40 km North of Lismore on country roads, close to Mt Nardi and the Nightcap National Park. In 1973 the never-to-be-forgotten Aquarius Festival was held here (though many veteran participators insist: ‘Anyone who remembers it, wasn’t there.’). This event sparked the hippie back-to-the-land movement. In many cases, this movement was just that: many prone long-haired individuals lying with their backs to the land. ‘Stay cool, man.’ Others, with a more determined attitude towards staying cool, took to growing things especially combustible plants with long pointy green leaves.

Nimbin has never really recovered from the ‘70s. You’ll encounter all kinds of quaint things here that you probably thought were extinct – such as communes, bandanas, grimy feet in grimy sandals, making love rather than war with your partner, and laid-back liberal folk with flowing psychedelic clothes.

Cullen Street is the main drag, which of course has its Rainbow Cafe. Other shops are thick with the incense of yesteryear (barely masking the scent of ‘Right, sunshine, what’s going on here?’). Those who remember the ‘70s will find themselves returning to the never-never land of their youth – those who managed to avoid this social handicap will find themselves entering an intriguing sociological museum. Did the Age of Aquarius witness the birth of a New Age, or the emergence of a new form of Neolithic Man?

Another thing to see is The Nimbin Museum (www.nimbinmuseum.com) which borders closely on the hallucinatory. Because of the drug culture associated with Nimbin it attracts a lot of backpackers, and at high season the population can easily double.