Nimbin, New South Wales
Encyclopedia
Nimbin is a village in the Northern Rivers area of the Australian state
of New South Wales
, approximately 30 km north of Lismore
, 33 km southeast of Kyogle
, and 70 km west of Byron Bay
.
Nimbin is notable for the prominence of its environmental initiatives such as permaculture, sustainability, self-sufficiency as well as the cannabis
counterculture
. Writer Austin Pick described his initial impressions of the village this way: "It is as if a smoky avenue of Amsterdam has been placed in the middle of the mountains behind frontier-style building facades. ... Nimbin is a strange place indeed."
Nimbin has been described in literature and mainstream media as 'the drug capital of Australia', 'a social experiment' and 'an escapist sub-culture'. Nimbin has become an icon in Australian cultural history with many of the values first introduced there by the counterculture becoming part of modern Australian culture.
. The name Nimbin, comes from the local Whiyabul (Widgibal) clan whose Dreamtime
speaks of the Nimbinjee spirit people protecting the area. In recent decades the area has become a haven for Australia's counterculture
.
Forests of Red Cedar
first attracted loggers
to the area in the 1840s, but by the end of the century most of the land had been cleared. With the Cedar forests gone Nimbin was subdivided in 1903 with the land turned over to dairy farming
and growing Bananas. In the 1960s the local dairy industry collapsed due to recession
and Nimbin went into serious economic decline until 1973, when the Aquarius Festival
, a large gathering of university students, practitioners of alternative lifestyles, 'hippies' and party people, was held in the village. The Festival was the first event in Australia that sought permission for the use of land from the Traditional Owners
. After the festival hundreds of participants and festival goers remained in Nimbin to form communes
and other multiple occupancy communities, in search of an "alternative lifestyle". Nimbin in fact made legal history for the first ever application of group title ownership of land in Australia. Since the Aquarius Festival, the region has attracted thousands of writers, artists, musicians, actors, environmentalists and permaculture
enthusiasts, as well as tourists and young families escaping city life.
In 1979, the Nimbin community staged the "Battle for Terania Creek" to protect the remaining local rainforest. As a result the N.S.W. government imposed a "no rainforest logging" policy covering the entire state, the world’s first government legislation to protect rainforest.
The population of Nimbin before the failure of the dairy industry in 1961 was 6,020. At the 2006 census
Nimbin had a population of 352, compared to 321 at the 2001 census
. However Nimbin's 'head count' does not include the many Multiple Occupancy rural properties, the hippy communes for which it is most famous. The region's high rural population (35 percent of Lismore residents according to the census
) means Nimbin services a surrounding rural area of around ten thousand people living within 15 km (9.3 mi). Nimbin had the highest unemployment rate in the Lismore Local Government Area in 2006, 18.1 percent.
In New South Wales the cultivation, selling and possession of cannabis is illegal. In Nimbin all three activities are part of every day hippie culture. Nimbin has a high tolerance for cannabis (marijuana), with the open buying, selling and consumption of locally grown cannabis on the streets and laneways. To rally for an end to the prohibition of cannabis in Australia, Nimbin has held an annual MardiGrass
festival since 1993. On the first weekend with any part of it in May, thousands descend on Nimbin for cannabis
oriented fun and frivolity. Activities include: a Prohibition Protest Rally and Parade with the Ganja Faeries, the Nimbin Cannabis Cup, the Hemp Olympix, which includes the Bong
"Throw'n'Yell", Joint Rolling, and the Grower's Iron Person event, where runners must first carry a 20 kg sack of fertiliser, then a bucket of water, and finally "the crop", as a tribute to the difficulties faced by growers in the hills, and to show that cannabis users can be fit and healthy. At night, entertainment ranges from the Harvest Ball and Picker's Ball, rave doof
parties, to poetry and jazz in local cafes.
The prevalence of a drug culture in Nimbin since 1973 has been accompanied by a prevalence of collective and public creativity: colourful and spiritually-motivated art (including large paintings above the shop awnings), music, poetry, craft and fashion can all be seen on the main street. The town is also known as a hot-spot for alternative social activities, grass-roots political discourse, and the espousal of naturalist, humanist, anarchist, feminist, libertarian, permissive, new-age, mystical and radical social philosophies (which can all be seen as collective creative endeavours).
