Chapter 104: Chapter One Hundred and Four: Eastern

Railway Opens (Subscribe!)

Translator: 549690339

The search for gold mines had been going on for almost half a month, even attracting the attention of German experts.

Finally, after nearly half a month of exploration, the approximate reserve and scope of the gold mine were determined, and it was designated as the latest mining area, with entry strictly prohibited to unrelated personnel.

According to the latest report from Minister of Industry Pierre, the large gold mine completely covers the valley and even exceeds it in some places.

This means that the range of this gold mine is enormous, and with the discovery of gold in the depths of the ground by the exploration team, it can be determined that its reserves are enormous.

Although only a preliminary estimate can be made for now, the reserves of this gold mine are undoubtedly comparable to the previously discovered ultra-large gold mines in Australia, with at least tens of millions of tons of reserves.

The gold content of the gold mine is also above the acceptable line, reaching a content of 4.5 grams of gold per ton of ore.

This also means that at least several dozen tons of gold can be refined after the completion of the mining, and this number is only getting larger.

For Arthur, who wants to issue new currency, this gold is sufficient.

After all, even if a new currency is issued, it will only circulate in Australia for a short period, and the amount printed will be small.

The discovery of a new large gold mine in New South Wales quickly caught the attention of gold diggers.

Although the Ministry of Industry only took almost half a month to determine the specific scale and scope of the gold mine, hundreds of gold diggers had already arrived on the outskirts of the mine within this period.

Despite the protection of nearby police and armed forces, they dared not approach the gold mine too closely. Outside of the gold mine range designated by the Ministry of Industry, a considerable number of gold diggers can be seen carrying their belongings and tents, embarking on a crazy gold rush journey.

Before the news of gold mines in Australia has spread, it is these Australian gold diggers’ fortune-making opportunity and timing.

As the gold mine news spreads and more gold diggers flood into the region, even a large amount of placer gold would not be enough for these people to divide.

The good news is that because many people have received the relief committee’s aid or found high-paying jobs in industrial areas and other places, not many have joined the gold rush.

Even fewer are willing to give up their hard-earned high-paying jobs for the dream of striking it rich through gold mining, and they are few and far between.

If Arthur hadn’t specifically instructed that the salaries for new positions in the industrial areas should be kept above the Australian average income, I’m afraid more people would rush for gold.

This would not be good news for Australia’s emerging industries and other constructions.

If too much talent is lost, the hard-built industrial system will collapse.

February 17th, 1902, Sydney.

Australia received good news today as the eastern section of the industrial railway connecting Sydney and Melbourne officially opened to traffic.

This railroad is nearly nine hundred kilometers long, connecting two of Australia’s most developed states, New South Wales and Victoria, as well as the capital cities of Sydney and Melbourne.

The actual construction of the railway was far from fast, being started on September 1st of the previous year and having only passed about half a year. Although the Australian government invested tens of thousands of indigenous peoples in the project, with more than a thousand casualties among them.

Only about three hundred kilometers of the railway from Sydney to Melbourne was completed. This more than nine hundred kilometers long railway had been owned by New South Wales and Victoria for a long time.

As the two most developed regions of Australia, the construction of railways in these two states was among the first in Australia.

New South Wales and Victoria are also two states in Australia with abundant mineral resources. Although most of the minerals are gold mines and other metal mines, which are not very important for coal mines and iron mines, their value cannot be denied.

in order to exploit these minerals, the construction of railways in New South Wales and Victoria had begun early and was well planned.

If it were not for the previous isolation policies between the colonies, the railways between Sydney and Melbourne could have been opened earlier.

But now it is not too late, and this railway is crucial for promoting cultural and economic exchanges between Australian cities.

Although a large part of the opened railway is the old one, after inspection and replacement, it can be put into use.

To celebrate the opening of Australia’s first large-scale railway, Arthur and Prime Minister Evan personally came to the train station, gave an inspiring speech, and then took Australia’s first civil train to Sydney.

In fact, to ensure Arthur’s safety, this railway has been tested many times, and now it is just for show.

But this cannot hinder the joy of Australians for the opening of this railway, which means that the people of Southwest Wales and Victoria can use a more convenient transportation method to communicate.

Although people in other states cannot enjoy these benefits yet, they are not anxious. After all, the construction of industrial railways is a plan for five states on the Australian continent, and the vast majority of Australians can enjoy the benefits brought by this policy, right?

As for the people of Tasmania, due to geographical reasons, they can only bear it for now.

The current train speed is not fast. Even if the length of the railway is only more than 900 kilometers, it still takes nearly 15 hours.

However, many Australian officials have not experienced such speed. Sitting by the train window, they are excited by pointing at the scenery passing by the window.

Arthur didn’t have such a feeling anymore. After being used to the high-speed trains and subways in later generations, it’s hard to be surprised at a train with a speed of only about 60 kilometers per hour.

In fact, the changes brought to Australia by the opening of the railway are far more than these. From an economic perspective, it can greatly reduce the cost of materials transportation, make it easier for Australians to communicate, and promote economic development.

As for the military aspect, if the industrial railways are fully opened, it can greatly reduce Australia’s national defense pressure.

Although Australia is an island country, it is also a continent. Australia’s total area is even comparable to Western Europe, but its army is only 10,000 strong, which is a severe challenge to national defense pressure.

With the complete opening of the industrial railway, the army can reach any state in Australia in just a few days.

This is crucial for maintaining the stability of Australia and reducing its national defense pressure.

In fact, both Arthur and the Australian government underestimated the impact of this small section of the railway on Australia.

On the day of the opening, people who received the news spontaneously organized celebrations in the streets of Sydney and Melbourne. If the police hadn’t specifically instructed them that indulging in parades would affect street security, they would probably have organized large-scale parades to celebrate it.

Of course, from this point of view, Australians are very law-abiding.

The impact of the railway opening continues. With the reports of the Victoria Newspaper and the Australia Daily on the railway opening, more and more Australians learned the good news and joined the celebrations.

Because both newspapers specifically reminded people to be cautious when celebrating and try to avoid disrupting social order, Australia has not seen any particularly unusual celebrations.

Mostly, groups of friends gathered together to discuss the future, share their current situation, and enjoy some good wine and company.

A few businesses and individual operators also took advantage of this opportunity to hold promotions and attract customers and profits.