Nimbin Overview

Once a small dairy farming town, Nimbin (pop. 800) is now Australia’s cannabis capital. The town is a popular daytrip from Byron among backpackers looking for a taste (or whiff) of the nation’s alternative culture. Though marijuana is illegal in Australia, visitors will find themselves solicited for “bush,” “cookies,” “pot,” or any of a dozen other euphemisms for marijuana as they walk up Cullen St., the town’s only avenue. The street is lined with eateries and markets specializing in organic and bulk foods, as well as half a dozen shops offering every imaginable piece of paraphernalia with pot-related puns. Guitars and bong(o) drums lie invitingly in cafes and accommodations, just waiting to be picked up for those with a penchant for impromptu jam sessions.

In 1973, thousands of university students descended on Nimbin Village for the Aquarius Festival, the antipodean answer to America’s Woodstock, and ever since the community has retained its image as Australia’s alternative/hippie hub. Some local residents resent the town’s reputation and a surprising percentage don’t partake, emphasizing instead Nimbin’s earth-conscious agriculture (“permaculture”) and alternative energy. The town is one of hundreds of shared communities that lie in the fruitful volcanic valley of Mt. Warning. WWOOF (see Short-term Work) has a strong presence here, with many area farms accepting travelers for farmstays and organic farming opportunities. Residents’ lives are closely intertwined with the land and its fruits.

Transportation And Practical Information. The Nimbin Shuttle Bus (☎02 6680 9189; www.nimbintours.com) and The Happy Coach (☎02 6685 3996; www.happycoach.com.au) provide the only direct public transportation to the village from Byron. The shuttle departs daily from Byron Bay at 11am (1hr.), and leaves Nimbin at 3pm ($14, round-trip $30), and the coach leaves daily from Byron Bay at 10am (3hr.) and returns from Nimbin at 2:30pm ($15.) For visitors seeking just a glimpse of the place, Grasshoppers Eco-Explorer Tours stops in town for an hour or two as part of a day-long trip that includes the area’s national parks (☎02 66855068; www.grasshoppers.com.au; $39 with lunch), as does Byron-based   Jim’s Alternative Tours (☎02 6685 7720; www.jimsalternativetours.com; trips daily 10am-6pm; $35).

Nimbin’s town center is on Cullen Street, between the police station and the hotel on the corner—you can’t miss the vivid murals, wild storefront displays, and thin wisps of smoke. The Nimbin Visitor Centre, 2/80 Cullen St., at the north end of town, has info on local activities and regional WWOOFing opportunities and membership; it also books shuttle bus transport, offers broadband Internet access ($2.50 per 15min., $6 per hr.), and sells local paraphernalia. (☎02 6689 1388; www.visitlismore.com.au. Open M-Sa 10am-4pm, every third and fifth Su 11am-3pm.) Find police (☎02 6689 1244) at the south end of Cullen St. and the hospital (☎02 6689 1400) at 35 Cullen St. The post office is at 43 Cullen St. (☎02 6689 1301. Open M-F 7am-5pm.) Postal Code: 2480.

Accommodations And Food. Although many visitors come to Nimbin for just an afternoon, staying a few days at any one of the town’s unique hostels provides the best chance to see through Nimbin’s smoky haze.   Nimbin Rox YHA  , 74 Thorburn St., is worth the 20min. walk from town for its breathtaking views and a number of intricately decorated double rooms. Take a left onto Thorburn from Cullen St., just across the creek; the hostel is up an unpaved driveway through a horse pasture. Facilities include a pool, hammocks, a fruit garden, and an herb garden. (☎02 6689 0022; www.yha.com.au. Laundry $2 per wash. Internet access $6 per hr. Camping site $15; dorms $28, YHA $25; doubles and bungalows $62-72; 6-person teepee $22 per person. MC/V.) For the best idea of what town was like in the 1970s, spend the night in a mushroom bungalow or a gypsy wagon at the   Rainbow Retreat , 75 Thorburn St., where horses wander the grounds and every room has a name like “Woodstock” or the “Love Shack.” Amenities include a kitchen, an open-air cafe, and common rooms with a collection of musical instruments alongside a TV. (☎02 6689 1262. Sites $13; dorms $20; doubles $50. Cash only.) The Nimbin Hotel and Backpackers , on Sibley St. in the town center, offers reasonably priced rooms and access to a pleasant veranda. (☎02 6689 1246; www.freemasonhotel.com.au. Singles $30; doubles $50.)

Nimbin cafes, pubs, and streets are home to a vibrant music scene. The Rainbow Cafe , 64A Cullen St., has burgers ($8), fresh juices ($5), vegetarian options, and a sunny garden patio out back of the restaurant. (☎02 6689 1997. Open daily 7:30am-5pm. Cash only.) Late at night, share a pot of chai ($3) on the patio outside Nimbin’s Oasis Cafe , 80 Cullen St. (☎02 6689 0199). Just down the road, the Nimbin Emporium, 58 Cullen St., sells health and bulk foods and rents videos. (☎02 6689 1205. Open M-Sa 8am-7pm, Su 9:45am-7pm.)

Sights. The odd   Nimbin Museum, 62 Cullen St., redefines creativity and historical interpretation. The rooms relate the founders’ version of regional history through myriad murals, stimulating quotes, and trinkets. The museum has proportional coverage of all three of the town’s major historical periods: the first room is about Aboriginals, the second about European settlers, and the next six about hippies. (☎02 6689 1123; www.nimbinmuseum.com. Open 10am-dark. $2.) The Picture Factory north of town, a former butter factory, now houses the Nimbin Candle Factory, where artists craft colorful handmade candles for sale $0.50-$200. (M-F 9am-5pm. Sa-Sun 11am-4pm). The Help End Marijuana Prohibition (HEMP) Party bases itself at the Hemp Embassy, 51 Cullen St., where racks of hemp clothing and a 1m high hemp wall proudly showcase the versatility of hemp. (☎02 6689 1842; www.hempembassy.net. Open daily 9am-6pm.) The attached Hemp Bar offers refreshments (www.nimbinhempbar.com). To see a bit beyond Nimbin’s drug culture, swing by the Nimbin Artists Gallery, 49 Cullen St., which displays the work of local artists. (☎02 6689 1444. Open daily 10am-4pm.) Nimbin is also known for its earth-friendly lifestyle. The Rainbow Power Company, on your right after a 10min. walk from the town center down Cullen St. to Alternative Way, is a remarkable achievement in solar and wind energy production; it sells its excess generated power to the electricity grid for general consumption. (☎02 6689 1430; www.rpc.com.au. Open M-F 9am-5pm.) For a hands-on look at earth-conscious living, trek to Djanbung Gardens Permaculture Centre, 74 Cecil St. Take a left onto Cecil St. at the southern end of Cullen; the Djanbung Gardens are just after Neem Rd. Its resource center offers workshops on organic gardening, design, and community development. Ask about accommodation for workshop and class stays. (☎02 6689 1755; www.permaculture.com.au. Open W-Sa 10am-3pm. Guided farm and garden tours Sa 11am, $20.) Beyond Djanbung lies Jarlanbah, a community that lives by a permaculture (closed to outsiders) code.