There are a number of shops in Nimbin geared to the cannabis culture.
CCTV cameras
in the main street of Nimbin had pushed dealing off the streets and into the museum and the Hemp Embassy had been requesting that police deal with the problem. Following the raids, Hemp Embassy volunteer Andrew Kavasilas commented: "This is a real slap in the face for people who would like to see other resources in town. We have been inviting the police to come down and sort out the dealing in the museum for years and this is their response. They could work with the community, but they're not interested." Many locals voiced their opposition to the Police operation. Following the operation, Richmond Police local area commander Superintendent Bruce Lyons vowed to "shut down the drug trade."
Nimbin is serviced by a police station, hospital and medical centre, a service station with NRMA accreditation, restaurants, cafes, and a pub. A wide variety of accommodation is available for visitors, from camping grounds and youth hostels, to bush cabins and hotels. There are a number of sporting clubs and the Bowling Club maintains licensed premises.
Other nearby attractions:
with flights several times daily to Sydney.
Local and Private bus companies operate services from Lismore to Nimbin.
States and territories of Australia
The Commonwealth of Australia is a union of six states and various territories. The Australian mainland is made up of five states and three territories, with the sixth state of Tasmania being made up of islands. In addition there are six island territories, known as external territories, and a...
of New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, approximately 30 km north of Lismore
Lismore, New South Wales
Lismore is a subtropical town in northeastern New South Wales, Australia. Lismore is the main population centre in the City of Lismore local government area. Lismore is a regional centre in the Northern Rivers region of the State.-History:...
, 33 km southeast of Kyogle
Kyogle, New South Wales
Kyogle is a town in the Northern Rivers region of northern New South Wales, Australia, in Kyogle Council. At the 2006 census, Kyogle had a population of 2,731 people. It was founded in the 1830s as a lumber camp, and is located north of Sydney, north of Casino on the Summerland Way close to the...
, and 70 km west of Byron Bay
Byron Bay, New South Wales
Byron Bay is a beachside town located in the far-northeastern corner of the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is located north of Sydney and south of Brisbane. Cape Byron, a headland adjacent to the town, is the easternmost point of mainland Australia. At the 2006 Census, the town had a...
.
Nimbin is notable for the prominence of its environmental initiatives such as permaculture, sustainability, self-sufficiency as well as the cannabis
Cannabis
Cannabis is a genus of flowering plants that includes three putative species, Cannabis sativa, Cannabis indica, and Cannabis ruderalis. These three taxa are indigenous to Central Asia, and South Asia. Cannabis has long been used for fibre , for seed and seed oils, for medicinal purposes, and as a...
counterculture
Counterculture
Counterculture is a sociological term used to describe the values and norms of behavior of a cultural group, or subculture, that run counter to those of the social mainstream of the day, the cultural equivalent of political opposition. Counterculture can also be described as a group whose behavior...
. Writer Austin Pick described his initial impressions of the village this way: "It is as if a smoky avenue of Amsterdam has been placed in the middle of the mountains behind frontier-style building facades. ... Nimbin is a strange place indeed."
Nimbin has been described in literature and mainstream media as 'the drug capital of Australia', 'a social experiment' and 'an escapist sub-culture'. Nimbin has become an icon in Australian cultural history with many of the values first introduced there by the counterculture becoming part of modern Australian culture.
History
Nimbin and surrounding areas are part of what is known as the 'Rainbow Region' which is of cultural importance to the Indigenous Bundjalung peopleBundjalung people
The Bundjalung people are those Australian Aborigines who are the original custodians of northern coastal areas of New South Wales , 554 km northeast of Sydney: an area that includes the Bundjalung National Park and Mount Warning Bundjalung people...
. The name Nimbin, comes from the local Whiyabul (Widgibal) clan whose Dreamtime
Dreamtime
In the animist framework of Australian Aboriginal mythology, The Dreaming is a sacred era in which ancestral Totemic Spirit Beings formed The Creation.-The Dreaming of the Aboriginal times:...
speaks of the Nimbinjee spirit people protecting the area. In recent decades the area has become a haven for Australia's counterculture
Counterculture
Counterculture is a sociological term used to describe the values and norms of behavior of a cultural group, or subculture, that run counter to those of the social mainstream of the day, the cultural equivalent of political opposition. Counterculture can also be described as a group whose behavior...
