Hi, I would like to give a plug for ConFest, a bi-annual event held in southern New South Wales every Christmas and Easter. ConFest stands for Conference Festival, and was started by the late politician Dr. Jim Cairns in 1976 in order to give a political voice to various underground movements and groups that were popping up in Australia at the time. In the mid-80's, the festival was taken over by a grass roots organisation called Down To Earth Society, which endorses social nudity, vegetarianism/veganism, communal living, and respect for the natural environment. This is a great melting pot for alternative lifestylers such as feminists, nudists, naturists, environmentalists, yoga practitioners, massage therapists, hippies, ferals, gypsies and even your average mainstream family. It is a 6 day event in which mod cons are disallowed (except maybe with cameras and watches) with an emphasis on getting back to nature. No electrical musical instruments are allowed either. I went there with a friend of mine for Christmas 2006, and it was a real eye opener. Everyone there seemed to be very open, loving and friendly. There were a number of workshops being held, and it was great to see a lot of younger people at ease with their bodies - you certainly don't see them in the nudist clubs. The next ConFest will be held from 6 - 10 April, and it attracts people from all over the world. We even had a large French family that travelled all the way from the south of France to be there and compare the fashion parade (which was a real scream as well). You can access ConFest's web page at: http://www.confest.com and Down To Earth at http://www.dte.org.au I met a couple of members of hipforums there, and got on with them like a house on fire.
