Aquarius Festival
Encyclopedia
The Aquarius Festival was a counter-cultural
arts and music festival
organised by the Australian Union of Students
and sponsored by Peter Stuyvesant and held at Nimbin. The first NUAUS festival was held in Sydney
ca 1966, while the second, Melbourne, third in Canberra and last (Aquarius) was held in Nimbin
, New South Wales
in 1973.
The Aquarius Festival aimed to celebrate alternative thinking and sustainable lifestyles. The ten day event was held from 12 to 23 May 1973 and co-directed by Johnny Allen and Graeme Dunstan
. Vernon Treweeke
also played a part in organising the event. It is often described as Australia's equivalent to the Woodstock Festival
and the birthplace for Australia's hippie movement
.. Estimated turn-up at Nimbin was from 5,000 to 10,000 people.
One group pooled resources after the Nimbin Aquarius Festival and bought a then 1200 acres (4.9 km²) property at Tuntable Falls in the next valley east, below Mount Nardi, and formed a community called the "Co-Ordination Co-Operative". Other groups followed suit and formed commune
s that continue today. Examples include Paradise Valley Pastoral Company and Nmbngee.
While "Multiple Occupancy" was basically a cheap housing alternative, there were some self-described spiritual communities that shared particular values, like Bodhi Farm and Darmananda, but they tended to be closer to the neighbouring The Channon
and Terania Creek than Nimbin.
Mullumbimby
and Byron Bay
attracted more of the moneyed "New Age
" people, while Nimbin attracted impecunious wanderers and back-packers. Within a decade the "Aquarians" were outnumbered by the continuing flow of disaffected urbanites and tree-changers coming into the area.
At the 10th anniversary of the Aquarius Festival, the Australian Association of Sustainable Communities (AASC) was formed.
Counterculture
Counterculture is a sociological term used to describe the values and norms of behavior of a cultural group, or subculture, that run counter to those of the social mainstream of the day, the cultural equivalent of political opposition. Counterculture can also be described as a group whose behavior...
arts and music festival
Music festival
A music festival is a festival oriented towards music that is sometimes presented with a theme such as musical genre, nationality or locality of musicians, or holiday. They are commonly held outdoors, and are often inclusive of other attractions such as food and merchandise vending machines,...
organised by the Australian Union of Students
Australian Union of Students
The Australian Union of Students was formed in December 1970 as the successor to the National Union of Australian University Students as a representative body and lobby group for Australian University and College of Advanced Education students. It collapsed in 1984 and was succeeded by the...
and sponsored by Peter Stuyvesant and held at Nimbin. The first NUAUS festival was held in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
ca 1966, while the second, Melbourne, third in Canberra and last (Aquarius) was held in Nimbin
Nimbin, New South Wales
Nimbin is a village in the Northern Rivers area of the Australian state of New South Wales, approximately 30 km north of Lismore, 33 km southeast of Kyogle, and 70 km west of Byron Bay....
, New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
in 1973.
The Aquarius Festival aimed to celebrate alternative thinking and sustainable lifestyles. The ten day event was held from 12 to 23 May 1973 and co-directed by Johnny Allen and Graeme Dunstan
Graeme Dunstan
Graeme Clement Dunstan , is a prominent Australian cultural and political activist. He is an alumnus of Duntroon Military College, and an Engineering graduate of the University of New South Wales , where he was President of the Students' Union and twice co-editor of its newspaper, Tharunka .In...
. Vernon Treweeke
Vernon Treweeke
Vernon Treweeke is an Australian psychedelic artist. He has been termed the "father of psychedelic art in Australia". In the late 1960s he was deemed to be "Australia's leading practitioner of abstract eroticism."...
also played a part in organising the event. It is often described as Australia's equivalent to the Woodstock Festival
Woodstock Festival
Woodstock Music & Art Fair was a music festival, billed as "An Aquarian Exposition: 3 Days of Peace & Music". It was held at Max Yasgur's 600-acre dairy farm in the Catskills near the hamlet of White Lake in the town of Bethel, New York, from August 15 to August 18, 1969...
and the birthplace for Australia's hippie movement
History of the hippie movement
The hippie subculture developed as a youth movement that began in the United States during the early 1960s and spread around the world. Its origins can be traced back to classical culture, and to European social movements in the early 20th century i.e.: Fabians and Bohemians...
.. Estimated turn-up at Nimbin was from 5,000 to 10,000 people.
Performers
Performers at the festival included the White Company - an experimental Theatre Troupe featuring a number of alternative culture artists including Peter Carolan - singer Paul Joseph, Donny McCormack (ex-Nutwood Rug Band), The Larrikins and Ian Farr.Legacy
The festival had a permanent effect on the economy of Nimbin, as many Festival participants decided to remain in the district The area was previously a dairying and banana growing region in severe decline. Some of those that stayed might self-describe as hippies, but the larger mass came from all sorts of backgrounds and life experience, ranging from 18 to 80, and would resent that label.One group pooled resources after the Nimbin Aquarius Festival and bought a then 1200 acres (4.9 km²) property at Tuntable Falls in the next valley east, below Mount Nardi, and formed a community called the "Co-Ordination Co-Operative". Other groups followed suit and formed commune
Commune (intentional community)
A commune is an intentional community of people living together, sharing common interests, property, possessions, resources, and, in some communes, work and income. In addition to the communal economy, consensus decision-making, non-hierarchical structures and ecological living have become...
s that continue today. Examples include Paradise Valley Pastoral Company and Nmbngee.
While "Multiple Occupancy" was basically a cheap housing alternative, there were some self-described spiritual communities that shared particular values, like Bodhi Farm and Darmananda, but they tended to be closer to the neighbouring The Channon
The Channon, New South Wales
The Channon , pronounced "CHANNON" is a village in the Northern Rivers area of New South Wales, Australia. It is about 18 kilometres northwest of Lismore and about 21 km from Nimbin, NSW...
and Terania Creek than Nimbin.
Mullumbimby
Mullumbimby, New South Wales
Mullumbimby is a town in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales, Australia in Byron Shire, and is colloquially referred to as The Biggest Little Town in Australia. It lies at the foot of Mount Chincogan in the Brunswick Valley about from the sea...
and Byron Bay
Byron Bay, New South Wales
Byron Bay is a beachside town located in the far-northeastern corner of the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is located north of Sydney and south of Brisbane. Cape Byron, a headland adjacent to the town, is the easternmost point of mainland Australia. At the 2006 Census, the town had a...
attracted more of the moneyed "New Age
New Age
The New Age movement is a Western spiritual movement that developed in the second half of the 20th century. Its central precepts have been described as "drawing on both Eastern and Western spiritual and metaphysical traditions and then infusing them with influences from self-help and motivational...
" people, while Nimbin attracted impecunious wanderers and back-packers. Within a decade the "Aquarians" were outnumbered by the continuing flow of disaffected urbanites and tree-changers coming into the area.
At the 10th anniversary of the Aquarius Festival, the Australian Association of Sustainable Communities (AASC) was formed.
See also
- List of Australian music festivals
- New Age communitiesNew Age communitiesNew Age communities are places where, intentionally or accidentally, communities have grown up to include significant numbers of people with New Age beliefs. The intentional communities have specific aims but have a variety of structures, purposes and means of subsistence. These include...