Principality of Hutt River

So today then,  and the Principality of Hutt River, and what an excellent day it turned out to be. 

I actually woke up very early as I was dreaming that a kangaroo was trying to start my bike but fortunately, it was a false alarm. But what it did mean though was that I was up before the sunrise, and able to watch from the comparative luxury of my tent as the long shadows already reaching over the dewy grass receded towards the hedge as the pale light grew stronger and a bright orange fireball burst over the horizon. 

It always surprises me just how quickly sunlight appears and disappears over here in WA. One minute its light, the next dark, and in the morning, the reverse; pale cool light then bam, full on sunlight, and time to get up.

At 10.00 am, Prince Graeme was waiting for me, standing on the steps of the Government buildings, which rather handily is right next to the Post Office, and ready to take me on a tour. Formerly a primary school teacher who worked out bush near the Fitzroy Crossing up in the Kimberley region, he moved back to the Principality just two weeks ago.

A proper interdenominational chapel which can be used for weddings, is next to the main buildings,  a fully fitted place of worship, complete with paintings depicting Jesus and biblical scenes. 

These paintings were commissioned by Prince Leonard a few years ago, and painted by a British born Aussie artist called Frank Pash. Apart from being stonkingly good, they are exceptionally detailed. 

Apparently one of Frank’s things was to sketch real people and use their faces in the characters in his work. So in the Nain chapel paintings are various people who either work in HRP or have  done so, including Ray the chippy, a TV news crew, one of whom was later kidnapped and shot in East Timor, Prince Richard, and the artist himself. When Princess Shirley died last year, the chapel was rededicated to her, and there is now a memorial outside its main door.

Ray the chippy in red

frank the artist on right

One of my favourite discoveries of the day though was the HRP communications and GPS Centre - an old Hills hoist washing line to the side of a shed. Its the only place in the principality that a phone signal or GPS can be picked up - if you stand under it. Even  princes have too follow the protocol.

But something that definitely does work as it should is the Rolls Royce parked under the shade cloth. It was given to Prince Leonard on the 40th anniversary of the Principality being set up, and was itself 40 years old that year - 2010. Prince Leonard drives it around, but one of his sons chauffeurs him when he takes it on official visits into Australia. 

The full story of HRP is one of indignation and determination. Leonard  and Shirley Casely bought the land a while back and grew wheat. They were growing 100,000 acres of the stuff but then in 1969, the WA Govt imposed a quota on them, and planned to reclaim some of the land for their purposes, telling them they could only grow 1000 acres. Of course, that wasn’t enough to give them an income but worse still, the Govt delayed declaring the actual quota until a month before the harvest was due - then decided that rather than 1000 acres, it would actually be 100 acres, or  1/1000 of their former capacity and usual production. 

Unsurprisingly, Leonard was unimpressed and took the Government on, teaching himself law and researching British and Australian legislation in order to trace the application of law relating to his case. And he found what he was looking for; that the WA Govt was only entitled to reclaim 1/20th of his land, so what they were actually doing was illegal. Leonard won his case and in April 1970, declared his farm - which covers an area the size of Hong Kong - a principality, with him as head of state - Prince Leonard, his wife Shirley his consort, Princess Shirley, and all seven of his children became prince or princesses. And that is how it has been ever since, with the principality formerly recognised as an independent  sovereign state. It has its own Post Office, own coinage, own national anthem, flag, state car (the white rolls Royce) coat of arms and national flag.

It is an incredible story, but then I met Prince Leonard, I began to understand why. 

Now 88, nearly 89, this is a man with a very sharp and intuitive mind, and sparkey intellect. But he is also very ordinary ( in the nicest way), having left school at 14 with no particular qualifications or pretentions, to work in Fremantle as a shipping clerk. He decided to learn all he could about it, so he did, and became an expert. Then he met Shirley Butler, a secretary from Perth, married her, and they eventually had seven children. 

In their time together, Leonard also became a geologist,and owned and operated a copper mine, a  mathmatician, and wrote calculations for NASA to stop them losing a third satellite ( they had already lost two because of an error in their trajectory calculations, which Leonard realised, rewrote and saved the day). Then he became a farmer, and eventually head of his own state. And  Prince Leonard is still doing his mathematics, working out all sorts of stuff which is then used by academic and scientific establishments around the world. But the best thing about all of this is that he is lovely, a really nice man, and a unique character. 

I spent nearly three hours looking around the place and chatting to both princes and thoroughly enjoyed meeting both of them. I had my passport stamped with both an entry and an exit visa, actually an official process too, not a gimmick, and Prince Graeme showed me exactly what the ultra violet light used on passports at borders, reveal. It was interesting and I now know why so many people get caught with dodgy passports; so many hidden checkpoints which only show up under that light.

After leaving, I rode on dirt for about an hour, then headed north up the highway towards Carnarvon. I reached Binoo where I stopped for fuel, only to discover the servo was shut. As  I prepared to leave, another bike pulled in and yelled ‘oi’ to me. It was Russ from Chelmsford, over here on a working holiday and travelling the world by bike. We had a good old chat for about an hour, swapping stories, tips and places to camp, before heading off in separate directions.

I had intended stopping at Billabong Roadhouse, recommended by Russ but realised that it was late, so I stopped short, just up the road at Galena Bridge. An official 24 hour freecamp, with room for many rigs, and plenty of firewood. So I built my fire, set up camp, made some coffee and am now watching the sun - the same sun I saw burst into life this morning - drop down behind the horizon. It doesn’t get much better than this.