I've Arrived, Australia!

On April 2, 1900, after a brief three-day rest, the fleet set sail again, this time bound for Arthur's final destination: Australia.

Speaking of Australia, up to this point, "Australia" was merely a regional designation. The actual Australia was composed of six colonies: Western Australia, South Australia, Queensland, Victoria, New South Wales, and Tasmania.

Although the Australian continent, where these six colonies were situated, was a unified region with a shared culture, Britain's historical colonial issues and policies had led to the division of the entire Australian landmass into six separate colonies, each with its own government and no interference in the affairs of the others.

Since modern times, the Australian colonies had faced common issues, including tariffs, transportation, postal services, defense, and immigration restrictions on Asians. These problems forced the six colonies to consider convening a colonial conference to discuss unified standards.

In November 1880, the Melbourne Colonial Conference agreed to establish a Federal Council, with New South Wales, the largest and most developed colony, tasked with drafting the Federal Council Bill. This was a sign of Australia's unification and integration.

The Federal Council was established in 1883, and a year later, the colonies began requesting the British government's support for the Federal Council's legislation.

In 1891, Australia's first political party, the Labour Party, was founded. The development of the union movement broke down the long-standing boundaries between the colonies, and calls for free trade and unification among the colonies grew louder.

In 1893, the Federal Council convened the Federal Alliance Representative Conference in Corowa, urging and recommending that the colonies take steps to prepare for the establishment of a federation.

By 1898, the Australian Federal Council had even begun preparing for a referendum on the establishment of the federation. However, due to the lack of uniform order among the colonies, the progress of the referendum was not significant.

It was only recently, when Queen Victoria announced that Australia would become Arthur's new territory and decided to unify the six colonies into a single Australian Duchy, that the calls for unification among the colonies began to subside, replaced by anticipation for the new Australian Duchy.

On April 27th, after more than half a month at sea, the fleet arrived in Sydney, the capital of New South Wales.

New South Wales was Britain's earliest colony in Australia and was currently the most populous and economically developed Australian colony.

During the process of Australian federalization, New South Wales held the most influence and was responsible for drafting the Federal Council Bill.

Given the situation in Australia, controlling New South Wales essentially meant controlling the overall situation in Australia.

Sydney's port was already crowded with a welcoming throng. At the forefront of the crowd stood the Prime Ministers and officials from each colony, forming a dense, lively line.

Beside the welcoming crowd, a contingent of soldiers stood in anticipation. They belonged to the armies of their respective colonies and directly answered to the Ministry of Defence and Queen Victoria.

As the fleet slowly docked, the welcoming crowd erupted in fervent cheers. Following the sound of ceremonial music, Arthur, supporting Queen Victoria, slowly stepped onto Australian soil.

"Long live Her Majesty the Queen! Long live His Highness the Duke!" the onlookers spontaneously cheered, loudly welcoming the arrival of the two rulers.

Unlike at the Suez Canal and in India, Queen Victoria did not step forward. Instead, she gestured for Arthur to do so.

Arthur immediately understood, stepped forward lightly, looked up at the excited crowd, and finally stood before the six Prime Ministers.

"Your Highness, welcome home!" the six Prime Ministers said in unison.

Arthur was taken aback, then realized. Australia was now his sole territory, and Arthur's future home would be in Australia.

Barring any special circumstances, he would essentially not be returning to Britain.

"You must be the Prime Ministers of the respective colonies, right? How has Australia been doing lately?" Arthur asked with a smile.

"Yes, Your Highness. Please allow me to introduce the Prime Ministers of the colonies." The man at the head of the line replied with a smile, a hint of flattery in his tone.

"Mm," Arthur gestured for him to continue.

"Your Highness, I am Evan H. Parks, the Prime Minister of New South Wales," the man continued. "These gentlemen are Walter Bligh, Prime Minister of Victoria; Andrew King Porter, Prime Minister of Queensland; Richard Noble Chapman, Prime Minister of Tasmania; Pierre Silvio Berlusconi, Prime Minister of Western Australia; and Thomas Czech, Prime Minister of South Australia. Upon hearing of your arrival, they immediately rushed from their respective regions to be the first to welcome you and Her Majesty the Queen."

"Mm, did you also call these people here?" Arthur asked curiously, looking at the excited crowd around them.

"No, Your Highness. You may not be aware, but the division of Australia into six colonies is no longer suitable for the current situation. The differing systems among the colonies make trade and communication extremely difficult, causing significant trouble for both the colonies and their residents. People have been anticipating the federalization of Australia for a long time, and it is precisely because of you that Australia has the opportunity to unify. Thank you, Your Highness!" Prime Minister Evan H. Parks said, bowing again to Arthur with a touch of gratitude.

"It's nothing, Prime Minister Evan. I am now also a part of Australia. Isn't it the duty of all Australians to maintain Australia's unity?" Arthur smiled and helped Prime Minister Evan to his feet.

"Alright, Prime Minister Evan, please escort His Majesty and me to rest. The long sea voyage has been quite tiring. Also, please let these people return to their work and lives; they shouldn't be delayed by welcoming me," Arthur said with a smile.

"Yes, Your Highness, please follow me. I have had the highest floor of the government building prepared. The conditions are not ideal, but it is the best we can offer you and Her Majesty for the time being," Prime Minister Evan explained apologetically to Arthur and Queen Victoria as he led the way.

Before the establishment of a federal government in Australia, the Australian economy primarily relied on the sale of minerals, agriculture, and fisheries. While this improved the situation from the early colonial days when food had to be imported from Britain, it only managed to provide bare subsistence.

Furthermore, the lack of inter-colonial connectivity meant that Australia's overall economy was not developed, its industry was very backward, and the finances of each colony were extremely tight.

Although New South Wales, the wealthiest colony, was in a slightly better position, the idea of building a palace befitting Arthur and Queen Victoria was merely wishful thinking.

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