Week 2

Classes have officially started. I have homework, reading, assignments. It's going to be an interesting semester. My first photography assignment is to take 10 good self-portraits to submit and bring to class. It's harder and more time consuming than you'd think! I also have quite a bit of reading to do! This week we went to the beach and this weekend we went to Nimbin on the 'Magic Bus.' We also visited a water hole, jumped off a rope swing and then warmed up by a fire. In Nimbin we got cookies to eat on the way home. We listened to heady music the entire time and stopped along the way for drinks. It was a good day.

NIMBIN

Arrival on the 'Magic Bus'

 The boys went off in search of something more interesting than what the town was readily offering. I went to find a friendly coffee hut. I ended up in a small bright kitchy seating area and ordered a cappacino. There were photography books scattered all over the tables. I stared at early 1900 aboriginal scarification portraits. There were pictures of men with scaring on their backs that were so heavy and defined, the scars appeared as if wings. The 'wing' design was to protect from club beatings; however, most of the designs were soley decoration. Each tribe had different scaring, and some leaders would supposedly sign treaties with marks that looked like their scaring. Nimbin itself, was like a scar, left over from the 1970's.

               The place seemed pretty much deserted. Only a few actual residents, the area's populants mostly being tourists and travellers backpacking through the shanty town. In the 1970's it was the land of Aquarius, a peace movement was held here for 10 days by the Australian Union of Students with Johnny Allen, Graeme Dunstan and Paul Joseph heading the organized celebration (http://www.nimbinweb.com.au/nimbin/history/history2.htm). After the celebration, some went home, others stayed to contribute to what is left of the colorful city with its even more vibrant nonconfromist dwellers. We had lunch at the Sphinx Rock Cafe.

Rainforest Waterhole

 

The Bentley Kids at the Waterhole

 We left Nimbin and headed for a small watering hole. It was fun roasting marshmellows and jumping off the ropeswing. There was no place to change, but the woods. So I walked up a ways along the path and was about to change out of my wet clothing, but A. there were plenty of kids with the group (about 40) and I didn't want some of the kids who had wandered off to smoke to stumble on me changing and B. a car drove past just as I was about to drop my pants. I walked back to the group unchanged and looked at our tour guide with eyes that said "Are you kidding me?" His response was in a disbelief, laughing voice, "that was the one car that will drive by all year."



Later haze Magic Bus