.
Forests of Red Cedar
Toona ciliata
Australian Red Cedar , Toona ciliata is a forest tree in the family Meliaceae which grows throughout southern Asia from Afghanistan to Papua New Guinea and Australia. In Australia its natural habitat is now extensively cleared subtropical rainforests of New South Wales and Queensland...
first attracted loggers
Lumberjack
A lumberjack is a worker in the logging industry who performs the initial harvesting and transport of trees for ultimate processing into forest products. The term usually refers to a bygone era when hand tools were used in harvesting trees principally from virgin forest...
to the area in the 1840s, but by the end of the century most of the land had been cleared. With the Cedar forests gone Nimbin was subdivided in 1903 with the land turned over to dairy farming
Dairy farming
Dairy farming is a class of agricultural, or an animal husbandry, enterprise, for long-term production of milk, usually from dairy cows but also from goats and sheep, which may be either processed on-site or transported to a dairy factory for processing and eventual retail sale.Most dairy farms...
and growing Bananas. In the 1960s the local dairy industry collapsed due to recession
Recession
In economics, a recession is a business cycle contraction, a general slowdown in economic activity. During recessions, many macroeconomic indicators vary in a similar way...
and Nimbin went into serious economic decline until 1973, when the Aquarius Festival
Aquarius Festival
The Aquarius Festival was a counter-cultural arts and music festival organised by the Australian Union of Students and sponsored by Peter Stuyvesant and held at Nimbin...
, a large gathering of university students, practitioners of alternative lifestyles, 'hippies' and party people, was held in the village. The Festival was the first event in Australia that sought permission for the use of land from the Traditional Owners
Aboriginal title
Aboriginal title is a common law doctrine that the land rights of indigenous peoples to customary tenure persist after the assumption of sovereignty under settler colonialism...
. After the festival hundreds of participants and festival goers remained in Nimbin to form communes
Commune (intentional community)
A commune is an intentional community of people living together, sharing common interests, property, possessions, resources, and, in some communes, work and income. In addition to the communal economy, consensus decision-making, non-hierarchical structures and ecological living have become...
and other multiple occupancy communities, in search of an "alternative lifestyle". Nimbin in fact made legal history for the first ever application of group title ownership of land in Australia. Since the Aquarius Festival, the region has attracted thousands of writers, artists, musicians, actors, environmentalists and permaculture
Permaculture
Permaculture is an approach to designing human settlements and agricultural systems that is modeled on the relationships found in nature. It is based on the ecology of how things interrelate rather than on the strictly biological concerns that form the foundation of modern agriculture...
enthusiasts, as well as tourists and young families escaping city life.
In 1979, the Nimbin community staged the "Battle for Terania Creek" to protect the remaining local rainforest. As a result the N.S.W. government imposed a "no rainforest logging" policy covering the entire state, the world’s first government legislation to protect rainforest.
The population of Nimbin before the failure of the dairy industry in 1961 was 6,020. At the 2006 census
Census in Australia
The Australian census is administered once every five years by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The most recent census was conducted on 9 August 2011; the next will be conducted in 2016. Prior to the introduction of regular censuses in 1961, they had also been run in 1901, 1911, 1921, 1933,...
Nimbin had a population of 352, compared to 321 at the 2001 census
Census in Australia
The Australian census is administered once every five years by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The most recent census was conducted on 9 August 2011; the next will be conducted in 2016. Prior to the introduction of regular censuses in 1961, they had also been run in 1901, 1911, 1921, 1933,...
. However Nimbin's 'head count' does not include the many Multiple Occupancy rural properties, the hippy communes for which it is most famous. The region's high rural population (35 percent of Lismore residents according to the census
Census in Australia
The Australian census is administered once every five years by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The most recent census was conducted on 9 August 2011; the next will be conducted in 2016. Prior to the introduction of regular censuses in 1961, they had also been run in 1901, 1911, 1921, 1933,...
) means Nimbin services a surrounding rural area of around ten thousand people living within 15 km (9.3 mi). Nimbin had the highest unemployment rate in the Lismore Local Government Area in 2006, 18.1 percent.
