WI/PC Australia with a 300 million population.

WILDGEESE

Gone Fishin'
Expanding my earlier thread about Canada with a population of 300 million.

What events, immigration etc pre 1900 would allow Australia to exist today with a population of 300 million.

Would this be possible?

Cheers filers
 
Even more so, this is plain impossible.

At least with Canada, you had a) a direct, somewhat open border with a neighbor with a large population, and b) a hell of a lot closer to Britain and Europe.

With an even more hostile environment (at least in cold, you can wear as much as needed (to a certain degree)), with natural hazards which are pretty damn real, and isolation from basically everywhere else (minus Indonesia + the Pacific islanda), 300 million with a POD before 1900 is downright impossible.
 
If you're willing to allow an expansionist Australia - which really means an expansionist Britain with a new enemy - this is possible with a large caveat:

Conquer enough of Indonesia to annex Java. Modern day, that's in the neighborhood of 150 million people, and Indonesia has been doing its best to encourage smaller families. Remove that encouragement, and allow the extraction of resources from Australia proper to pay for the expenses of such a large population, and it's doable.

Australia is ~25 million, New Zealand would be ~5 million, the island of Borneo is something like ~20 million. It's within reach with a bit of pointy stick diplomacy.

There's a bit of a problem in that the country is going to be run out of Java, not Australia, but that's unavoidable.
 
the continent just doesn't have the water resources. Only Antarctica is more arid (basically an ice desert) and with the majority of Australia consisting of desert with very limited seasonal rainfall at most, there simply isn't enough arable land.

Australia exports vast amounts of grain (22 million metric tons) but still that isn't enough for 300 million people. You need a major change in Australian climate and geology really
 
Expanding my earlier thread about Canada with a population of 300 million.

What events, immigration etc pre 1900 would allow Australia to exist today with a population of 300 million.

Would this be possible?

Cheers filers

Australia alone *might* be able to support 100 million people by the present day with the best available technology, and with much higher immigration rates, but 50-75 million is probably more realistic. New Zealand, though, could easily have 10 million(and 15-20 million, I'd think, might not be too difficult), and add New Guinea(the whole thing), and you might be already there. ;)
 

Pangur

Donor
Its a HUGE ask. The big problem is water or lack there of. Once we have got the water for the humans we now have to feed them which takes even more non exisitance water
 
Otl Australia has more renewable fresh than otl Japan. Arable land is about Canada size. Although Australia's fresh water ain't as huge as Canada.

I doubt 300m for Australia. 120m-150m is more achievable if you want same GDP per capita as otl. 300m if you make Australians poorer than otl or more advance seawater desalination. Remember, Saudi Arabia otl has only less than 1% of fresh water resources compared to otl Australia.
 
I don't think it's possible to have such a large population in Australia. It simply doesn't have the carrying capacity. You could increase its population by importing arid region crops to maximize use of the limited water available. Millet and sorghum should be the principle crops instead of wheat and rice.
 
This is only possible if you got every caravan and cargo ship to supply only foods and not gold for at least a hundred turns on marathon, and that's a terrible idea unless you're preparing for war.

;)
 
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