THE GRAND tradition of separatism in rural Western Australia took another twist on Friday with a group of people storming the courthouse in the quiet wheatbelt town of York and attempting to declare independence from Australia.
The group, looking to launch a new sovereign nation they named New Westralia, live streamed a series of videos on Facebook as they kicked in the doors and then occupied the courthouse in York in the Avon Valley.
Three men and one woman were later apprehended and charged with a variety of offences including criminal damage, obstructing police and trespass.
The group ran up a new flag, replacing what they described in the videos as the 'satanic' Australian flag and read from a manifesto.
The new flag is virtually identical to the English flag.
On the New Westralia website the group proclaimed to be 'a constituted body for true allegiance, protection, prosperity, care and maintenance of peaceful society, and the depository for the proper administrative governance for the people native of the Dependencies of Western Australia'.
It also highlighted the group's Christian credentials.
"As a Christian nation New Westralia strives to be a world class destination for spiritual vitality, enlightenment, meditation, wonder and expression, on the great adventure of life," the website reads.
Western Australia's best known separatist was Prince Leonard of Hutt, who established the Hutt River Province near Northampton, north of Perth in 1970.
Although never officially recognised the province issued its own stamps, money and passports.
