We spent New Year down at Bryon but because we were camping we didn't really get to see much of it apart from when the girls went for lunch on New Years Eve (and then we didn't really take much in) so we decided we would go down for a couple of days before we left. We got the Greyhound down and after checking into our hostel headed straight to the beach where we spent the day sunbathing. On the way home we had a look around the shops and went and got changed. We went to a place called Cheeky Monkeys for tea as we had a voucher for here, and bumped into the two girls from Fraser, Jana and Laura. We stayed and chatted for abit but then headed back for an early night as we had a trip to Nimbin the following day.

Nimbin used to be a small dairy town until 1973 when the people that lived there decided to allow a festival to take place in a bid to bring some business to the town. With the festival came large groups of hippies, party people and those who like an 'alternative lifestyle', who ended up staying. Tours run from Byron Bay that allow you to visit Nimbin and learn about the alternative lifestyle that these people live. We went on Jim's Tour which was full of backpackers and took us out for the day. The first stop was at a pub where we could buy drinks for the esky (Australian word for cooler box) then onto Nimbin, stopping occasionally to hear random stories that Jim has from the 17 years he's been doing the tours.

Once in Nimbin we had a look around all the hippie shops before meeting some of the locals and trying some of the local delicacies. We ended up buying some hash cookies, just because when in Rome and all that. On the way home Jim said we were going down a roller coaster road and to be prepared. Now, we don't know if it was the cookies but it definitely felt like a roller coaster! A few scary moments as well when cars came towards us on the small narrow roads =s

We stopped off at a waterfall on the way back which was beautiful, then pulled up to Jims friend Paul's house. Now, this weird little man has smoked pot for the last 30+ years and when you meet him its pretty obvious. He hasn't thrown anything out for god knows how many years, but instead puts them in his garden and makes displays that he calls 'art'.. To everyone else it looks like junk! Inside his little hut/house he had made 'art' out of dolls and figurines, the pictures explain all, but very weird!

Once we were back in Byron we sat and chilled for abit before Becca collected us to head back to Surfers =)