The Rise Of Australasia

Chapter 962: Chapter 719: The Lake Eyre Canal Project

In the following period, the biggest news within the United States was likely to be the establishment of new nations.

After handing over the matters of the two Kingdoms to the government, Arthur once again found himself with free time.

As time entered 1929, there were significant shifts in the global situation.

There should be a brief period of stability for now, and Arthur’s attention turned to construction amidst the economic crisis.

Indeed, although Australasia was not too severely affected by the economic crisis, the construction during the economic downturn could not stop.

Only by continuously initiating large-scale construction projects could more Caucasian immigrants be attracted from Europe and the Americas, filling the population of Australasia.

Of course, with a population already exceeding 36 million, Australasia’s need for more people was not as pressing as before.

The impact was that the Immigration Department became more stringent in screening immigrants, with the inspection period extending from three months to six months, and even from six months to one year.

This also meant that even the most exemplary immigrants had to wait at least six months before they could gain Australasian nationality.

Those who failed to pass the screening or inspection period would be forcibly repatriated and barred from applying for immigration for three years.

This was to prevent other countries from sending large numbers of intelligence operatives to Australasia.

Although the world seemed peaceful on the surface, the clandestine struggle between spies and intelligence agencies was intense.

Every year, the Australasian Intelligence Department would capture and screen at least several hundred intelligence operatives, with the best outcome for them being repatriation and a permanent ban from entering Australasia.

As for those caught in the act of espionage, they were typically executed on the spot by intelligence agencies.

This was tacitly consented to by all nations, as discovered intelligence personnel could only submit to the disposal of others.

Under the condition of not openly admitting to sending intelligence operatives, sacrificing the interests of intelligence personnel to protect the prestige of the nation was the best outcome.

With the war over, several construction projects Arthur had decided on could finally begin.

In fact, since the start of the economic crisis, Australasia had initiated several large-scale construction projects, with significant progress.

And the grand projects that Arthur now spoke of were naturally even more vast than those before.

The first project to be confirmed was the plan to build a canal connecting Lake Eyre to the ocean.

To be honest, even Arthur had to make a prolonged decision to start this canal plan, and he was not sure if the Lake Eyre canal project would be ultimately successful.

After all, even in later generations, there was no precedent for a grand canal like Lake Eyre’s that connects an inland lake to the ocean. No one knew whether such a canal could be a success.

The canal’s primary functions were to save travel time and promote shipping and maritime transport, among other things.

But the purpose of the Lake Eyre canal was more about allowing the lake to be filled with water, irrigating and moistening the entire Great Basin.

The benefit of doing this had a high probability of revitalizing the Great Basin, giving Australasia a vast green basin of millions of square kilometers.

As long as the canal project succeeded, the entire Eastern region of Australia would become suitable for habitation, and the population capacity of Australia alone could increase to between 200 and 300 million people.

Of course, such a colossal canal project was bound to undergo a lengthy investigation before it got underway.

Long before the economic crisis broke out, the Cabinet Government had considered the construction plan of the Lake Eyre canal.

But such an enormous project had to be green-lit by Arthur himself, as no one else could bear the consequences if the project failed.

After careful consideration, Arthur decided to commence the construction of the Lake Eyre canal project.

Leveraging his high prestige, even if the canal’s construction did not yield significant results later on, it would not lead to public discontent.

If it had been promoted by the government instead, it might be fine if the results were good. However, if it proved ineffective, the people might demand Parliament to dismiss the government on the pretext of wasting manpower and resources.

Apart from the potential activation of the entire Great Basin, another reason propelling Arthur to pursue the Lake Eyre canal project was the unique nature of Lake Eyre.

One could tell from the topographic map that Lake Eyre canal was certainly the heart of the plains in the Central part of the Australian region, and an essential source of water for the entire Great Basin.

This inland lake, known as the ‘dead heart,’ was in fact not entirely deceased.

According to records on Lake Eyre, its waters flourish roughly every 100 years, about three to four times.

Indeed, it’s the once-in-over-20-years water level rise in Lake Eyre that prevents the environment around the lake from becoming too devastated.

Especially 100 years ago, the Great Basin had not completely dried up, and the surroundings of Lake Eyre had not fully become a desert yet.

Another important reason is that Lake Eyre itself is a salt lake, so there is no need to worry about seawater flowing in and affecting the environment around Lake Eyre.

Seawater cannot actually nourish the land because the salt content in seawater is too high, and it can even affect the growth of plants.

