Independent Province of Hutt River

It’s not many days that you can meet a Head of State but today, 26 September 2010, I managed just that – King Leonard of the Independent Province of Hutt River. Seceded on 21 April 1970.

It’s likely you’ve never heard of it but I can assure you that this is 100% official. The tale of how Leonard Casley became King is a long and difficult one filled with legal loopholes, battles with the Australian Tax Office, the Western Australian State Government and the representatives of HM Queen Elizabeth II.

It’s an incredible story based around the implementation of wheat quotas to farmers on freehold land back in the 1960s. Leonard believed and proved this was an illegal move and didn’t recognise these quotas that would ultimately affect his livelihood. This moral fibre lead to the steps to create the independent state although it still isn’t formally recognised by the Australia Government even though officially a state of war existed between the two nations for 3 days. Although declared, it was then cessed to adhere to the Geneva Convention under which states that “Sovereignty goes immediately to a Government undefeated in State of War”.

A unique national anthem,

flag,

set of stamps, currency, heraldic shields and parliament are all in place as well as an Air Force, Army and Navy should the need ever arise. Ceremonial gowns and vellums record the Hutt River special events and its possible to renounce your own nationality to become a bona fide citizen and passport holder.

The original farm boundaries now exist as country borders and although no special permission is required to enter, government and post office buildings and a multi-denominational church welcome 35,000 visitors a year.

 

It was a fascinating place, one that I’ll never forget and would definitely recommend anyone to visit.

26th Parallel

Driving south from Broome, I passed the 26th parallel just outside Northampton, which I’m told is an important geographical boundary for the economy and climate of WA. Government workers receive additional allowances for working above this point due to the incredibly hot and dry climates that can affect the area. Distance from major town is huge meaning longer drives or more expensive air transport in and out of the area.

Below the 26th parallel, things don’t get too bad. From a climate point of view temperatures of 40C can be found regularly above but not nearly as common below.

The landscape also changes significantly. Almost immediately the expansive ranches/estates of land used for grazing stock disappear to be met with arable crops, fruit and vegetable plantations instead. Land boundaries are suddenly visible with hedges, fences and walls rather than the occasional metal hoarding announcing a new cattle station.

Houses became visible, communities appeared and it became greener. I couldn’t help but think it became more English looking. Wildflower were replaced with landscaped flowers put in for aesthetics rather than grown naturally.

 

I loved being above the 26th parallel but underneath things suddenly seemed to become much easier. It wasn’t such a drama if my water consumption was lower, that the fuel gauge was lower than normal or that I’d run out of supplies as invariably it was easier to sort out. Diesel was cheaper and I could feel myself slowly entering civilisation rather than remote communities.

'N' Day

The music challenge continues - I've passed the joys of 'My Way' and on to 'No Limit'

Tale of two cities

Northampton is a town, population 189,474, famous for shoes and rugby.

Northampton is a town, population 816, famous for wildflowers and the annual Quilting festival.

The top Northampton is my old university stomping ground in the West Midlands and the bottom one a sleepy village in Western Australia. The similarities between the two places couldn’t be more different.

One is famed for being an industrial heartland of the shoe industry being responsible for famous names such as Clarks and XXX, whilst the other doesn’t appear to have any particular industry maintaining its way of life.

One is built almost entirely of concrete whereas the other is predominantly timber.

One has an immediate strong sense of community whereas the other could be just another town.

One critical difference between the two towns is that Northampton, WA is a declared historic town that means that Australia’s equivalent to the National Trust have protected the entire town. I’m not entirely sure what legal entity this affords but I believe that future development has to go through strict planning regulations similar to the UK’s Listed Building rules.

The town is rich in mining industry history from many moons ago and various collections of machinery related to that industry still remain dotted around.

Both however have a strong focus of sport. Whereas Northampton, UK is a rugby and football focussed town, the elegant sport of lawn bowls is the highlight of the sporting calendar in Northampton, WA. It was here than a lazy afternoon watching a club doubles tournament was spent taking in the glorious sunshine and getting to understand a bit more about the sport with the club captain.

The campground at Northampton, WA was a basic affair with a grassy patch ready for Stan but it boasted excellent toilets and showers within a few minutes of a general store and a pleasant walk through the town. It was $15/night – just what I was looking for! Friendly and attentive owners were on hand to answer any query or provide spare items for weary campers.

There she blows…

Australia’s large land mass is predominantly desert however it is also home to some wonderful nature features; some very famous such as Uluru, Sydney Harbour, some that you might be familiar if you’re a nature or travel programme watcher, Kakadu and Pernululu NPs, and some that are small that you have to read travel blogs to know about them.

The Blowholes is the name given to a rock formation 75kms from Carnavon along a single boring road on the way to nowhere in particular apart from other isolated spots. What is so special about these Blowholes is how they’ve been formed. Seawater smashing on to the rocks on every wave has slowly eroded the weaker rock underneath a plateau and then continued to erode as the water splashes upwards. Small holes have been bored into the plateau that allows the splashing seawater to spectacularly jet upwards anywhere to 20m.

  

The feel of the place reminded me of the coast of Cornwall and past experiences near St Just when a storm was incoming. The rugged coastline of Cape Cornwall and Priest’s Cove was equally impressive as this spot with the waves crashing on to the nearby rocks displaying their turquoise beauty.

The land here, rather than being a beach or rocky headland as found in St Just, was a flat moonscape with small eroded pools lined with salt from the evaporated seawater. Spooky!

 

From a distance you can see a water spray and perhaps some mist but its not until you’re close that you can appreciate the scale of the force. Tourists don’t exactly flock here, but there is a continual flow (sic) of people keen to get a photo of this natural wonder behind them. The photographers taking the photo all think its terribly exciting until the jet disperses into a fine salty mist all over the lens. Whilst there, I’d heard of many compact cameras just shutting down as so much salt had entered the electronics.

 

I was fortunate to see whales following their migratory patterns from the Blowholes with equally impressive blowhole displays as they passed offshore so much so that I decided to stay in the strange campground nearby. What seemed like derelict tin sheds appeared to be holiday homes but an unsure as to whether they’re occupied nowadays.My second fortunate encounter was that the camphost had moved on for a few days so became a free stopover. Large sanddunes on the opposite headland provided an excellent vantage point to see the sunset with the migrating whales underneath and the Blowholes spraying to my right. (silly me, forget to take the camera!!!)

A definite must if you’ve got a spare afternoon and fuel to get there. Apparently the campfees are $7 a night if someone was there so still an affordable stopover, and more campsites are further up the coast should it be full.