What should be the first thing to buy for the place?

I'd like to suggest an Airship should be the first thing the Clean Slate Society should buy. A small one with a lift of 10mt should do. It would be able to serve as a conferencing area, transportation for members from they're country to the project site, somewhere for the government to be based, and a temporary base during the initial stages of construction. Similar to AirForce One. It wouldn't (shouldn't) cost too much.

Another (related) idea would be to just build the entire place as a floating City.

I think you've been reading too much of Marshall Savage's book "The Millennial Project". It is an interesting book, mind you.

Reading to much of that book you mentioned would be impossible for me to do, as this is only the second time I've heard of it (the first time was randomly skimming through wikipedia.)

Yhello? Anybody there?

And any other ideas?

The more I look at it, the idea of a Libertarian Ocean Colony might be the way to go to start off. What if it was situated along the coast near where we wanted to build the city-state?

that seems like a good idea. I don't know what the logistics are, though.

I would imagine it would be quite simpler than purchasing land from Australia

well, that's why my suggested locations are generally in 2nd or 3rd world countries.

With the current state of many countries due to the economic situation, I wonder if purchasing an island or chain of islands from a 3rd world country would be more realistic. I am thinking Vanuatu due to its very safe location, tidal-wive and hurricane wise.

Plus attracting immigrants/investors might be easier in a "picturesque tropical" setting.

I would agree, except I don't think we could buy the whole country. Perhaps the island of Manus in Papua new guinea. I think we might be able to buy it. The land area is 2100 km^2.

I didn't mean to suggest buying the whole country, my apologies.

My only hesitation with Manus would be disrupting the indigenous population too much. Are there any islands that are deserted but large enough for us to at least have some space to work with?

I wouldn't know, I've never even been within 3,000 miles of the phillipines. I'll keep looking, though.

Vanatinai? It's an island in the Milne Bay province of Papua New Guinea. Its population was 2300 in 1978, and that there are no newer figures available I find highly suggestive. The area of the island is 865 km^2, equal to a little more than the New York City metropolitan area.

That sounds more like it.

How much would it cost? A ship would be needed to reach it anyway (until an Airstrip is made) so why not an Airship? Hybrid, definately.

A Libertarian Ocean Colony sounds like a good idea. I suggest starting with one, then adding more and more till it's built up. A city, as it is now, is not a very good template. It takes a village to raise a child, not a government.

Once a suitable location is decided on, a small area maybe no more than several hundred acres would be purchased with sale contracts on several hundred square miles in the surrounding area agreed upon for future expansion.

I would imagine the founding population of the city would be perhaps 10-20 individuals. They would be pioneers, so to speak, refining our governmental model and energy systems.

Once a basic infrastructure, design plan, and development practices are established, expansion would be next in the equation.

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would imagine the founding population of the city would be perhaps 10-20 individuals.

That's more than the society has at the moment! But I can recruit another 10, probably. Can you?