Stranger things: Northern NSW’s weirdest, wackiest stories in 2024
Whether it’s naturists protesting the closure of their beloved nude beach, UFOs, a tantric Byron sex shaman or a bizarre Nimbin singles group, northern NSW has no shortage of ‘colour’.
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Whether it’s naturists flocking to the dunes in protest over the closure of their beloved nude beach, UFOs, a tantric Byron sex shaman or a bizarre Nimbin singles group, northern NSW has no shortage of ‘colour’.
And what the coastal stretch from Tweed to Coffs Harbour lacks in housing supply, it makes up for in eccentric.
This week, News Local sat down for an exclusive interview with the Northern Rivers’ very own witch – who despite owning a few broomsticks, does not “boil frogs in a cauldron”.
Here’s some more unique stories which raised some eyebrows this year.
‘Hair on curvy mountain bodies’: Inside Nimbin’s singles scene
Love at first sight – or love at first bong?
The people of the North Coast’s alternative hippie mecca Nimbin have always done things a little differently.
In the age of internet dating, where desperate singles are more keen than ever to find their perfect match no matter the approach, they’ve taken it all to bizarre new heights on a singles dating Facebook page.
Nimbin Singles, which has 130 members, saw a keen response from locals, whose dating checklists ranged from the harmless to the outright weird.
One man was seeking a “live in lover” – with a “love of gardening preferably”.
Another man set his sights on a tall order – a “real deal hippy girl”, who “must have a hairy natural forest full of lustful hair on their curvy mountain bodies”.
One user complained of Nimbin having a lack of “free hippy girls who like train rides and camping”. He said the page would have been “awesome back in the hippy daze (sic)”.
Another user voiced his opinion on women’s appearances, saying: “It’s all about money & appearances. In the nice dayz (sic) the girls didn’t wear make up.”
One user’s approach to apparently draw interest was to post a picture of their belongings – a slingshot, feathers and some decorative shell ornaments.
Woman’s ‘UFO’ sighting gets NSW town talking
A woman claimed she witnessed a UFO fly over a well-known Byron Bay hippie hotspot, with punters joining in on the strange speculation.
Angela Grace took to Facebook with photos and videos of “strange clouds” over Crystal Castle in Byron Bay, certain “they looked like UFOs”.
The post attracted a barrage of comments from users, with one saying “I’ll have what she’s having”.
Miner turned garden dwarf: ‘Gnome me before you judge me’
Casino’s very own garden gnome said he was not always this “camp and colourful” – but you could say he turned over a new leaf.
Seventeen years ago, Bill Martin was slogging it out in the “rough” world of FIFO mining when “some deads--t” burst his bubble by outing him in the workplace.
The 65-year-old, who has been gay for as long as he can remember and “won’t change a thing”, said he was “fearful” of what colleagues may think of him if he revealed his sexuality.
“But what I quickly realised is that no one cared at all. They accepted me for who I was.
“It also allowed me to start wearing more colour to work. I was done with the greys, blacks and high-vis – I wanted rainbow.
“After that experience I went and worked for BHP. On the first day I mentioned to a bloke I love ironing and he responded ‘oh you must be gay’. From that day forward I just fully unleashed the queen.”
Mr Martin, who has been seen on the streets – and in gardens – around Lismore in his trademark gnome costume, said he wanted to bring a bit of joy to the Northern Rivers region after the shocking 2022 floods.
‘My clients come out floating’: Day in the life of a Byron Bay ‘sex shaman’
A Northern Rivers woman who is one of Byron Bay’s most well-known “sex shamans” said the nature of her work has the “profound ability to heal”.
From “healing” victims of rape and sexual abuse to helping men work through a whole spectrum of dark and twisted fantasies, Sage (real name withheld), acknowledges she is a sex worker, but said her work goes far beyond simple pleasures.
Some of her clients find it thrilling to be “kicked fiercely in the balls”.
Others are young men discovering their sexuality and willing to explore it in a “safe and integrative way”.
However, she said her client base was predominantly older men in their 50s and 60s.
Despite the apparent variety in her work, Sage said “nine times out of ten my clients walk out of my sessions floating on an absolute cloud”.
Read about her unique nine to five.
Nudists fight for suns out buns out lifestyle
This year, a band of northern NSW naturists fought tooth and nail – sans clothes – for their right to let it all hang out at a longstanding nude beach north of Byron Bay.
The group, Northern Rivers Naturists Inc., stormed council chambers after it was announced the 800m stretch of pristine white sand at Tyagarah would revoke its clothing-optional status, which had been in place since 1988.
In one particularly hairy protest, hundreds of naturists took to the dunes in defiance of the closure announcement.
For months, there was a heated back-end-forth between council, the parks service and naturist groups since it was announced in April nudity would be banned at the beach.
By August, there was not a skinny dipper in sight after the parks department laid down the law, but it didn’t stop the group from planning a cheeky day out or two.
‘Population c--t’: NSW tourist town’s shock signage
“Welcome to Brunswick Heads. Population 1613 – plus two c--ts.”
That was the charming welcome message to visitors and residents when they entered the picturesque northern NSW township – and council were not thrilled about it.
A photo of the expletive scrawled on the signage was posted to social media in January, prompting users to react with a mix of shock, awe and hilarity.
“Welcome to Brunswick Heads, Simple Pleasures”, the sign reads. “Population 1613”.
Next to it, a crude, hand-written message reads “+ 2 c--ts”.
One user asked: “Who are these two c**ts? I need to know.”
Another added “there’s more than two”, with a reply reading “I know at least 12”.
One person said the sign was “cooked and miserable”, but another disagreed, calling the graffiti “classic”.
Thankfully, council removed the handwritten message after this story was published.
Don’t kill the vibe, man: Spat over ‘sacred’ temple soars
Earlier this year, colourful Byron Bay identity Guy Feldmann was locked in a standoff with council over the fate of a seven storey hinterland hideaway which has been a countercultural refuge for decades.
Mr Feldmann, of Byron Bay Rainbow Temple, said he would not giving up hope on the 42-year-old structure, which council sought to demolish after alleged building code breaches.
It came as the longtime Northern Rivers resident pleaded with the public to help save it.
The 78-year-old started building the mammoth temple which “defies all religion” and “is an ode to creation and evolution” in 1981, after travelling to far flung corners of the globe as a “wandering gypsy”.
He said the idea to build the temple came to him in a “vision” while visiting a sacred Native American site on the Californian coast in the 1970s.
Got a story tip? Email sam.stolz@news.com.au
Originally published as Stranger things: Northern NSW’s weirdest, wackiest stories in 2024
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