Nimbin

Nimbin is Australia's home-grown haven for alternative subculture. The communes that sprouted in the hills around Nimbin in the 1970s and 1980s were the nucleus of an experimental society that seemed to flout most of the rules of contemporary Australia. Today, Nimbin wears its hair, its tattoos and body piercings and its slightly outrageous manners with pride, but it's not for the faint-hearted.

A tapestry of farms and a landscape of astonishing beauty that includes a number of World Heritage national parks surround the town. Be sure to walk to Protesters Falls on Terania Creek, beneath a canopy of Bangalow palms, to the waterfall where a 30 metre veil of water sprays into a green pool. Also visit Nimbin Artists Gallery or Blue Knob Hall Gallery to see the work of local artists - from ceramics and jewellery to fashion and paintings.