Cannabis culture and MardiGrass
MardiGrass
MardiGrass is a cannabis law reform rally and festival held annually in the town of Nimbin, in north east New South Wales, Australia.-History:...
festival since 1993. On the first weekend with any part of it in May, thousands descend on Nimbin for cannabis
Cannabis
Cannabis is a genus of flowering plants that includes three putative species, Cannabis sativa, Cannabis indica, and Cannabis ruderalis. These three taxa are indigenous to Central Asia, and South Asia. Cannabis has long been used for fibre , for seed and seed oils, for medicinal purposes, and as a...
oriented fun and frivolity. Activities include: a Prohibition Protest Rally and Parade with the Ganja Faeries, the Nimbin Cannabis Cup, the Hemp Olympix, which includes the Bong
Bong
A bong is a filtration device/apparatus generally used for smoking cannabis, tobacco,or other herbal substances.In construction and function a bong is similar to a hookah, except smaller and more portable...
"Throw'n'Yell", Joint Rolling, and the Grower's Iron Person event, where runners must first carry a 20 kg sack of fertiliser, then a bucket of water, and finally "the crop", as a tribute to the difficulties faced by growers in the hills, and to show that cannabis users can be fit and healthy. At night, entertainment ranges from the Harvest Ball and Picker's Ball, rave doof
Doof
The slang term doof or bush doof refers to a type of outdoor dance party in Australia, generally held in a remote country area or just outside big cities in surrounding bush or rainforests and similar to raves or teknivals, but with a different, more empathetic atmosphere...
parties, to poetry and jazz in local cafes.
The prevalence of a drug culture in Nimbin since 1973 has been accompanied by a prevalence of collective and public creativity: colourful and spiritually-motivated art (including large paintings above the shop awnings), music, poetry, craft and fashion can all be seen on the main street. The town is also known as a hot-spot for alternative social activities, grass-roots political discourse, and the espousal of naturalist, humanist, anarchist, feminist, libertarian, permissive, new-age, mystical and radical social philosophies (which can all be seen as collective creative endeavours).
There are a number of shops in Nimbin geared to the cannabis culture.
- The Nimbin Hemp Embassy is a "soft entry point for drug information", and a shop selling anything to do with Hemp, except cannabis itself.
- Clothing & natural skin products using industrial hemp products.
- The Nimbin HEMP Bar used to allow the patrons to smoke cannabis while enjoying fresh coffee and cake. In April 2008 police announced their intention to close the HEMP Bar and Museum. Landlords were sent letters to this effect. Rather than cause legal problems for their landlord, the HEMP Bar crew voluntarily closed the doors and moved out. The HEMP Bar is open for 2009 as a coffee and hemp information centre, but smoking is no longer encouraged.
- The Nimbin Museum is a collection of local artefacts, local art,and alternative culture open for tour. Admission is gained by donation of a gold coin. The Museum has managed to stay open despite threat of closure. It may still be closed if too many drug offences continue to be detected on the premises.
Police intervention
The level of police intervention against drug trafficking has fluctuated over the years, however the State and Federal Police have never been able to stop or even significantly reduce the prevalence of cannabis use in the village. In April 2008 a squad of 110 officers wearing bulletproof vests, six horses and police dogs conducted searches in a police operation. Several buildings were searched including the Hemp Embassy. Eight people were arrested, 72 people were issued cannabis cautions and police seized four kilograms of cannabis and cannabis ‘cookies’. Police sent letters to the Nimbin Museum and the Hemp Bar leaseholders indicating an intention to seek closure orders under the Restricted Premises Act of 1943 for the MardiGrass weekend. The Restricted Premises Act allows for the closure of premises for three days and orders may be obtained weekly. The Museum soon reopened with a new leaseholder while the Hemp Bar remained closed for eight months and reopened in January 2009.CCTV cameras
Closed-circuit television
Closed-circuit television is the use of video cameras to transmit a signal to a specific place, on a limited set of monitors....
in the main street of Nimbin had pushed dealing off the streets and into the museum and the Hemp Embassy had been requesting that police deal with the problem. Following the raids, Hemp Embassy volunteer Andrew Kavasilas commented: "This is a real slap in the face for people who would like to see other resources in town. We have been inviting the police to come down and sort out the dealing in the museum for years and this is their response. They could work with the community, but they're not interested." Many locals voiced their opposition to the Police operation. Following the operation, Richmond Police local area commander Superintendent Bruce Lyons vowed to "shut down the drug trade."
