Byron Bay
Trip Start
Oct 01, 2005
1
72
158
Trip End
Jul 21, 2007
Byron Bay,
Australia
Tuesday, September 26, 2006
We stayed in a caravan park just behind the main street and because we planned to hang around for a few days even erected the awning
Jims tour bus
! Not that we used it as my dad had a room which was dry and mosquito free.Grand ideas of surf lessons, mountain biking and climbing were commuted to a day trip to the nearby town of Nimbin which we had also heard a lot about. Here was the place perhaps partially responsible for the chilled out vibe of Byron. Back in 1972 it was a village of a 100 people who worked in dairy and timber and the place had fallen into a deep recession due to changes in farm subsidies and other economic little devils. Then along came the Aquarius Festival and loads of hippies who, having fled the cities realised they had a perfect location in this beautiful haven deep within the verdant green hills, overlooked by the sacred Nimbin rocks and surrounded by ancient rainforest. So overnight Nimbin became the alternative capital of Australia and during and ever since the festival, loads of artists and free thinkers flocked here to live a more idealistic existence free from the fetters of capitalism and, yes smoke large amounts of the naturally ocurring herb.
So we stepped onto Jims alternative tour bus: an adapted 70's school bus, and Jim welcomed us aboard with a big smile. We were about 5 years older than anyone else but that was cool, Jim was in his forties. We stopped to pick up the last people to fill the bus up and then Jim turned around and explained the itinerary.
JJP Snr.
He opened in a deadpan aussie drawl, 'First we're going to head straight to Nimbin and buy some pot'. You can imagine the shock and indignation on our faces. We had assumed this would be a cultural look at alternative living, not some horribly debauched drug trip into the forest!! I mean what kind of people did he suppose we were? But Jim persuaded us to stay on board reassuring us he was merely joshing. Jims advertisement caption claimed 'the tour with the tunes' and he definitely delivered. He had rigged the bus up good with hefty roof mounted speakers that gave out a clear but bass heavy sound that filled the bus a treat. He started the days proceedings with an audio excerpt from the opening lines of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. It was clearly going to be an amusing day. Jims been doing this tour for 17 years and obviously gets a lot of pleasure from hurling down the narrow country lanes through tellytubbylike scenery with loud reggae on and a busload of like minded youngsters. He hunches over the wheel and rocks his shoulders to the rhythm in between his informative talks about Nimbin and environs along with the occasional subversive political chat.
Now from what I had heard Nimbin was a scruffy little village in the hills full of herione addicts and stoners, where people dealt drugs. This was not what we found. The main street is a colourful hotch-potch of wooden buildings, cafes, a pub and restaurants. There's a real community feel to the place, everyone smiling and chatting to one another and it is squatted in a valley surrounded by lush green hills and cliffs. Plus we didn't get offered scag once. Some space cadet has turned one of the buildings into a museum dedicated to the spirit and history of Nimbin, full of mutilated VW camper vans and weird dolls, it's about the most surreal building i've ever been in and has a resident who offers you smelly madeira cake
Kerry and a friend
. We met a couple of priceless characters who work in the Nimbin coffee shop (with adjoining Hemp Embassy) and they regaled us with nostalgic tales of their escapades in Nimbin in the early days. It is true that the place is full of bearded hippies walking around in a daze but it's a beautiful place and no wonder many people have stayed here. Jim picked us up from Nimbin after a couple of hours, some of the participants looking a little more dazed than when they got off the bus, and the tour continued heading up and up into the hills and the rainforest all accompanied by an astutely selected soundtrack. After a while on reaching the crest of a hill Jim pulled over and stopped, turning round with a slightly mischievous look. "Since you're all smiling and happy and seem like a game bunch I'll take you on my rollercoaster. Anyone who purchased a cookie will be starting to feel a little strange by now so if you would like to come into the front seats for a better view then hop up". He went on to explain that he normally plays a piece of music by Pink Floyd called "One of these days I'm going to cut you into little pieces", which he finds increases the intensity of the ride and added that in a strange piece of synchronicity the track length of 5 minutes 12 seconds is EXACTLY the time it takes to reach the end of the road. So we launched down the narrow lane at high speed as if diving straight into the dense forest, and as promised it was like the Grand National, descending in steeper and steeper dips before flying round a corner at high velocity like we were on rails, the towering trees whizzing past us as the psychedelic strains of the track belted out of the speakers and everyone beaming, the two girls in the front seat laughing and screaming
Local cafe workers
. Brilliant fun!! And the second he pulled up at the T-junction at the end of the road the tune came to the end. We then continued on our journey through the thick forest, Jim pointing out different plants and stopping at a breathtaking look out over miles of forest he said 'This is about the time when increased appreciation of nature usually kicks in, see how many shades of green you can spot', all of us gaping at the awesome vista. But the tour was not yet over, the next stop was at Jims friend Pauls jungle. This chap from New York bought 30 acres of barren scrub land 20 years ago and feverishly and obsessively started planting every type of tree and bush and flower he could get his hands on, and he has managed to create a dense rainforest all of his own and happily took us on a walk through, stopping off at his abstract and sometimes disturbing sculptures at various spots and gave us loads of macadamia nuts to munch on too.
Jim dropped us back in Byron Bay about 5 o'clock. 27 fully satisfied customers.
