History of Braebrook

Little Scotland

It is no surprise that a special place like Braebrook as quite a curious history. It originated as one of the oldest diary farms in the area, but owners soon realised the idyllic setting could make it a desirable destination for European settlers, that plans for an independent Principality were drawn up.

The Principality of Little Scotland was an Australian micronation created in 1977 by Lindsay (Fergus) Munro and his wife Lilian Munro, previous owners of this house and land on Battys Road, Kangaroo Valley.

According to documents in the National Archives of Australia, the Munros travelled to Switzerland in 1978 in order to promote an investment scheme linked to the development of Little Scotland as a luxury health spa and eco-tourism destination.

An advertisement promoting “A new Principality in Australia” featuring photographs of Kangaroo Valley was placed in the Neue Zürcher Zeitung, and a typewritten two-page business plan outlined Lindsay Munro’s ambitious intentions for his principality; these included the construction of a “large castle, containing a restaurant, wedding and convention rooms” an entrance gate based on the design of the historic Hampden Bridge, luxury holiday apartments, caravan and camping facilities, hiking trails, paved roadways and a spring water bottling plant. The document also outlined plans for the commercial production and sale of passports, stamps, currency, calendars and other “tastefully designed” souvenirs.

The Munros’ plans and travels in Switzerland and northern Italy appear to have been facilitated by their “European Liaison Office” headed by one Kuno J Buff, whose address is given as Holzmoosrueti 13, Waedenswil, Switzerland.

Australian authorities acted to stymie the project by discouraging Neue Zürcher Zeitung from publishing any news stories about the Munros, or from suggesting to their readers that a “new principality” existed in Australia. Little Scotland was destined to remain part of Australia

Today this retreat is called Braebrook, an echo of the property’s ‘Scottish’ heritage and loosely meaning ‘stream on a hillside’. There are no plans to build a castle but the property remains a special place to relax, enjoy and dream.