Rain forest in the rain

Next stop after Brisbane is across the state line to the rain forest area of northern New South Wales. I’ve been here a few times before, and like Waiheke - the island suburb of Auckland - every time I go I want to up sticks and move in. A few things (like leeches rearing up at the edge of the deck ready to grab a tasty passing toe and huge Huntsman spiders in the kitchen) remind me that all aint rosy in the Australian rain forest, but it is surely one of the loveliest spots on earth, specially for someone like me who loves rain and prefers it served up with a large dose of humidity. That is before any mention of the local residents, who just don’t have the same sharp corners that us city folks do.

Well, the forecast said it was going to rain – and that is exactly what it did for most of five days I stayed in the area. Not that this caused any real problem. The culvert on the road into the community wasn’t flooded to the extent of being impassible – far from it – and even if it had been, there is a tractor that can get across when cars can’t.



It was kind of relaxing with not much to do in the rain except sit around and talk, catch a dip down at the dam between showers and watch the local wildlife.



The local stuff is quite exotic for us NZers as we don’t have little furry animals that hop about carrying their young in front pockets. Christine’s comment ‘get some shoulders’ hit the spot, but a witty wallaby response could well be ‘who needs them with ears like these?’



The property where she lives is a community with about 12 houses on enough land so no one has to have neighbours overlooking them. An interesting way to live – community style with collective decisions and all that stuff that became so popular back in the 1960s/70. These guys still seem to get on really well with it in 2009 and there are many such 'multiple occupancy' properties in the area. Most of the residents on this one are creative types and it’s really easy to see how these surroundings would inspire them.


The local pizza oven is a sight to behold even though it’s not operating in the rain.




A visit to the area would hardly be complete without paying a call to the [in]famous town of Nimbin. Just for once, no one approached me on main st to ask if I wanted to score! Maybe I just don’t look the type anymore, in my dirty old man’s raincoat!