West of Byron Bay lies a small fascinating town with a unique character found nowhere else on earth. Nimbin is a place out of time, where the familiar sweet smells of incense and marijuana permeate the streets. Where aging hippies have created their own community surrounded by ancient rainforests on volcanic soil. Soil which is well suited to growing the most profitable of all crops in this part of the world, cannabis.
Like an Australian Haight Ashbury, Nimbin is replete with headshops, vegetarian food, street dealers, junkies (just a few mellow ones), classic rock music, everything a hippie needs to survive. On its psychedelically painted streets you’ll find the type of characters you’d thought vanished long ago; Patchouli drenched girls with flowery flowing dresses and bangles, aging white haired cannabis activists and dreadlocked rastas driving colorful combi vans.
Nimbin’s alternative vibe started in 1973 when it hosted the Aquarius Festival in Peace Park. Many hippies decided to stay on and live off the land. Communes were setup in the surrounding hills, and growing marijuana soon became the major part of the local economy.
Today Nimbin is a popular destination for international backpackers and the new generation of hippies. There’s even a annual event, Mardigrass, when 10,000 or more open-minded people descend upon the town to protest Australia’s repressive cannabis laws, and to sample the local produce.
