Chapter 31 Shipyard Site Selection
It wasn't until Arthur saw the estate with his own eyes that he realized Butler Hunter's so-called "small estate" was, in fact, not small at all—it was actually quite large.
While it couldn't compare to the sprawling estates and palaces of the British royal family, it still covered an area of three hectares, or 30,000 square meters.
To put it in modern terms, a residential complex of that size could house over a thousand people—but for Arthur, it was simply an estate meant for four members of the royal family.
The estate consisted of a residential area, gardens, a creek, lawns, an orchard, fountains, and an artificial lake.
The total built-up area of the estate wasn't especially large, less than 3,000 square meters, with over 500 square meters taken up by pavilions and stables.
The actual living space was just under 2,500 square meters, designed as a small palace modeled after British architecture, shaped like the letter H. The central section was the tallest part of the entire building, and it was where the royal flag was flown.
Though not vast in footprint, this three-story palace still contained over fifty rooms. Aside from a dozen or so smaller rooms designated for servants and staff, there were more than forty rooms available for allocation.
Among these, twenty rooms were designated for purposes such as the conference room, dining hall, reception room, broadcast room, offices, and bedrooms for royal members. The remaining rooms could be used for storage or as guest accommodations.
The largest room in the estate was the public conference hall, which spanned over 300 square meters. A massive oval-shaped conference table could seat over fifty individuals.
Surrounding the oval table was a large circular table formed by connecting smaller tables in rings.
The four rings of tables could accommodate over 300 officials, fully meeting the needs of parliamentary meetings while Arthur resided at the estate—and could even support an expanded parliament in the future.
At the center of the oval table was a raised platform, 15 centimeters high, designed to hold a podium that faced the head of the table.
The podium would be used by delegates delivering speeches during meetings, and its direct alignment with the head seat was a gesture of respect toward Arthur.
By the time they finished touring the entire estate, it was already one in the afternoon.
Even though Arthur and his companions had enjoyed a lavish breakfast before departing, after spending the entire morning walking, they were all starting to feel hungry.
"Your Highness, I've already had lunch prepared, and the dining hall at the estate has been cleaned and arranged. Shall we dine now?" Butler Hunter asked thoughtfully—just as Arthur was beginning to feel the pangs of hunger.
Arthur nodded and, seeing the eager looks on Marguerite and Patricia's faces, smiled and said, "Let's go eat then. After walking around all morning, I'm sure everyone's starving."
Unlike the hastily renovated top floor of the government building, the estate featured five dining areas of various sizes, including a private dining room for royal family members, a public dining room, a banquet hall, and a reception room.
The banquet hall was the most formally and elegantly decorated, while the reception hall was the largest dining area.
This time, Arthur and his group headed to the private dining room, located on the west side of the third floor of the estate.
The private dining room's decor reflected the preferences of the royal family. Since Butler Hunter knew Arthur disliked ostentation, the space was relatively subdued, decorated simply with a few oil paintings.
Lunch was made up of traditional British cuisine—though Britain wasn't particularly known for its food.
The main course was sausage with mashed potatoes, topped with a drizzle of gravy, giving it an appealing look. Another dish was classic fish and chips, made by removing the bones and head from the fish, cutting it into strips, coating it in batter, and frying it.
Also served was a beef Wellington made from Italian beef, with a golden, crispy crust. When cut, the beef inside was still rare and juicy.
These were among the better-tasting dishes in British cuisine and ones Arthur found acceptable.
After finishing the rather hearty meal, Lady Louise took Marguerite and Patricia back to the government building.
Since the estate was not yet fully furnished, they would continue living at the government building for the time being.
Arthur, however, stayed behind for a while and then accompanied Butler Hunter to their next destination.
South of Sydney Harbor, in a barren stretch of land.
The location wasn't far from Sydney Harbor, but because the surrounding area hadn't yet been developed, it was still desolate and uninhabited.
Australia's vast and underpopulated nature was truly staggering. This plot of land sat on the southeastern plains and was quite fertile.
But due to the country's low population, even such fertile and expansive lands had not yet been cultivated.
Arthur walked the area briefly and examined the terrain before nodding in satisfaction. He turned to Butler Hunter and asked, "Butler Hunter, when will our shipyard be completed?"
This was the site that Butler Hunter had selected for the new shipyard—a location relatively close to the harbor.
The advantage of this site was its proximity to the port, which made transporting supplies convenient. In terms of terrain and location, it was an ideal place to build a shipyard.
"Your Highness, most of our equipment and staff have already been transported to Australia. What remains now is the construction of the facilities and installation of the machinery. I estimate it won't take too long—perhaps in three to four months, the shipyard can begin basic operations," Hunter replied.
This shipyard was one of the valuable legacies left to Arthur by Duke Arthur. It would allow Australia, which currently had no shipbuilding capabilities, to take a significant leap forward in the industry.
The shipyard was capable of independently designing and building military vessels under 5,000 tons and had also participated in the production of heavy cruisers exceeding 10,000 tons.
This was exactly why Arthur insisted on relocating the entire shipyard to Australia. A shipyard capable of independently developing and manufacturing small military vessels was a resource Australia could not afford to lose.
The same logic applied to the munitions factory and steelworks. They would bring much-needed knowledge and experience to Australia's underdeveloped industrial sector, saving the country from years of trial and error.
It was thanks to Duke Arthur that Arthur now possessed such critically important factories. And it was thanks to Duke Arthur that Arthur had been able to relocate these facilities across the globe to Australia in their entirety.
Without them, it would likely take Australia at least a decade to acquire the necessary technologies.
(End of Chapter)
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