'Occupy' comes to Nimbin

OCCUPY Nimbin Bridge will see the town's musos and music lovers take over the old Nimbin bridge to draw attention to the fact it is soon to be demolished.

Getting ready to Occupy Nimbin Bridge, is organiser Belinda Marsh at the front with some of the musicians and music lovers who want the bridge kept. Picture: Mel McMillan

OCCUPY Nimbin Bridge will see the town's musos and music lovers take over the old Nimbin bridge to draw attention to the fact it is soon to be demolished.

Organiser of the event Belinda Marsh said everyone was welcome to join them when they light up the bridge for an evening of acoustic music by some of Nimbin's most talented performers.

The old timber Cullen Bridge is due to be demolished in February after a new concrete bridge was constructed this year.

According to Ms Marsh, the council set back its plans to tear down the bridge after a platypus was discovered living under it with a nest of babies.

"The council said it would wait until the babies were older so they would have a better chance of surviving once the bridge is gone," Ms Marsh said.

And despite the grim outlook for the bridge, Ms Marsh said she still held hopes that something could be done because the majority of the Nimbin community agreed it should be preserved because of its historical significance.

"This is our bridge and the council shouldn't take it away," she said.

Ms Marsh said there were many possible uses for the bridge such as a viewing platform for the platypuses and other wildlife.

It could also provide pedestrian access to the Bush Theatre and Cafe, which Ms Marsh operates with her partner Daniel Soler, and the Nimbin Candle Factory - both are located in the old Norco buttery.

But Lismore City Council has said the cost of repairing the bridge and its upkeep was too high.

It said repairs would come to $300,000 and it would cost $15,000 each year to maintain.

Because the old bridge is upstream from the new one it could be hazardous during floods with the potential for it to break up and damage the new bridge, the council has said.

A demolition company, which will keep most of the wood, has been contracted to remove it.

"The community gets to keep one piece of wood," Ms Marsh said.

It is understood the bridge was built in 1931. Ms Marsh is interested in finding out more about the bridge's history in the hope of building a case for its conservation which could be presented to the council.

Occupy Nimbin Bridge starts at 7pm on Wednesday on the old Cullen bridge in Cullen St, Nimbin.

Originally published as 'Occupy' comes to Nimbin