Many visit Whistler Blackcomb in Vancouver, perhaps the world’s premiere ski resort, but a great deal also strap on the skies and hit the powder at Sun Peaks Resort.

Sun Peaks, located in British Columbia’s Interior, is an excellent mountain, with great runs for beginner and advanced skiers and boarders.

With 881 meters of vertical and 3,768 acres of terrain, a visit to Sun Peaks, Canada’s third largest ski area, should be on any skier’s wish-list.

The resort boasts 122 runs, ranging from novice to expert, scattered over three mountains. The mountain is serviced by three high-speed quad chairlifts, two quad chairlifts, one triple chairlift and five surface lifts.

Nestled at the base of the mountain lies Sun Peaks Resort village, a hub of five-star hotels, condominiums and cosy restaurants and cafes.

Sun Peaks offers something for every skier and snowboarder. Beginners can try out the sport on the bunny hill, while expert skiers can tackle challenging double-black diamond runs at the top of the mountain.

Five Mile, the resort’s longest run, so named after its length, runs from near the top of the mountain to the village. A novice run, Five Mile can be enjoyed skiers of all levels, and is one of the resort’s most popular runs.

The resort has great mogul runs, and one of the mountain’s best is called the Head Walls, a challenging double black-diamond dominating one mountain-side.

From the top of the Head Walls, people can take in a view of British Columbia’s Interior, a breath-taking landscape of mountains, valleys and lakes.

Out of breath after a satisfying jaunt down Head Walls, people can make a pit-stop at the Sunburst Restaurant, located mid-mountain at the top of Sunburst Chair.

Guests can sip hot chocolate and eat Sun Peak’s famous cinnamon buns while watching people tackle runs on the mountain rising outside the restaurant.

If moguls are not your cup of tea, the mountain has endless groomed runs, many of them for intermediate skiers. There are also plenty of opportunities to get knee-deep in powder at Sun Peaks, which receives a healthy 559 cm of snow every year.

Ride the Burfield quad chairlift to the Top of the World, the resort’s highest point at 2,153 meters, and drop into the powder-laden Kookamungas run, weaving through trees as you glide through the white stuff.

Sun Peaks has plenty to offer other than great alpine terrain. Cross-country skiers can enjoy 40 kilometres of groomed and backcountry trails at the resort. The resort offers snowmobile tours and also maintains snowshoe trails. In the summer, Sun Peaks is a popular hiking area and an excellent place to mountain bike.

For its wide variety of terrain, great mountain village, array of winter and summer activities, Sun Peaks Resort is one of Canada’s best ski areas.

What: Sun Peaks Resort
Where: 45 minute drive from Kamloops B.C., a four-hour drive east from Vancouver
Cost: One day lift ticket: $71 CAD for adults; $57 CAD for youths; and $57 CAD for seniors.
How to get there: From Vancouver, drive four hours east on a two-lane highway; from Seattle, USA, fly with Horizon Air direct to Kamloops.
Interesting mountain facts: Sun Peaks is the training mountain for the Austrian National Ski Team. Nancy Green-Rein, Olympic gold medal winner in Giant Slalom in 1968 arguably Canada’s most famous skier, is Director of Skiing at Sun Peaks.
Contact info: Call 1-800-807-3257 or visit www.sunpeaksresort.com.

Where: Hutt River Province, Western Australia

Price: It’s free. You just need make your way 517 km. North of Perth, near the town of Geraldton.

When to go: All year around

Getting there: easily accessible by car or bus

“Welcome to Hutt River Province Principality. I’m His Royal Highness, Prince Leonard!”

