Freakin' Nimbin indeed. But that is getting ahead of the story.......There is a reason there are rainforests here and it is not due to the balmy clime. This April has been wet - just over 11" of rain (so far) at the Hinze dam (our water supply). Which is 2X the average for April since 1975 but far less that the 95cm of rain in the wettest April since 1975.
But it was Easter - big holiday weekend and we wanted to see Night Cap Nat'l Park - the southern end of the Tweed Caldera. We arrived in a mild drizzle and saw the quite amazing 100m Minyon Falls in full flow (video below)
The Kookaburras in the picnic area were tame and aggressive. One landed on the table and promptly cropped a big piece of cheese from the hors d'ouvres plate - with a bill like that and that beady little eye you think twice about trying to grab the cheese back!. So instead we just wondered how its digestive track was going to handle milk products!
But then the rain closed in - our planned walk up Boggy Creek was shortened when we realized that the name was actually too descriptive.Aussies have an odd relationship with rain. If you see an umbrella you are looking at a business person. A raincoat usually means someone from the US, Canada or Europe. We headed back to the car--drenched despite our fancy raincoats (such is the price you pay for walking Boggy Creek trail!)--and watched new arrivals drive up, jump out and walk to the Falls overlook in the cotton sweatshirts, jeans, flippies (thongs, they're called, here--the footwear, not the underwear). Rain? This isn't rain! Wait till you see a real storm!
The Britsh have a culture of umbrellas, London Fog raincoats, bowlers; the Kiwis have oiled wool sweaters and cool hats, the outback has dusters. Here on the coast - people just ignore it.
Not to be thwarted we tried again a few days later. We headed over to Springbrook but were foiled instead by a huge landslide blocking the road.
Note the rock behind the car! There is also a very steep slope right at the tree line that the car did not pitch over. They all walked away (or maybe they ran as fast as they could)...(photo:http://www.goldcoast.com.au/article/2009/04/05/66461_gold-coast-lead-story.html
So we had to take the long way around.
New waterfalls in the forest....
We had seen signs not to alarmed if we saw blue crayfish walking down the trails - supposedly they frequently use them to move to other drainages! But Nancy WAS alarmed as she ran behind a huge waterfall over the trail and this guy was waving his mighty pincers and blocking the trail! This menacing big guy was about 15 cm (~6 inches) long.
So another attempt to go bushwalking (hike) the trails of Nightcap was foiled by - more rain. We didn't even get out of the car and instead continued along narrow country roads through the hinterland to Freakin' Nimbin." Yes indeed - as we saw more and more frequent "Wicked Vans" (one of the top companies for rental combis, i.e. old vans tricked out for sleeping and touring, and painted with rude, audacious or bawdy art and slogans) we knew we must be getting near....
"Nimbin, the phenomenon, started in 1973 when the Australian Union of students staged an experimental 'Aquarius Festival' - a total cultural experience through the lifestyle of participation... A great success, the event attracted scores of jaded, disillusioned students and dropouts from all over the land; when it was over some couldn't bear to leave and stayed on... " (Lonely Planet)
Well, all the old 1973 Aquarians are still there!The museum - "more a cultural statement than a historical view" complete with video on how to dry pot, and multiple VW vans emerging from the interior walls (this must be where Will's van ended up!). Pictures I took as I walked "the rainbow path" inside make no sense - it's a rather random collection of stuff including a black-lite room with a glowing Buddha tapestry fluttering in a fan induced breeze ( and glowing papermache stalactites, glowing cow skulls and a strange video ...of glowing shapes. UFOs maybe?)
The hemp embassy offers educational material on the benefits of hemp agriculture and medicinal marijuana.
Much is made of Obama's admission "I inhaled frequently - that was the point"
Statuary in the park......
They seem to have wildlife issues....Either the area has some unusual wild Aussie hyenas, wolves and ocelots or some interesting tastes in pets...
But they were organic "vegedibles" at least!
This was an an advert for the "world's biggest naked bike ride" - at least they are safety conscious!
A beautifully painted door off the main street. Which is really short -- maybe .75 km. There are about 30 shops, all with vast quantities of tie-die, dream catchers, crystals, smoking paraphernalia, kites, posters, glam, hippie clothes, straw hats, everything an aspiring Aquarian could want etc; one store with what must be the best collection of Guatemalan imports in OZ, some organic food stores (some with real vegetables!), a few bars and nice cafes, the classic Rainbow cafe (pic above - guess which one!), a local art mart where Nancy really liked a felted tea cozy that looked like a possum (and some quite nice as well as some really bizarre art!).Oh yeah- and the sellers on the street.....
But the place was alive with Euro tourists, gaggles of giggling Asian teens, mums and dads who looked like they could havegrandchildren somewhere, flocks of college folk up in shuttle buses from Byron Bay. Quite a scene. Nary an umbrella in sight! It was merely pouring. Not a REAL storm!
"At noon when the Nimbin daytrippers are being hectored by pot-dealers it can seem like a surreal theme park... but at other quieter times anyone searching for their own piece of utopia can find it" (Lonely Planet)
Double falls in Springbrook(top) and Minyon Falls in Night Cap (bottom)
