Bullion
The Hutt River Province, later known as The Principality of Hutt River, was an unrecognized micronation in Australia, proclaimed on 21 April 1970 when farmer Leonard Casley declared his farm to be a sovereign state, the “Hutt River Province”. He claimed to have seceded from Australia, which occurred during his dispute with the authorities concerning wheat production quotas. A few years later, Casley began styling himself as “Prince Leonard” and granting family members royal titles, although he did not include the word “principality” in the official name until 2006. In 2017, Casley’s claim to rulership was taken over by his son Graeme, who dropped the claim to sovereignty on 3 August 2020.
The claimed territory was located 517 km north of Perth, near the town of Northampton in the state of Western Australia. It had an area of 75 square km, making it larger than several recognized countries. It was not recognised as a country by the Australian Government nor any other national government, and the High Court of Australia and Supreme Court of Western Australia rejected submissions arguing that it was not subject to Australian laws.
The “principality” was a regional tourist attraction until it announced it was closed to tourists after 31 January 2020. It issued its own currency, stamps and passports (which are not recognised by the Australian government or any other government).
Leonard Casley died on 13 February 2019.
