The Yuppies, the Hippies, and the Wild Feral Beasts
Brisbane & Noosa
On a 17 hour train ride from Sydney to Brisbane, I encountered the wildest and most ferocious of all Australian wildlife… the fearsome Australian Outback Bogan – a close cousin of the North American Hillbilly. Jacked up on caffeine, alcohol, and Hollywood pop-trivia tabloids, this feral and argumentative couple foiled my attempts at snoozing away the overnight journey. Sleep deprivation proved disastrous for the surprise Suzy had in store for me upon arrival in Brisbane… supervising a downs-syndrome couple ‘helping’ paint a few bedrooms in her house (LMFAO). A few days later we visited another sort of zoo, this time owned by the late Steve Irwin, where we sat amongst the lounging kangaroos that were eerily friendly in a could-be-vicious Tank Girl sort of way. Since I was boycotting Queensland Tourism’s unwise decision to exclude me from last year’s final 50, I only chose to go as far north as Noosa where Suzy, her dogs, and I relaxed at her family’s holiday house and strolled along the quiet beaches.
The Gold Coast
Just south of Brisbane lies the Gold Coast, populated with small towns catering to the quiet and relaxed and also to the blonde Barbie bimbos high-heeling it along the boardwalks. I met up with Lynn and we hiked to the top of Mount Warning and also through the forest covered canyons where birds of magnificent red colours flittered in the treetop canopy. I spent some time with Csaba and Tanya for excellent home-made spicy thai papaya salad and also for a pool party crazy birthday celebration.
Byron Bay & Nimbin
If there are any true hippies left in Byron Bay, they are now sipping their iced chai tea lattes in the cosy manicured cafes that line the trendy laidback streets. The infamous Arts Factory Backpackers Lodge has a cool communal feel to it, where people share the kitchen, gardens, camping, and the stage for open microphone evenings. One of the popular excursions from Byron Bay is to jump on Jim’s psychedelic tour bus, groove out to perfectly timed classic rock music, and test the local goods sold in the smoke-filled hippie town of Nimbin. Gap-year university students venture down shady alleys to meet with old pusher hippie ladies wearing cool threads (beads and bellbottoms and lots of flowers) and make semi-illegal deals for far out brownies and psychedelic space cakes. Ingesting the various mind-altering goodies, the tourists then peruse the paraphernalia shops, informative drug museums, amazing alternative book stores, or opt for free food in the park that turns into a sneaky sermon of rhetoric from the Jesus crew. The tour promised (but failed) an interesting discussion of altered states, alternative philosophy, secrets of the mind, the illusion of reality, states of consciousness, and quantum physics. We split the groovy scene in Nimbin before the place became a drag, had a far out ride on the hippy bus groovin’ to tunes, man, and tripped back through the rabbit hole, closed the doors of perception, and went to find a pad to crash on back in Byron Bay.
Peace Out, Brother.
Near The Gold Coast, Australia. Hiking through the forests and waterfalls while amazing coloured birds flash though the trees.
Steve Irwin's Zoo, Queensland, Australia. Yup, that's a Joey in the pouch. These kangaroos really reminded me of the Tank Girl movie!
Steve Irwin Zoo, Queensland, Australia. Wow, that thing is huge!!! And so it the Galapagos turtle!!
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