Western Australia is a massive state, with a million things to do from Margaret River to Exmouth.
I rented a car in Perth to go explore as much as possible.
I had no set plan other than to travel north and hit a few popular landmarks along the way. I had a week to spare so originally I thought I could maybe make it as far as Coral Bay. Maybe I could get one last scuba dive in Australia before my Visa expired.
I traveled north from Perth to the dunes of Lancelin, Pinnacles Desert, Pink Lake and Kalbarri National Park. Western Australia’s landscape is absolutely stunning and so dramatically diverse.
I could have easily kept driving through the beautiful terrain and endless beach-laced coastline, but it was all missing something.
I wanted to learn more about the people who call this region home.
And thanks to a women at my Bed & Breakfast in Geraldton, everything changed.
Along with providing a contact at the Pia Wadjarri Community, she told me about one man that I had to meet.
This man was Prince Leonard George Casley of Hutt River, and his story is one of the most interesting I have ever heard…
In 1970, the Australian Government put a quota on wheat production, and Leonard Casley took offense to that. He and the other five families of Hutt River had a ton of wheat ready to harvest and now he was left with an unsellable crop.
Leonard took up a legal battle with the Governor of Western Australia, and when things heated up he flipped the script on the Australian Government by calling in the Commonwealth and pledging his allegiance to Queen Elizabeth (read all the details via Wikipedia).
The Principality of Hutt River, previously known as the Hutt River Province, is now considered a “micronation” in Australia. Although the Australian government doesn’t recognize their independence, the principality claims to be an independent sovereign state.
And as I mention in the video, no matter what the official regulations are or how eccentric the man may be, you can’t deny how clever he is. Even at the age of 91, we spent most of our time together talking about the equation he’s developing to value the energy force in every creature and object.
After some truly fascinating quality time with Prince Leonard, I said my goodbyes and made the long drive back to Geraldton, where I found a random farm-stay to spend the night.
It was here that I decided to go to the Aboriginal community (episode 7) instead of continuing north to Exmouth and Coral Bay.
Sometimes, having simple conversations and hearing authentic stories from local people means more to me than the most beautiful beaches and Instagram-worth scenery.
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