Nimbin's local economy
- Tourism: Usually higher during late summer/spring, Nimbin is a major tourist attraction with organised tours frequenting the town.
- Backpackers: As Nimbin is regarded as an international mecca for its eccentricity, colourful people and drug culture; it attracts backpackersBackpacking (travel)Backpacking is a term that has historically been used to denote a form of low-cost, independent international travel. Terms such as independent travel and/or budget travel are often used...
from over the world who spend money in the town at its various accommodation houses, retail outlets and New AgeNew AgeThe New Age movement is a Western spiritual movement that developed in the second half of the 20th century. Its central precepts have been described as "drawing on both Eastern and Western spiritual and metaphysical traditions and then infusing them with influences from self-help and motivational...
healing centres. Workshops held in the surrounding areas on ecologyEcologyEcology is the scientific study of the relations that living organisms have with respect to each other and their natural environment. Variables of interest to ecologists include the composition, distribution, amount , number, and changing states of organisms within and among ecosystems...
and self sufficiency contribute to the towns revenue. - Property: In 2004 the region was experiencing a property boom, as many left the cities for an alternative lifestyle or tree-change, and large farms were being subdivided into smaller blocks for sale.
- Alternative Energy/Culture/Lifestyle: Many green industries operate in Nimbin include the Rainbow Power Company, Djanbung Permaculture Gardens, Nimbin Environment Centre, Ecosilk Bags and the Nimbin Candle Factory.
- Health & Lifestyle: New AgeNew AgeThe New Age movement is a Western spiritual movement that developed in the second half of the 20th century. Its central precepts have been described as "drawing on both Eastern and Western spiritual and metaphysical traditions and then infusing them with influences from self-help and motivational...
healing is available in almost every form, and the local arts are thriving with many galleries and arts events.
Accommodation and attractions
Other nearby attractions:
- Nimbin RocksNimbin RocksThe Nimbin Rocks are volcanic extrusions of rhyolite left over from the Mount Warning Tweed Volcano that erupted around 20 million years ago in what is now northern New South Wales, Australia....
, a series of jagged outcrops, solidified plugs left after the erosion of volcanic dykes and vents & Blue Knob that are both landmarks for the village. - Mt Warning (known as Wollumbin to the Bundjalung people) is close by, the summit of which is the first point of mainland Australia to see the sunrise. The summit of Mt. Warning can be climbed via an 8 km track through forested slopes. Mount Warning is the solid plug at the centre of a caldera containing the Tweed River, where, millions of years ago, a volcano once stood. Nimbin lies on the edge of that ancient volcano.
- Nightcap National ParkNightcap National ParkNightcap National Park is in New South Wales, Australia, 35 km north of Lismore. It is classed by the IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas as Category II...
is one of the few remaining places to see the remnants of the Big ScrubBig ScrubThe Big Scrub was the largest area of subtropical lowland rainforest in eastern Australia. It was intensively cleared for agricultural use in the 19th century by colonists...
rainforest. - There are many local creeks and rivers for swimming
Transport
Nimbin is 35 km from Lismore AirportLismore Airport
Lismore Airport is a regional airport located in Northern New South Wales, Australia.It features a modern terminal building, with some secure parking facilities....
with flights several times daily to Sydney.
Local and Private bus companies operate services from Lismore to Nimbin.
See also
- Nightcap National ParkNightcap National ParkNightcap National Park is in New South Wales, Australia, 35 km north of Lismore. It is classed by the IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas as Category II...
- Protected areas of New South Wales (Australia)
- ConFestConfestConFest is an alternative bush campout festival held in the south-eastern states of Australia at New Year and Easter. The name 'ConFest' derives from combining the words conference and festival. The festival was first held in 1976 near Canberra in the Australian Capital Territory...
, a long-running annual gathering
External links
- Nimbin Web: Community Directory
- Nimbin Australia: Links & Info
- Nimbin MardiGrass Official Site
- ABC News Australia: Nimbin News Thread
- Small pictorial on Nimbin and the nearby Nightcap National park
- Nimbin Accommodation & Transport Guide
- Nimbin Heads: Hour-long documentary "snapshot" of Nimbin Culture at YouTube
- FudoMouth: "we doze in a sunspot coma" - An American traveler's wiggy account of a roadtrip through the Nimbin Valley