In the early hours of this morning a fire started to burn throughout Nimbin’s main drag and would eventually raze two of its most beloved institutions to the ground.
Nimbin Museum and the Rainbow Café were destroyed, with further damage to BRINGABONG and two other buildings. No one was injured in the 420 blaze it.
Detective Inspector Cameron Lindsay said in a statement: “There are aspects of the fire that have raised some suspicion – the large scale and the damage that that fire has done.” The investigation is ongoing with the cause of the fire yet to be determined.
Michael Balderstone, the manager of Nimbin Museum, told ABC Local Radio: “It’s really right in the middle of town, the Rainbow’s probably the heart. The museum’s the biggest tourist attraction. It’s a bloody mess.”
The Nimbin Museum was a whacky idea that popped up sitting on a composting dunny in the jungle on a hippie commune early one morning! Nimbin had begun to attract tourists who wanted some explanation of why Nimbin is such a different village to others in Australia.
A handful of local artists slowly but surely created what is there today. This is an effort to communicate the history of Nimbin through the eyes of a hippie.
The journey through eight rooms is a timeline showing a history of the earth where the museum is situated!
Hippie dreaming!
Balderstone also said of the loss, “We’re really resilient so the community will just power on. But tourism’s a big business, a big part of Nimbin now so it’ll be a kick in the guts for that.”
NAMASTE
, Nimbin Museum. Ye shall be missed.
