The Rise Of Australasia - Chapter 31

Chapter 31: Chapter 31: Shipyard Site Selection

Translator: 549690339

It was not until Arthur saw the estate with his own eyes that he understood that the small estate mentioned by Hunter Steward was not so small, even quite large.

Although it could not be compared with those large estates and palaces of the British Royal Family, it still occupied a full three hectares, or 30,000 square meters.

If this area was converted into housing according to future generations, a community built on 30,000 square meters could accommodate at least one thousand people, but here at Arthur’s, it was just a manor house for the four royal family members to live in.

The main body of the estate consisted of a living area, a garden, a small stream, a lawn, an orchard, fountains, and an artificial lake.

The total construction area of the estate was not very large, just under 3,000 square meters, with the pavilion and stable taking up more than 500 square meters.

The actual living area was less than 2,500 square meters, which was a small palace built in imitation of a British palace, in the shape of the letter H. The highest point of the house was in the middle, where the royal flag hung.

Although the estate was not large, this small, three-story palace had more than fifty rooms, including more than ten small rooms for servants and subordinates, and more than forty other rooms available for allocation.

Among these, the meeting room, dining room, reception room, broadcast room, office, and royal family bedrooms took up twenty spaces, with the remaining twenty rooms available for storing items and serving as guest

rooms.

The largest room in the mansion was the public conference room, with a total size of more than 300 square meters. A huge oval conference table could accommodate more than fifty people.

Around the oval conference table were small tables arranged in circles.

A total of four circles of tables could accommodate more than 300 officers for meetings, fully meeting the needs of Arthur living in the estate for House of Commons meetings, and even accommodating an expanded lower house in the future.

In the center of the innermost oval conference table was a raised, fifteen­centimeter oval step.

A podium would be placed on the step, right across from the top position of the conference table.

This podium was for the representatives to speak during the meetings, and the position facing the top also showed respect for Arthur.

After finally visiting the entire estate, it was already one o’clock at noon.

Even though Arthur and the others had had a luxurious breakfast before setting off, they began to feel hungry after a morning of sightseeing.

“Your Highness, I have already prepared lunch and cleaned up the dining room of the estate. Should we dine now?” Hunter Steward was considerate and asked just at the right time when Arthur started to feel hungry.

Arthur nodded his head and looked at Margaret and Patricia, who were also eagerly anticipating, and smiled, “Let’s have lunch first, as we must be starving after walking all morning.”

Unlike the makeshift rooftop of the administrative building, the estate had a total of five different dining rooms, including private dining rooms for the exclusive use of the royal family, as well as public dining rooms, banquet halls, and party halls.

The banquet hall was the most formal and elegantly decorated dining room, while the party hall was the largest dining room.

This time, Arthur and the others were heading to the private dining room on the west side of the third floor of the manor.

The decoration of the private dining room was entirely based on the preferences of the royal family members. Since Hunter Steward knew that Arthur disliked ostentation, the decoration of the private dining room was relatively simple, with a few oil paintings as the only adornment.

The lunch was an authentic British meal, although Britain was not known for its gourmet food.

The main course was sausage and mashed potatoes, topped with a bit of gravy for added flavor. The main dish was fish and chips, made by removing the fish bones and head, cutting the fish into strips, and frying them in a wet batter.

There was also a Wellington steak made from Italian beef, with a crispy, golden-brown exterior and a slightly bloody interior when cut open.

These dishes were some of the better-tasting British foods and were more acceptable to Arthur.

After finishing this rather lavish meal, Duchess Louise took Margaret and Patricia back to the Administrative Building.

They would still have to stay at the Administrative Building for a while before the estate was fully renovated.

As for Arthur, he stayed briefly and then went with Hunter Steward to the next location.

In a desolate area south of Sydney Harbour.

It was not far from Sydney Harbour, but due to the undeveloped land around it, it was still a desolate area for now.

It must be said that the vastness and sparseness of the Australian population are terrifying. This land is located in the southeastern plain of Australia, which is fertile.

However, due to the extremely small population of Australia, large areas of fertile land like this remained undeveloped.

After walking around the area and observing the terrain, Arthur finally nodded satisfactorily and asked Hunter Steward, “Hunter Steward, when can our shipyard be built?”

This place was actually the location chosen by Hunter Steward for the new shipyard, a relatively close area to the harbor.

The advantage of this location is its proximity to the harbor, making it convenient for the transportation of materials. Considering the overall terrain, it is an excellent place to build a shipyard.

“Your Highness, our equipment and staff have basically been shipped to Australia. All we need now is the time to build the factory and install the equipment. I estimate that it will not take long before our shipyard can be put into operation, perhaps within three or four months,” Hunter Steward replied.

This shipyard was one of the valuable assets left to Arthur by Duke Arthur, allowing the Australian shipbuilding industry, which had no shipbuilding capabilities, to take a significant step forward.

This shipyard could independently design and build small warships of up to five thousand tons and had participated in the manufacture of ten-thousand-ton- class heavy cruisers.

That is why Arthur insisted on relocating this shipyard intact to Australia. Having a shipyard with the ability to independently develop and produce small warships was an invaluable resource for Australia.

The same logic applied to the military factory and steel plant, which could bring a lot of knowledge and experience to Australia’s weak industrial base, as well as save many detours.

Thanks to Duke Arthur, Arthur was able to have these vital factories. Moreover, it was Duke Arthur who enabled him to transport these factories intact all the way to Australia.

Without these factories, Australia would have to spend at least ten years to master these technologies.