Sunday, Feb 17: The Age of Aquarius Lives! Two Days in Nimbin:

Nimbin is a famous hippie town in the mountains outside Byron Bay, Australia. It was the home of The Aquarius Festival of 1973, which was the Woodstock of the southern hemisphere. The Aquarius Festival was a celebration of the dawning of the `Consciousness' and `Protest' movements in the heady days of the Vietnam war, free love and marijuana - a festival of discovery .... It lasted 10 days and marked a watershed in Australian popular culture. Many of the hippies never left. Instead, they settled in this small town, which currently has less than 2000 residents.

Background from the Sydney Morning Herald: "The Australian Union of Students (AUS) chose the Nimbin Valley as the venue for an experimental Aquarius Festival. The festival was to be 'a total, cultural experience through the lifestyle of participation' and attracted students, alternative lifestylers and hippies from all over Australia. It was an extraordinary period when people put up tents and camped and talked and dreamed. Most of the weekend visitors returned to the cities and their regular jobs but a small number of idealists and visionaries stayed on and formed the basis of a lifestyle experiment."

Nimbin's culture is left of Berkeley or Bolinas. There is a marijuana bar in town, across the street from the marijuana museum. Dread locks and hippie skirts are everywhere. It is best to ask about cannabis content when you buy baked goods here. The surrounding area is rainforest, and perhaps pot plantations. Lots of artists and musicians live here too. For instance, I met a modern-day Janis Joplin at the monthly market day, belting out soulful, heart-rending tunes with Alanis Morrissette's anger but Ani DiFranco's confidence. Music agents, her name is Essie Thompson; get her now, she's still unsigned.

I got a tour from the uber-hospitable Marcus Endicott, founding father of the green travel movement. I've been a member of his Green Travel email list for more than a decade. When he heard I was headed to Oz, he suggested I meet him in Nimbin. Kindly, he also connected me with the Rainbow Retreat, my temporary home here.

The Rainbow Retreat's owner, Doug McKenzie, is a veteran of both Burning Man and the Rainbow Gatherings, so he knows what a good vibe is. Doug's a small-government, do-it-yourself, no-nonsense type, what they call an "Aussie battler" around these parts. Or a "rugged individualist" back in the USA. He's good people.

The Rainbow's staff appears to be exclusively made up of travelers who stopped here, and decided not to leave. I'll be back. The first weekend of May each year brings the Nimbin Mardi Grass (not mis-spelled). The town population is normally about 500, but this one weekend per year, it tops 10,000. Bring a tent, or reserve lodging very early.

As you know by now, at McColl Communications, we are always working to help our clients grow their businesses. From my Nimbin office,



...today I did some work for both my safari and polar expedition clients. With my laptop and WiFi, I can work anywhere. Life is good! A few more pix from the Rainbow Retreat and the Aquarius Festival in Nimbin: