Under the Southern Cross we Stand, a sprig of Wattle in our hand

New Zealand(essentially the South Isle) and Aotearoa(the North Isle) joined the Union, bringing the component states up to 10.

What had started as a miners rebellion at Eureka had spread like wildfire, burning away the traces of British colonialism at a rapid pace.
I wonder what would be the reaction in London once the news 'd start to arrive about what and how happen to be created this Australasian Union. Perhaps, given their limited resources and strategic priorities 'd seem that HM Government would have to face the dilemma of non accept the new situation or to decide that should accept it as a fait accompli, or if rather wouldn't accept it... Also, I guess that the reaction of the US press and government, if well, perhaps different, IMO, at least, might be very interesting, too...
 
This is interesting, and welcome back, @johnboy...

Wondering how this develops...
Thanks. Real life has been hammering me recently so happy to be back.
Love this update you wrote three four great stories that are now books. Is there any ideas for your future timelines alternate history or self insert ideas? One idea I have is self insert McClellan we’re he makes him a better general cause you don’t see many stories that make McClellan a better general. That’s my ideas keep up the good work!👍👍
Thanks for that. Yes, that would make an interesting SI
 
I wonder what would be the reaction in London once the news 'd start to arrive about what and how happen to be created this Australasian Union. Perhaps, given their limited resources and strategic priorities 'd seem that HM Government would have to face the dilemma of non accept the new situation or to decide that should accept it as a fait accompli, or if rather wouldn't accept it... Also, I guess that the reaction of the US press and government, if well, perhaps different, IMO, at least, might be very interesting, too...
There will be some stirrings on that front soon.
 
28 April 1855 - I have a bad feeling about this Prime Minister
28th April 1855, Whitehall, London, United Kingdom

Henry Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston, bit back a sigh. He looked again at the Secretary for the Colonies, Lord John Russell. "I don't understand what you are saying John, Buckingham writes that there has been a rebellion in Victoria and on the goldfields, but that he has dealt with the problem, is that right?"

"That is correct Prime Minister. However, I am concerned. Buckingham strikes me as the sort who is more interested in maintaining the status quo than anything else. As I am sure you are well aware, he has excellent reasons for not wishing to set foot in this country anytime soon, hence he has a great interest in not rocking the boat."

"He is, I must admit, a creation of the Peelites, however, there have been little in the way of issues so far. If Buckingham say that situation has been resolved, then I am sure that this is indeed the case."

"I would feel better if we sent extra forces to bolster our position, in case such a rebellion spread, as happened here in Europe in 1847." Palmerston bit back a retort. "That is all very well John, however, as I am sure you are well aware, we are fighting a full scale war on a scale not previously envisaged since Napoleon in Russia and at the same time we have had to commit a large part of the remainder of our army, the China station fleet and every other thing the navy can spare in India, where we have had a rebellion that has so far lasted 12 months. Every month this continues undermines our authority in our most important overseas possession."

"Yes, I am aware Prime Minister. You must also be aware that with these self important colonial governments adopting abolitionist stances, the only places we are able to transport convicts, aside from Bermuda, are New South Wales, Queensland and Western Australia via the Swan River Colony. I just have a bad feeling about this, Prime Minister."

"Very well, John. Sweep the prisons and the two hulks left in the Thames. Dispense with as many of our Irish friends as possible at the same time. Instead of the normal 1-2 ships, we will send up to four and I will arrange a Royal Navy vessel to act as escort. There are a number of older sail vessels that can be brought out of reserve. It will be the very devil to crew them, but I am sure we can manage."

"Thank you Prime Minister."

Both men remained unaware that Richard Plantagenet Temple-Nugent-Brydges-Chandos-Grenville, 2nd Duke of Buckingham and Chandos, Governor of New South Wales and Governor General of Australasia, was currently between the Southern tip of Madagascar and Durban, thousands of miles away from Australia, which was no longer under British Colonial administration.
 
