Some History of Nimbin NSW

Nimbin was first settled in 1882 and was (and still basically is) a small quiet country town, until it entered the consciousness of Australia and further afield when it hosted the Aquarius Music Festival in 1973. Since the decline in the Australian dairy and agricultural industry, Nimbin had become a virtual ghost town.
It was chosen by a group of students and artists to host a major music and counterculture lifestyle festival, attended by many including plenty of authorities from the NSW police, to whom it didn't go un-noticed that large numbers of these 'hippies' were engaging in smoking cannabis.

After the festival, quite a few intrepid souls had fallen in love with the place, it's natural beauty, rich agricultural land,and perfect climate - ideal for growing veggies and other things.. and so decided to stay and set up communes and strive for the idealistic Utopian dream borne of the 70s. This communal way of life grew and many moved to the area and set up even more multiple occupancy properties, some with the idealistic intentions of those first communal pioneers, some not.. The area has attracted many artists, writers, actors, musicians, small farmers, environmental, idealists, permaculture enthusiasts and mainstream society dropouts. A great place to come and just be.

It's fame as a place of tolerance grew, it being one of the few places in NSW where people could get away with possessing and even selling marijuana, this right to freedom attracted many including ones more interested in making a quick buck. This led to the ideal of Nimbin being sullied and stained, especially when harder drugs such as heroine came on the scene - for every positive force, the equal and opposite negative force comes into play..

The area is part of the 'Rainbow Region' and is also culturally important to the Bundjalung Aboriginal Australians. The Bundjalung people who originally inhabited this area are still active and vocal in the town's affairs.

Nimbin is said to be the resting place of Warrajum, the Rainbow Serpent, and is known as a place of healing.

Nimbin NSW is known as the 'Alternative Capital of Australia'.?

For a deeper insight into the history of Nimbin and the Aquarius Festival, have a look at milesago.com