The Lucky Country: Protect and Survive in Australia

Canadian Dragon

Cockroach said:
Note that while Sydney has been hit it's outer suburbs aren't that badly effected... so there's every chance that once public order is sorted, the capital stays in Sydney but just migrates to the surviving part of the city. Alternatively Newcastle is the next largest city in NSW, and going by the current version of the target list has survived, making it the likely successor if Sydney is deemed to be beyond salvage.
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sprite said:
Parramatta is probably going to be the centre of government in NSW for a while. The Sydney basin is still where the bulk of the NSW population is. It has access to Sydney Harbour and the ocean. It is has plenty office space and is on a dense rail network. Also, Parramatta served as capital until 1846.
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Good point. Sydney's so spread out that even a 1-Mt hit on the CBD won't entirely destroy the whole place. Just like Toronto (or any really big city for that matter). As long as that hit was an airburst, which it was, fallout would have been a non-issue anyway. As for Perth, whose CBD was destroyed a 200-kt airburst, maybe the State capital could be set up in Joondalup or any other intact suburb like Rockingham or Armadale in the same context.

Interesting that I didn't know that Parramatta was the colonial capital of NSW. My dad was born there, BTW.
 
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Weaver

If the Canberra warhead was an airburst there wouldn't be any crater to see.

Just saying....great timeline.
 

PimpLenin

Banned
10 March 1984 - 1:15 pm
RAAF Wagga
Forest Hill, NSW

Prime Minister Bob Hawke stood outside the building serving as his office, watching soldiers load boxes of documents and office equipment onto trucks headed for Melbourne. Standing alongside him was Lionel Bowen, the Deputy Prime Minister.

“Bob, I got off the phone a little while ago with the Queensland Premier.”

The Prime Minister rolled his eyes.

“Christ. What in the bloody hell did he want?”

“He wants to know when are you coming to Brisbane. Apparently he is saying that you only care about Sydney and have ignored the other places that got bombed.”

Bob Hawke’s face started to turn a light shade of red.

“That’s bullshit! Every city have been allocated all of the resources they need!”

“I know, Bob, I know. Just settle down, mate. What Joh said gave me an idea.”

“Like what?”

“Bob, at times like these the people want to see their leader. You’re very popular right now. Maybe you should go on a national tour and visit the bombed areas.”

The Prime Minister rubbed is chin for a moment as he thought about it.

“Going on a national tour…..wouldn’t I be accused of wasting resources?”

Lionel Bowen shrugged his shoulders.

“Morale is important. The people was to see you. Doing something like this could build up so much political capital that Parliament would rubber stamp everything we’ve done so far.”

The Prime Minister was still not convinced, and Bowen could see it in Hawke’s face.

“Look Bob, it’s perfect. You visit Brisbane, Cairns, and Townsville, and then Katherine and Alice Springs. After that, you head over to Bunbury in Western Australia, Adelaide, Hobart, and then wrap the tour up in Melbourne just before Parliament goes into session.”

“What about the move to Melbourne?”

Bowen put his hand on Hawke’s shoulders.

“No worries, mate. We can handle that. You need to go out and rally the people.”

Prime Minister Hawke took a few more moments to think it over. Finally, he turned around and smiled at Bowen.

“I’ll do it.”
 
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Thunderbolt

Townsend, just near Maclean, looks like a very nice place! ;)

I was going to ask as to what was going on up in Queensland - Joh would be feeding the chooks with even more gusto than usual, I suspect, what with the Reds peppering two of his cities with nukes.

If I can inquire, what happened to the following identities ITL:

- A certain MP for Bennelong - John Howard
- A certain 26-year old former Rhodes Scholar who has just entered St Patrick's Seminary in Manly - Tony Abbott
- A certain diplomat who is posted to either Stockholm or Beijing (details on where he was specifically in 1984 are a little sketchy at first glance) - Kevin Rudd
- A certain owner of Channel Nine - Kerry Packer

I'm sure there are hundreds of other prominent people of ITL or OTL who perished, but I've temporarily drawn a mental blank on specifically who else to ask about!
 

PimpLenin

Banned
Canadian Dragon said:
^ Townsend? Surely you must mean Townsville?
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D'oh! Fixed it. Thanks!

Thunderbolt said:
If I can inquire, what happened to the following identities ITL:

- A certain MP for Bennelong - John Howard
- A certain 26-year old former Rhodes Scholar who has just entered St Patrick's Seminary in Manly - Tony Abbott
- A certain diplomat who is posted to either Stockholm or Beijing (details on where he was specifically in 1984 are a little sketchy at first glance) - Kevin Rudd
- A certain owner of Channel Nine - Kerry Packer

I'm sure there are hundreds of other prominent people of ITL or OTL who perished, but I've temporarily drawn a mental blank on specifically who else to ask about!
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Howard is part of the shadow ministry and evacuated with the rest of them, and therefore is alive. If Abbott's family is still in Chatswood, they may be in trouble. If he stayed at Manly he is toast. Nose picker is as dead as disco if he stayed in China. If he is in Sweden, he will be calling it home for awhile I imagine. Now I hate hearing about the Packer drama all of the time, so they are all neutrons in the upper atmosphere.

As far as prominent people, one will be showing up on April 3 whom you may be glad to see survive.
 
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dropbearabroad

Couldn't they make some use of Russ Hinze and lower him into the Townsville crater to plug it up?