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19 May 1855 - Where to from here
19 May 1855, Toorak House, Melbourne

As Peter Lalor sat in the former Governor's house, he was to contemplate the news from New Zealand. Virtually all of Australia and New Zealand had fallen under the control of the Union. Perhaps all, since the force aboard two ships from Adelaide would now have reached the Swan River Colony. Perhaps what had happened so far was the easy part? For the huge would now have to be asked. Where to from here? He had been so focused on the goal of removing Buckingham that he had not really thought any further ahead. Now he had no choice in the matter. Having removed the British administration, what did he put in it's place? Especially in such a disparate environment that consisted of such things as the worst type of convicts, ex army officers, wealthy graziers, natives, Catholics on one hand and Protestants on the other.

One thing was for certain. There could be no going back to the old ways. Did they try and patch up a reconciliation with the crown or go their own way? If they went their own way, what form of Government should be adopted? Westminister? It was a well known system at least. Something like existed in America? Republican or monarchical? How to ensure that all states of any such a Union were able to obtain a voice. For that matter, should the current states be kept in the current form at all? The borders, after all, had just been arbitrarily drawn on the map by a government that no longer existed.

Overlaying all this was the threat of British intervention to force the colonies to come back under the umbrella of the crown. To these ends, he would write to all state legislators and/or senior officers and propose they send a representative to involve themselves in a constitutional convention in Melbourne in August. In the meantime, he proposed to use the resources of the colony and the stores of equipment captured to for a nascent army for the country as a whole and, at the same time, step up shipbuilding through the yards in both Tasmania and Sydney to it's highest possible output, so that a measure of security and order could be obtained on both land and sea.
 
1 June 1855, - Swan River, maps and a cabinet
1 June 1855, Toorak House, Melbourne, Australasian Union

The Swan River Colony had fallen into line. With a population of only 2,000 at Perth and a similar number at Fremantle, they had little option in the matter. The fact now was that Peter Lalor and the new government of the Australasian Union now controlled territories as distant as 3,500 miles apart. He had expanded his government to a cabinet of some 12 members, not only to help assist with the administrative workload, but also to show that he was prepared to include people from all areas of the country and those outside his immediate circle and non Victorians. The Cabinet now consisted of:

President pro tem and Foreign Secretary: Horatio Wills
Prime Minister and Minister for War: Peter Lalor
Home Secretary: Raffaello Carboni
Minister for Mining and Postmaster General: Duncan Gillies
Lord Protector: Richard Plantagenet- Brydges
Minister for Trade: Foster Fyans
Attorney General: Adye Douglas
Treasurer: Boyle Finnis
Minister of Health: William Bland
Minister for Justice: Alfred Stephen
Minister for Agriculture and Forestry: Edward Willis
Commissioner for Work and Education: Charles Cowper
Minister for New Zealand and Native Affairs: Tāmihana Te Rauparaha

It was a mix from all walks of life, but all had agreed to work from Melbourne and all were on site except the later and Richard Plantagenet- Brydges, seemingly delayed in New Zealand. Hopefully, they could meet as a unit for the first time within a fortnight. There were important matters to deal with. At this stage, London must know of events that had occurred. Peter Lalor was not to know that on the following day, 2nd June 1855, two events would occur. Buckingham would return to London and the latterly known "4th Fleet", under the command of Captain John-Dalrymple-Hay consisting of four ships under the protection of the old 2 decker HMS Cambridge, for which a crew had been scraped together, the other three ships being convicts transports.

Lalor had much on his mind. They had made promises to review the cases of every convict not convicted of a crime within the former colonies. It would be a monumental task, especially in New South Wales, where transportation had continued unabated until some two months ago. They had promised a revised version of the Treaty of Waitangi and had, as yet, little idea of how to go about such an undertaking. Then there was Foreign Affairs. Months ago Horatio Wills had dispatched a ship to travel to the United States, via Hawaii. Recognition via foreign governments was essential. Recognition from Russia could be easily obtained, but this was felt to be to provocative. It was not yet known whether Great Britain, in all her power, would fight, or simply accept what had occurred as a fait accompli. This, of course, led on to the country's ability to withstand a military conflict. He was doing all that he possibly could to build up with colonial militia forces he could and at the same time organise and arm the disparate elements of that were available and under construction in the shipyards of the former colonies, hoping to be able to present a force that would give those sent to the colony pause, thereby making London ask themselves whether it was worth to cost to impose their will on such a distant prize. Especially in the middle of a war and a rebellion in that most valuable of places, India.

