The Steamlands have a long and rich heritage of taking to the skies - per ardua ad astra - they aspired to the lofty heights in all manner of airship, airborne jalopy and other less-than-sturdy craft. After a brief but futile challenge by craft known as "aeroplanes", the Golden Years of the airship emerged, bringing with them some grande dirigibles, buoyed by ballons, rotary blades and the power of steam. One such airship was the Barinya Australis, or "southern star".
The Duke of Piers, and adventurous peer and professor of Oxbridge, found his fascination with air travel fuelled by the passions of his partner, one of the greatest pilots throughout the steamlands, setting off on many an adventure. One such adventure, further encouraged by copious amounts of rum, found a small band of steamlanders southbound and quickly beyond the known world.
The explorers soon found themselves beholding a new land, arid in parts, lush in others, but expansive, unknown and promising. The Duke named the land Austral, or "southern", and hastened to convert the grande airship into an AirCity as an early base for the settlement. And so the Commonwealth of Austral was claimed in the name of King Piers (a long lost King, rumoured to in fact be the Duke's father), and a constitutional monarchy established, presided over by the Duke, as Governor-General.
The early settlers of Austral included many who were only recent newcomers to the mother lands, as well as some noble women and men of standing in the homelands. A large number of the Citizens of Austral (Australites) to this day maintain dual citizenship with their steamlands of origin, including the Governor-General.
The distance from their lands of origins meant that Australites swiftly excelled at all manner of transport, not the least of which was air travel. They replicated the manner and style of the Victorian cultures whence they came, in some cases introducing local stylistic variants which in turn found some popularity in the homelands. Austral's architectural styles broadly embrace styles popular throughout the late eighteenth century, the nineteenth century as well as the early part of the twentieth century.
Austral's peers are Knights of the Order of the Bunyip. Peerage is predominantly on account of land holdings, but once or twice a year, the Governor-General awards peerages for services to Austral and the greater steamlands, in areas such as building, design, society, community and more. Austral also recognises peerage from among all the ally steamlands, and holds particularly strong allegiance with Caledon, its neighbour immediately to the north.
Australites are cheeky but friendly, diverse yet united in their newfound journey of discovery and adventure to the unknown south. All are welcome to visit and inhabit the southern nation, for scones and a bush tea with His Excellency the Governor-General, who prefers to be simply addressed as GG.
Posted: Thu Jul 29, 2010 9:09 am 
