The times they are a-changin’ at Australia’s hippie capital of Nimbin.
I’m at the Armonica Wood Fired Café in the tiny town and on one side of me are two locals, the old school – an elderly couple resplendent in tie-dye and jangly anklets.
On another table are newcomers – a group of svelte, Lycra-clad chaps, barking at each other about the specs of their fancy bikes.
Behold two very different Australias in northern New South Wales.
I’m on a winding, 40-mile road trip from the coast on the NSW border with Queensland, through the rustic villages of the Tweed Valley to the upmarket surf town of Byron Bay, eight hours’ drive north of the state’s capital, Sydney.
The valley was formed millions of years ago by the explosion of a huge volcano that left a massive crater, or caldera.
It was once overlooked as a no-man’s-land between the Gold Coast and Byron Bay – backwater inspiration for 90s Aussie classic film Muriel’s Wedding. Not any more.
I start my trip at Halcyon House in Cabarita Beach, a converted motel where I flick through copies of Vogue by the pool, sipping mezcal negronis and listening to the surf.
The next morning the hotel’s restaurant, Paper Daisy, serves breakfast of coconut and chia pudding followed by a fry-up of sobrasada with peppers, tomatoes, beans and egg on sourdough.
It’s one of the best breakfasts I’ve had Down Under – not bad for a country that prides itself on them. From the chef, I learn that the rich, red volcanic soil of the caldera is great for growing produce.
The next day, I head to Murwillumbah, a hinterland town, whose arty, agricultural vibe is summed up by a main street that sells cowboy boots as well as dreamcatchers.
After a look around the Tweed regional gallery, I drive to Nimbin for coffee and a chat with the locals, including a man called (so he tells me) Luke Skywalker who runs the town’s Hemp Embassy, lobbying to legalise cannabis, and a bloke, Greg, who sells magic wands.
It’s fun but a little woo-woo for me, so I move to my base for the night, Ecoasis.
This family-run cluster of chalets surrounded by gum trees is the place to fall asleep to the squawking sounds of the jungle without the threat of finding spiders in your bed.
From here it’s possible to see the caldera’s central point, Wollumbin Mount Warning. The mountain is sacred to the Bundjalung people, which is why, like Uluru, visitors are discouraged from climbing it.
Finally, I head for Byron Bay. Australia’s most easterly point has morphed from hippie town full of backpackers on the pull, to hippie town full of backpackers on the pull – with a side of millionaire. Think boutiques selling floaty linen shirts, fab restaurants and the odd celebrity.
I’m staying at Elements of Byron – modern bungalows just out of town (from £229pn).
The owner has built the world’s first solar powered train, which whisks guests into town in ten minutes – ideal given that traffic here in high season is often stationary.
In Byron, I start my day at Combi, which serves organic smoothies and bowl food so colourful the girl next to me stands on her chair for a whole minute taking pics before tucking in.
Then, because I clearly haven’t eaten enough, I head out to The Farm, home to a branch of Sydney restaurant Three Blue Ducks, which serves Tasmanian oysters and coal-roasted octopus.
My pre-lunch tour of the macadamia grove gets cuts short as farmer Travis, my guide, is called back to get rid of a baby snake slithering around the dining room. Cue much squealing and snapping of photos.
Just when I’d started to worry whether NSW might have become a bit too fancy for its own good….
Indirect flights from London to Brisbane from £714 return, qatarairways.com; rooms at Halcyon House from £287pp pn, halcyonhouse.com.au; chalets from £207pn, ecoasis.com.au. See visitthetweed.com.au, australia.com.
Always check entry requirements at gov.uk, visit covid19.homeaffairs.gov.au
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