Then there was the question of those that held their loyalty firmly to the crown and wished to leave the breakaway state. It was not like there was shipping available to transport anything like the numbers wishing to do so. In any case, the government had outlawed any such emigration, although he had made promises that this would be lifted in July. By that stage the cat would be well and truly out of the bag, in any case.

Then there was the question of the system of government, whether such a government would be monarchical or republican. Then a constitution would need to be drawn up. Elections, which had been promised, would have to occur. How much freedom would individual areas have. Certainly, in the North Island of New Zealand, where the Maori King movement had it's heart, much autonomy had already been promised. Adye Douglas had a huge task to preform, when agreement had finally been reached. Finally, there was the question of the states themselves. Buckingham had created four new states, Queensland, New Caledonia, Norfolk Island and North Australia, putting his own sycophants in charge, all to increase his own influence. It was in New South Wales that most of the problems of the current government were to be found. The state contained many of Buckingham's cronies, men who had benefited from his stance against abolition. For that reason alone, much work needed to be done to curb the power of New South Wales. The location of the capital was one thing. Melbourne had a population of 140,000, Sydney 210,000, yet Melbourne was growing at the larger rate, as was Victoria. Another question - should the state continue to be known as Victoria, considering the circumstances? The extent of state powers was another matter. Finally, there was question of state boundaries. It seemed to Lalor that anything that could be done to lessen the power of New South Wales the better. To that end, he had drawn a new map of the country, one designed to reduce the power of men formerly loyal to Buckingham.

Proposed new Divisions to Australasia (initial proposal is to have New Caledonia, New Hebrides, Norfolk and Lord Howe Island as one state, along with New Zealand(south island) and Aotearoa(NZ North Island)
MapChart_Map.png
 
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1 June 1855, Toorak House, Melbourne, Australasian Union

The Swan River Colony had fallen into line. With a population of only 2,000 at Perth and a similar number at Fremantle, they had little option in the matter. The fact now was that Peter Lalor and the new government of the Australasian Union now controlled territories as distant as 3,500 miles apart. He had expanded his government to a cabinet of some 12 members, not only to help assist with the administrative workload, but also to show that he was prepared to include people from all areas of the country and those outside his immediate circle and non Victorians. The Cabinet now consisted of:

President pro tem and Foreign Secretary: Horatio Wills
Prime Minister and Minister for War: Peter Lalor
Home Secretary: Raffaello Carboni
Minister for Mining and Postmaster General: Duncan Gillies
Lord Protector: Richard Plantagenet- Brydges
Minister for Trade: Foster Fyans
Attorney General: Adye Douglas
Treasurer: Boyle Finnis
Minister of Health: William Bland
Minister for Justice: Alfred Stephen
Minister for Agriculture and Forestry: Edward Willis
Commissioner for Work and Education: Charles Cowper
Minister for New Zealand and Native Affairs: Tāmihana Te Rauparaha

It was a mix from all walks of life, but all had agreed to work from Melbourne and all were on site except the later and Richard Plantagenet- Brydges, seemingly delayed in New Zealand. Hopefully, they could meet as a unit for the first time within a fortnight. There were important matters to deal with. At this stage, London must know of events that had occurred. Peter Lalor was not to know that on the following day, 2nd June 1855, two events would occur. Buckingham would return to London and the latterly known "4th Fleet", under the command of Captain John-Dalrymple-Hay consisting of fur ships under the protection of the old 2 decker HMS Cambridge, for which a crew had been scraped together, the other three ships being convicts transports.

Lalor had much on his mind. They had made promises to review the cases of every convict not convicted of a crime within the former colonies. It would be a monumental task, especially in New South Wales, where transportation had continued unabated until some two months ago. They had promised a revised version of the Treaty of Waitangi and had, as yet, little idea of how to go about such an undertaking. Then there was Foreign Affairs. Horatio Wills had dispatched a ship to travel to the United States, via Hawaii. Recognition via foreign governments was essential. Recognition from Russia could be easily obtained, but this was felt to be to provocative. It was not yet known whether Great Britain, in all her power, would fight, or simply accept what had occurred as a fait accompli. This, of course, led on to the country's ability to withstand a military conflict. He was doing all that he possibly could to build up with colonial militia forces he could and at the same time organise and arm the disparate elements of that were available and under construction in the shipyards of the former colonies, hoping to be able to present a force that would give those sent to the colony pause, thereby making London ask themselves whether it was worth to cost to impose their will on such a distant prize. Especially in the middle of a war and a rebellion in that most valuable of places, India.

