DAY 91 – A VISIT TO THE PRINCIPALITY OF HUTT RIVER….
Back on the
road again today as we head further south down the Western Australian
coastline.
Eagle Bluf |
Ian, Kathy,
Steve and I decided that we would like divert off the road and drive the 4kms
in on the dirt road to check out Eagle Bluff.
John and Barb weren’t too keen, but as they needed fuel, decided to head
for the Billabong Roadhouse and we would meet them there.
I am so
pleased that we decided to check out Eagle Bluff. The views were spectacular, with coastal
views in every direction you looked.
Even looking back towards the land, there were views of another amazing
turquoise lagoon.
The bluff
wasn’t a solid rock face like others we had seen, it was more like a broken
sandstone rock that was sloping like a sand dune. It overlooked beds of sea grass and two small
islands that were home to nesting cormorants. The water below was crystal clear
and you could see right to the bottom.
From this height, you were able to see all sorts of sea creatures below,
including the turtles, dugongs, dolphins, and several different kinds of
sharks.
We walked
the 200m long boardwalk right along the cliff edge enjoying the spectacular
views and trying to search for the sharks and dugongs. Even the return walk along the dirt track
offered spectacular views of the bay on the southwestern side of the point.
We left here
to drive the 120kms back to the main highway (Overlander Roadhouse). We had a quick pit stop here before
continuing another 50 kms to meet up with John and Barb at the Billabong
Roadhouse.
By the time
we arrived there, John and Barb had already booked us in to the Principality of
the Hutt River for the night and had had their coffee and scones, but as it was
almost lunch time, the rest of us decided to have a bite to eat as well,
although we chose toasted sandwiches and hot chocolates.
We probably
spent a good hour or more here as we tried to sort out our accommodation for
the next couple of days that we wanted to spend at Kalbarri. We had a difficult time finding somewhere to
stay, as every caravan park and homestead we had rung was booked out until at
least the following Thursday. In the
end, Steve rang the Information Centre at Kalbarri and they gave us the name of
a van park at Wagoe which is about 20kms south of Kalbarri and they were able
to fit us in on unpowered sites for $25 per night, so we are booked there for a couple of nights
after we leave the Hutt Province.
Our destination
today was a visit to the Principality of Hutt River. This province is comparable in size to Hong
Kong. It is a independent sovereign
state which seceded from Australia on April 21 in 1970. This was over an argument with the state
government over wheat quotas. It now has its own government and policies with
tourists being warmly welcomed. The province has it’s own currency, stamps, a
crazy religion and is exempt from Australian tax laws.
In saying this though it is now more of a
quirky tourist endeavour but Prince Leonard, even in his 90’s seems to take it
all seriously. He has some very odd
theories on religion and mathematics and has interwoven them together to come
up with numbers and formulas for the Big Bang, life and everything. The Province is open to visitors from 9am to 4pm daily and
has a caravan park, which you can stay at for $5 per person per night which is
really good value considering that they have flushing toilets and a hot shower
as well as a camp kitchen shelter (which did need a bit of cleaning up, but at
least provided a sheltered place to eat away from the wind. Not only that, there was even access to a
free washing machine. What a bargain! The down side was that there were a LOT
of flies here. Out came the fly nets that we'd put away after leaving the
Centre of Australia. Also there was a nearby swamp that was home to some very
noisy frogs who serenaded us all night.
Prince Leonard’s principality has been developed with tourists in mind and the administration building contains a government office, a post office and a charming interdenominational chapel. You can even have your passport stamped here or pay $4 to get your own signed visa.
Masses of wild flowers out alongside the road |
The drive to
Hutt River was one of the prettiest drives yet. We were entranced with the
beautiful scenery and the abundant wildflowers along the way, especially as we
drew closer to Hutt River. The dirt road into the Principality itself is very
well-maintained. No corrugations and barely any dust. We had booked to stay one
night on the property and when we arrived mid-afternoon we had the whole site
to ourselves. Later two more vehicles arrived containing foreign back packers,
no doubt happy like we were to be paying only $5 per head to stay there.
Our arrival at the Hutt River Province |
Government Offices and Post Office |
As it was
mid afternoon when we arrive, we figured that by the time we got set up, there
would be very little time to have a decent look around, so decided to just
chill out for the afternoon and then head back up to the main area in the
morning to go exploring.
Setting up at the Hutt River Province |
We enjoyed cheese,
crackers, and a cool drink under the shade of the large trees growing in the
camping area, and then had a rest before setting up in the sheltered camp
kitchen where we enjoyed dinner all together.
We enjoyed a feed of Steve’s freshly caught fish (salmon and flathead).
Camp Kitchen needed a tidy when we got there. |
There was plenty of water for us to use... |
We really enjoyed our evening here. We were
joined in the camp kitchen by the two girls in a Subaru. A Dutch and a German
who'd met while working on a horse farm in NSW and decided to travel around
Australia together. Steve helped to repair their old gas camp stove and John
loaned them our butane gas stove to cook their meal, and we had a lovely chat
with them afterwards while we all ate our meals.
Sitting in
there was a welcome break to shelter from the cold winds that have been
battering the Western Australian coastline these past couple of weeks.
The cold
weather sends usually sends us back to the warmth of our vans quite early, so
it was nice to sit and chat for a little longer last night and it was after
8.30pm before we returned to our van. As
we have no power here at the Hutt Provence, we were in bed by 10pm.
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