However, the environment of Lake Eyre is quite special, even the salinity of Lake Eyre’s water is much higher than that of seawater.

Even such high salinity has not affected the growth of plants, which is why Arthur is optimistic about Lake Eyre regaining its vitality after the canal connects it to the seawater.

So, the question arises, why is a lake near the edge of the Great Basin considered the heart of the entire basin?

The real reason Lake Eyre was able to form is because many rivers flow into it.

But due to the many desert areas in Western Australia, the evaporation rate of Lake Eyre far exceeds that of other inland lakes.

Some rivers don’t even make it to Lake Eyre before their water is evaporated away en route.

If Lake Eyre could have abundant water all year round, the high temperatures would rapidly evaporate the water and then turn this water vapor into the much-needed rainfall for the entire Great Basin, replenishing the excessively lost water resources of the basin.

There are two main monsoon wind directions in the Australian Region: the southeast wind that prevails in winter and the northwest wind that prevails in summer.

Considering the geographic location of Lake Eyre, if the lake were to be filled with seawater, it could even benefit the Southeastern Australia region, and would ensure that the Mure River Basin, which the government is currently heavily developing, does not lack water resources.

With so many benefits, some risks and downsides could certainly be borne.

Under Arthur’s command, on January 21, 1929, the Lake Eyre Canal plan was officially announced.

The entire canal project will be divided into three sections: the Northern Canal, which is ten kilometers long and connects North Lake El to South Lake El, the Central Canal, which connects South Lake El to Lake Torrens, and the Southern Canal, which connects Lake Torrens to Spencer Gulf.

Among these, the Northern Canal is the shortest, with an estimated length of about 9 to 10 kilometers. The Central Canal will be the longest, with an estimated length of 70 to 75 kilometers. The Southern Canal falls in between, with an estimated length of 60 to 65 kilometers.

The total length of canal sections to be excavated is less than 150 kilometers, longer than Germany’s Kiel Canal but considerably shorter than the Suez Canal that connects the Mediterranean Sea to the Indian Ocean.

Since the terrain of Lake Eyre is lower than the sea level, it means that the construction of the canal should be straightforward. Once the canal is constructed, no other auxiliary facilities will be needed; seawater will naturally flow into Lake Eyre.

Having determined the estimated length of the canal, the next step was to determine its width.

Although the canal will open to shipping after completion, its main purpose will be to transport the mineral resources of the central region.

This means that Lake Eyre Canal does not need to cater to high shipping demands, and thus, its width and depth do not need to be as vast as those of the Suez Canal.

After thorough surveying and design by the geographical survey departments, the construction of the entire Lake Eyre Canal will mostly reference Germany’s Kiel Canal.

This means that the width of Lake Eyre Canal (the bottom width) will be maintained at 44 meters, with a depth of 11 meters, allowing vessels up to 35,000 tons to navigate.

According to estimates from various departments, the entire canal is expected to cost 270 million Australian dollars and will take at least eight years to construct.

This is also why the Cabinet Government was hesitant to promote the canal construction plan because no one can guarantee they will still be sitting in the Cabinet in eight years. This act of taking risks for oneself but providing benefits for others is not something a qualified politician should promote.

Of course, for Arthur, it doesn’t matter. After all, the one sitting on the throne, if not Arthur, then Arthur’s son, will always be the royal family, who will bear the success or take responsibility for failure.

The 270 million Australian dollars is just a preliminary estimate; the actual cost will only be known after the construction of the canal begins.

While the government can afford this amount, it certainly wouldn’t place all its funds on the canal project.

After consideration, the government decided to issue canal bonds to raise a portion of the funds needed from the civilian population to kickstart the construction of the canal.

At the same time, the government planned to divide the entire canal project into various segments of different sizes, aiming to tender them externally.

The issuance of canal bonds began at the end of January and was expected to last one month, raising whatever amount of funds it could during this period.

But the fundraising far exceeded Arthur’s expectations, almost 200 million Australian dollars were raised in a month.

This meant that, within that month, most of the funds required for the construction of the canal were already gathered.

Although the bonds will have to be repaid later, the money for repayment could be deducted from the tolls charged for navigating the canal.

Most of the vessels going through the canal in the future will be factory freight ships, and each passage’s toll is not a small figure.

It is believed that even if the Lake Eyre Canal does not become as exceedingly busy a traffic route as Germany’s Kiel Canal, it can still serve as a conduit connecting central and southern Australia, transporting more minerals to the more developed southern regions. There, they would be turned into industrial products and exported to other countries.