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This is not about WW2 or the military or battles.

So basically, with a point of departure after 1929, is it possible for Darwin to become a major population (population of 1.5 million+), commercial and economic hub by today, in a similar style to Singapore?

Could a rail line (as proposed by MacArthur using American money, resources and manpower) built during the war from Mt Isa or Cloncurry help develop it, followed by a slightly different Clapp scheme in the late 1940s, might strengthen the inland connection, opening up the interior further and making Darwin less isolated?

The main issue would be that Darwin would need new port facilities at some point in the 1930s or 1940s at least to get this done as a sort of initial stimulus, as although its a great harbour, the pier and other facilities was shit.

Would there be a large immigrant population in the post war years or mostly intra-state migration? What could the city look like today with a much larger population? What would the political landscape look like in Australia?

Thoughts?
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