I find myself standing face to face with an old man dressed in worn-out jeans and a baggy shirt. He’s short, 80 years old and his full name is actually His Royal Highness Prince Leonard George Casley. I quickly take a glance around trying to spot the prince’s extravagant castle where I picture the Royal family enjoying High Tea from silver cups while they watch the sun set over their kingdom, but all I see is a red brick house with a big tractor parked outside its entrance. “We’re not allowed inside His Royal Highness’s home,” the guide whispers in my ear as I start to make my way towards it. Instantly I feel a hint of disappointment and turn around to walk into the building labelled “Government Office” where Prince Leonard’s wife, Princess Shirley, awaits. “Everybody can get a valid stamp in their passport if they want,” says Prince Leonard with a smile, holding the stamp over his head. I soon realize this is nothing like any other place or country I’ve ever visited.

——————–

Hutt River Province is a large, isolated farming property located north of Perth in Western Australia, a state of Australia. Its independence was declared in 1970 in response to a long-running dispute with the government over what they saw as draconian wheat quotas. “The Western Australian government was intending to resume our land which was unlawful,” says Prince Leonard.

Western Australia was never proclaimed as British territory by Captain Stirling, as was required of him under his letter patent. This means Hutt River Province never was British proclaimed territory. Based on a unique interpretation of British and Australian constitutional laws, Prince Leonard was able to clear the secession and create a nation within a nation with its own constitution.Casley was elected administrator of the new “sovereign state” by his family and later styled himself His Royal Highness Prince Leonard of the Hutt. “A king rules with divine right, I rule at the wishes of my people,” says Prince Leonard, explaining why he’s a prince rather than a king.

——————–

I watch the prince and princess stamp one passport after another as newcomers gather around the office counter. I can’t believe I left my passport behind. I desperately search my purse to find something to get the stamp on. I’m almost blushing as I approach the counter with a crinkled receipt from my last grocery shopping trip: “Can you please stamp my paper for a souvenir?” Prince Leonard looks at me before he grabs a white bookmark from behind his desk. A big, blue-inked stamp is placed on the middle of it before he hands it to me with the kind of smile adults give children when they have given them chocolate other than on Saturdays. The kind of look they give kids when they know they’ve been extra nice. Then he goes on to the next person in line. “Ah, Japan!” he bursts out before he shines a blue light uncovering a pattern across the first page of the girl’s passport. Everybody quiets while Prince Leonard gives a lesson on how the special light reveals if the passport is real or not. Halfway through his talk, I get distracted when I discover the prince has his own currency that is for sale. The Hutt River dollar looks like colourful monopoly money with the prince’s head printed on it.

——————–

Hutt River Province even has its own economy, exporting wheat, wool, sheep and wildflowers to Australia. The wildflowers are exported to Perth, and from there distributed throughout the globe. Tourism is another important industry, and the prince notes they receive about 25,000 tourists every year. A regular day in the prince’s busy life consists of receiving tourists, attending to diplomatic mail and e-mails, and receiving diplomatic representatives. The principality also has facilities for campers wishing to spend the night at Hutt River.

Citizens of Hutt River Province don’t pay taxes to the Australian government. “Hutt River Province is an Independent International State, with its own tax laws, and Australian taxation only applies within Australian territorial limits and its citizens,” explains Prince Leonard.

Saying Hutt River is a farming property might make someone underestimate its size. In fact, Hutt River is bigger than several independent countries – including Monaco – and claims to have 13,000 passport holders across the world. However, Hutt River boasts a population of only about 20 people. By his side, Prince Leonard has his wife Princess Shirley and their seven children who are appointed princes and duchesses. “By the constitution the eldest son will take over after me,” explains Prince Leonard.

In 1988 Hutt River Province also established The Royal Hutt River Navy to uphold its sovreignty and security.

