuana/hippie grass” so much, but
we felt that aside from that, Nimbin has lots to offer somebody willing to stay
long enough to see it.