Far more importantly than the fate of some pollies, the cricketers were touring the Carribean at this time; is Alan Border okay? If Kim Hughes got nuked the country would have survived, not sure though if AB was a casualty.
 
stafford1069

stafford1069

Defence Council

The inner Soviet "Cabinet" that made ALL the critical decisions was called the Defence Council. It would not share or cede such power to the wider Politburo (Political Bureau).


It was composed of

General Secretary CPSU
Assistant to the Gen. Sec. CPSU
STAVKA (Head of Red Army)
Head of KGB
Head of CPSU

All had voting rights and being odd numbered would always produce a majority for a decision.
 

dropbearabroad

Thank you stafford1069. I was trying to remember the name of "Defence Council". From what I remember it was structured that way so that the Party usually retained final control of the big decisions and would limit the risk of either an army strongman or KGB spymaster usurping authority.
 

Cockroach

dropbearabroad said:
Far more importantly than the fate of some pollies, the cricketers were touring the Carribean at this time; is Alan Border okay? If Kim Hughes got nuked the country would have survived, not sure though if AB was a casualty.
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Given the nuclear exchange didn't happen out of the blue I suspect the tour was cancelled and the Australian cricket team was back home... it'd come down to where the individual players were when the bombs hit.
 

PimpLenin

Banned
The following is an excerpt from the journal of Captain Joseph Freeman, RAN:

17 March 1984, HMAS Canberra

As we anchored off of the coast of San Diego, we immediately began radio transmissions in an attempt to contact anyone in the area. No one in the San Diego area could be reached. The only response received came from a civilian in Mexicali, Mexico. A reconnaissance flight by one of our Sea King helicopters reported wide-spread destruction across San Diego, including the airport, bay, and local naval facilities. No survivors were seen. The Canberra, Sydney, and Supply will raise anchor in the morning and proceed to Los Angeles.
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ABC1_zps79c1e7d0.jpg


18 March 1984 - 7:00 pm

Here is the news from the ABC.

Prime Minister Bob Hawke wrapped up a four-day visit to Queensland today as he departed for Katherine in the Northern Territory. In Brisbane, the Prime Minister met with Queensland Premier Joh Bjelke-Petersen and cabinet ministers before visiting the refugee centre at RAAF Amberley. He later surveyed the damage done to Townsville and Cairns by air. This afternoon, before departing from Brisbane, Mr. Hawke as this to say:

SOUNDBITE OF PRIME MINISTER BOB HAWKE:
“I want the people of Queensland to know that they have not been forgotten. We are working on getting the nation mobilised and will muster every resource available to rebuild Cairns and Townsville. Australia is here for you.”
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Also part of the Prime Minister's visit, a special group of entertainers, including Slim Dusty, John Farnham, and Russell Morris, visited various refugee camps and conducted performances. Forming what is officially being called the Recreation Division of the Civilian Volunteer Force, the group, including Sir Don Bradman, will be travelling with the Prime Minister on his tour around Australia.

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The following is an excerpt from the journal of Captain Martin Stanford, RAN:

19 March 1984, HMAS Sydney

Our vessel, along with the HMAS Canberra and HMAS Supply, anchored about ten kilometres off of the coast of Los Angeles, California. As previously done, we attempted radio contact but received no response. Reconnaissance flights from two of our Sea King helicopters determined that all port facilities were unusable and that destruction of the greater Los Angeles area was near-total. No signs of survivors in these areas. After consultation with Captain Freeman of the Canberra, it was decided to raise anchor and move northward along the California coast to Port Hueneme.
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PimpLenin

Banned
All right gang, I'm going to be taking a break over the weekend. I've been conned into taking the kids to the Gulf Coast. I hate the beach but you gotta do what you gotta do. It is nothing like the beautiful beaches of Australia, I can assure you of that. I'll check in but probably no updates until Monday.
 

Fred the Great

A random thought, but this is Australia. If you want to raise morale, you don't send a politician on a national tour. Send Don Bradman, John Farnham, and AC/DC.
 

PimpLenin

Banned
Fred the Great said:
A random thought, but this is Australia. If you want to raise morale, you don't send a politician on a national tour. Send Don Bradman, John Farnham, and AC/DC.
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Hmmm...interesting thought. Maybe Slim Dusty, too. I'll have to see who is dead or alive and see who could tag along, for the good of the country, of course.
 

PimpLenin

Banned
Something for y'all to mull over, if you don't mind, over the weekend.

I know doodley about radio communications. Could a vessel such as the Perth in the UK or the Canberra along the U.S. west coast be able to communicate directly with or receive messages directly from Melbourne without relay? Could they use satellites in orbit?
 

Cash

PimpLenin said:
Something for y'all to mull over, if you don't mind, over the weekend.

I know doodley about radio communications. Could a vessel such as the Perth in the UK or the Canberra along the U.S. west coast be able to communicate directly with or receive messages directly from Melbourne without relay? Could they use satellites in orbit?
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Very good question. What is the status of the communications and geopositioning satellites post-war? Have the Australian ships been able to use the GPS system or are they relying on old-fashioned sextant and compass? The detonation of thousands of nuclear weapons must have played havoc with atmospherics. Are any sort of radio communications beyond line-of-sight even feasible this soon after the war? Also, what is the situation regarding radiation levels along the West Coast?
 
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