Then there was the question of those that held their loyalty firmly to the crown and wished to leave the breakaway state. It was not like there was shipping available to transport anything like the numbers wishing to do so. In any case, the government had outlawed any such emigration, although he had made promises that this would be lifted in July. By that stage the cat would be well and truly out of the bag, in any case.

Then there was the question of the system of government, whether such a government would be monarchical or republican. Then a constitution would need to be drawn up. Elections, which had been promised, would have to occur. How much freedom would individual areas have. certainly, in the North Island of New Zealand, where the Maori King movement had it's heart, much autonomy had already been promised. Adye Douglas had a huge task to preform, when agreement had finally been reached. Finally, there was the question of the states themselves. Buckingham had created four new states, Queensland, New Caledonia, Norfolk Island and North Australia, putting his own sycophants in charge, all to increase his own influence. It was in New South Wales that most of the problems of the current government were to be found. The state contained many of Buckingham's cronies, men who had benefited from his stance against abolition. For that reason alone, much work needed to be done to curb the power of New South Wales. The location of the capital was one thing. Melbourne had a population of 140,000, Sydney 210,000, yet Melbourne was growing at the larger rate, as was Victoria. Another question - should the state continue to be known as Victoria, considering the circumstances? The extent of state powers was another matter. Finally, there was question of state boundaries. It seemed to Lalor that anything that could be done to lessen the power of New South Wales the better. To that end, he had drawn a new map of the country, one designed to reduce the power of men formerly loyal to Buckingham.

Proposed new Divisions to Australasia (initial proposal is to have New Caledonia, New Hebrides, Norfolk and Lord Howe Island as one state, along with New Zealand(south island) and Aotearoa(NZ North Island)
View attachment 715163
South Australia won't be happy...
 
Based, I don't think I've ever seen a successful early Australian tl. Encouraging earlier mass migration from Europe and seeking Russian/American protection might be a way to strengthen it demographically and to preserve Australia's new independence.
 
Based, I don't think I've ever seen a successful early Australian tl. Encouraging earlier mass migration from Europe and seeking Russian/American protection might be a way to strengthen it demographically and to preserve Australia's new independence.
Australia can't compete with North America.
 
2 July 1855 - A new flag and a new fleet
2 July 1855, Mort's Dock, Sydney Naval Base, United Australasian Protectorate

Commodore Henry Mangles Denham viewed the activity with uncertainly. He was not sure what to make of developments. He had his own reasons for accepting a commission in the fledgling navy. He had been in the Pacific so long that it had, in many ways, became his life. His son, his only child, had died here. His wife was here in Sydney. There was little to return to in England, little that mattered in any case.

So, when the offer had been made to become the head of such a new endeavor, he prevaricated, but ultimately accepted. He could only hope that the Royal Navy, the Queen and the powers that be accepted the current state of affairs. The consequences of them not accepting such did not bear thinking about. He found the prospect of engaging his former colleagues in battle a distinctly unpleasant one.

It was an undeniable fact that the Royal navy was stretched for manpower, yet, for all that, this continent and it's attendant islands had an enormous coastline to protect and his resources to do so were threadbare at best. Yes, two graving docks had been competed in Sydney. There was another in Hobart. So, it was possible to dock and work on screw powered vessel, which were certainly the future of naval combat. However, at this stage, the shipbuilding industry was in it's infancy as far as constructing ships above schooner size. Things here were dispersed, so very different from the United Kingdom, with it's 27 million population. It was more like the United States, yet their population in a similar area was 31 million, not the 1.2 million estimated to be in Australasia.

The fleet as it existed was small, yet he had gathered what could be made available. Two corvettes and a range of brigs and sloops, five steam powered vessels, including two sloops and three gunboats. Yet nothing over 500 tons. He watched the new flag be raised on his flagship.
UAP Flag
1920px-Eureka_Flag.svg.png

So, the new country had a name, United Australasian Protectorate. It had a Head of State, as Lord Protector, Richard Plantagenet. It had a Prime Minister. It was in the process of having a parliament, of potentially freeing 90% of it's current convicts. Did it have a future? That was the real question.
 
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