Gypsy Soul Tour Diary - Goats and Being Bogged - Mullum, Nimbin and Mt Burrell

Thursday 16^th and Friday 17^th June

We left Lismore in the evening after the show at the Art Gallery and headed straight for Mullumbimby. We knew where we were going so it was not an issue driving in the dark. When we got to our regular camp spot, we backed in. It was 11PM and we were bloody bogged! My heart sank. I’m revving the car and stewarts yelling at me telling me to stop revving…. We were stuck. The grass was muddy. Thank the lord above Stewart found a piece of rubber on the road and within 10 minutes we managed to get out. Phew!!!

Saturday 18^th June 2011.

Stewart and I have always loved Mullumbimby. It’s not too far from Lismore or Byron Bay. It reminds me of the Blue Mountains except a lot warmer. Today we have a show at Lulu’s Café in town. It’s a relaxed atmosphere and we’re playing over lunchtime.

Lulu's Cafe, Mullum

In my first set I felt I didn’t even make an impact. People were eating their lunch and chatting, so I kind of treated it like a rehearsal for my solo stuff. It is disappointing though. In our second set, it picked up. I’m not sure what was different but people were listening intently and enjoying our music and signing up on my mailing list. Our tour is shaping up to be a great with the audiences, especially in areas which are a little more alternative. They seem more open to original new music.

We have a pretty full on weekend. Tomorrow we have two shows back to back in Nimbin and Mt Burrell. Heading into the bush. I’ve heard it’s really beautiful in those areas and I’m really looking forward to it.

Check this out -

We left for Nimbin straight after the show so we could dawdle our way up. There are not a lot of camping or rest areas in Nimbin and the signs are pretty clear that you can’t park in parking lots or parks. So we traveled a fair bit out of the way to Tuntable and parked in a spot that we weren’t too comfortable with.

As the evening went on it was pitch black and quiet. As we were drifting to sleep, a car pulled up near us. They switched their lights off and then there was screaming. Stewart and I froze in our beds and wondered what to do next. I grabbed the keys ready to make a getaway incase we needed to. We crawled to the front seats and waited….shiiit!

After about 20 minutes they left….and so did we…. We found a parking lot in Nimbin!!!! Some places you just know when you turn up that it’s not a good vibe.

Sunday 19^th June 2011

Nimbin markets were so nice. It was small and everyone seemed really friendly and open. We played under some shade outside, along with a few local artists, with goats grazing the grass just beside me as I was singing. I was really moved by Nimbin and the general feeling about it. I’ll have to think about what it was. I regret not being able to hang about afterwards, we had to rush off to Mt Burrell which is 20 minutes away in the bushes.

Nimbin Markets - on the right - the first act - You'll hear their music on the video, for the life of me I can't remember their name it was something like 'Earth mother' ....


 I made a flag for the markets which they'll be piecing together with everyone else's.

So many people on our trip so far said that the Sphinx Rock Café in Mt Burrell is a beautiful place to perform and just a wonderful atmosphere and they were right. Everybody was so welcoming and the kids were dancing and singing, it just felt like something out of a movie.

There was a lady who missed our show and she bought my CD anyway which was very kind. She just wrote an email to say she really enjoyed it.

‘Hi there, just bought you CD from at Sphinx Rock Cafe, 'tho I missed the show......Knew I'd love it !! .... seeing your feet in the pindan coloured sands in the pic..... as a fellow gypsy nomad wanderer .... I have spent the evening dancing round my studio (even getting it somewhat tidied in the process).... think I'm nearly up to the 3 play thru !!!
Can't wait to be able to dance to you live......hope I can catch you on your return south......
Love Light and Rainbows ....Megg  CD is simply stunning !’

All in all a wonderful weekend of gigs at some special places; sold cd’s, people on the mailing list and had people leaving wearing my badges….Nice!

Now we’ve got a few days off and we’re off to explore! Our next stop in a week will be Gold Coast.

Had a swim and cold shower today at Cabarita Beach....I'm set!

Hang Loose!

Snez xxx