——————–

Prince Leonard opens up the door into an office where a massive flag is covers the wall. It’s the Hutt River Province flag. “A young American, Ronald Millard, designed it,” says the prince. “It includes a bull for rural background, eagle for freedom, scales of justice and Scottish thistle for independence.” I’ve always had an interest in flags and take a moment to admire it. When I turn back the prince has put on something that looks an awful lot like a royal cape. He takes out a shining sword from the case and suggests I take a picture with him. He takes my hand, shakes it and poses for the camera. “You know where the tradition of hand shaking comes from?” he asks me while the flash shines on our faces. “It was to check if your rivals were holding any weapons when they approached you back in the days,” he explains with a wise and content look on his face. When the picture session is over I leave the government building to walk over to the first thing that caught my eye when the bus had rolled onto the property; a gigantic statue featuring Prince Leonard’s head. The statue must be at least seven feet tall, and so big that when I try to hug it, all I grasp around is its left ear. I find it to be a decent replication—exactly how he would look if a magic wand suddenly turned him into stone. Satisfied with photographing the statue from all imaginable angles, I move on to Hutt River’s very own museum. On the walls Prince Leonard has pictures of himself, travelling the world and meeting up with other royalty.

——————–

Even though the Hutt River province has sized independence from Australia, Prince Leonard remains loyal to Queen Elizabeth II. “Through Queen Elizabeth’s Representatives at the time of Secession, we had very good response,” said Prince Leonard. Later the Queen’s representative has formally received myself, even for morning tea,” he goes on.

The Australian government currently identifies the principality as nothing more than a private enterprise operating under a business name. It’s known as what’s called a micronation, which is an entity that resembles independent nations but is not recognized publicly.

“The Citizens of Hutt River voted to be a principality,” says Prince Leonard. He explains the place carries better protection from outside forces when recognized as a principality and not a country. “Under the Imperial Treason Act, the prime minister has to be careful or he can be charged with treason if he acts against a de facto prince,” he says. “Our relationship with Australia is quite strained.” Matt Francis, spokesperson for the Australian embassy in Washington D.C., says Hutt River is not given any recognition. “It’s not perceived at all by the Australian government,” he says. “We consider it as part of Australia so it’s a pretty shut case in that sense.”

Hutt River Province is the first and oldest micronation in Australia, but several similar entities have been established since. “It’s commonly known that such micronations have tried to follow the [Hutt River] Principality,” explains Prince Leonard.

Despite the fact that both the State of Western Australia and the Australian Common Wealth keep ignoring the existence of Hutt River, passports issued by the principality have allegedly been used to cross international borders on various occasions.

———————

It’s time to return to the bus and get on the road again. I sit back in the seat and look out the window while I’m trying to absorb what I’ve just witnessed. Big hills and scenic landscape pass outside the window. The only thing disrupting the green flow of nature is the sign signalling the border crossing between Hutt River Province and Australia.

I feel a smile coming over my face as we leave the property of Australia’s first royal. This is the oddest and most fascinating place I’ve ever been to. I close my eyes while I remember Prince Leonard’s words: “Generally nothing is impossible!” Maybe fulfilling my childhood dream of becoming a princess isn’t such a far-fetched idea after all…

FACTS:

Place: Hutt River Province Principality

Type of entity: micronation

Location: Western Australia

Establishment: April 21,1970

Area: 75,11 square km

Population: 20 people

Leadership: His Royal Highness Prince Leonard I

Purported organisational structure: constitutional monarchy

Purported currency: HRP dollars

]]> http://worldbugs.wordpress.com/2009/01/18/a-self-proclaimed-kingdom/feed/ 0 World Bugs monkeymia-2908-0109-129 monkeymia-2908-0109-140 huttmoney http://worldbugs.wordpress.com/2008/12/31/hello-world/ http://worldbugs.wordpress.com/2008/12/31/hello-world/#comments Wed, 31 Dec 2008 15:16:44 +0000 worldbugs Continue reading →]]> Welcome to World Bugs, a website designed for anyone interested in traveling. Whether you’re an experienced or aspiring traveler, we hope you will find this site fun and useful. Though this site, we will broach travel-related topics. Drawing on our extensive travel experience, we will offer travel stories, tips and practical advice so you can get the most out of your dream trip.

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