Nimbin School of Arts
47 Cullen St, Nimbin NSW 2480
Open daily, 10am to 4pm
This collection of images of the 1973 Nimbin Aquarius Festival provides a comprehensive documentary account of this landmark event in Australian cultural history. The photographs by Peter Derrett OAM offer valuable insights into what happened at the Festival and sum up many of the ideologies that surrounded it. By the early 1970s, the hippie era was at its height, which meant alternative views could not only be expressed, they were applied. Aquarius was informed by a desire to break away from the perceived shackles of suburban society and the conservative mainstream. It took left politics, relationships with Australian Aboriginals, caring for the environment, options for alternative lifestyles, spirituality, community, and soft drugs and provided a forum to explore them.
The Aquarius Festival lingers in the popular memory of Australia, particularly in the Northern Rivers. Its ‘soft lick’ accelerated the creation of the ‘Rainbow Region’, and 1973 remains a critical date by which the history and distinctiveness of this area can be explained and understood. The photographs demonstrate what was unique about this ten-day art and music festival without a program.
Peter Derrett taught Drama and English for 36 years at Trinity College Lismore. He co-founded with his wife, Dr Roslyn Derrett OAM, the regional community theatre company, Theatre North, which delivered a wide range of theatrical works for 27 years. Derrett was awarded an OAM in 2007 for services to Regional Theatre and Drama Education. He is now committed to diverse photographic pursuits, including shooting for Getty and Opera Australia, and contributes to various exhibitions and publications.
This exhibition is programmed as part of the Nimbin Aquarius50 Festival (12 - 21 May, 2023), which celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Nimbin Aquarius Festival. More information here.
This exhibition is supported by Lismore Regional Gallery, a Creative Initiative of the Lismore City Council.
