Mothers tell their children The Cassowary strikes by candlelight.
Thieves, murderers, the corrupt: you see a flickering flame in the bush you are finished.
The Cassowary
The Age of Macquarie
A view of part of Parramatta Port Jackson, J.W. Lewin, 1809. Courtesy State Library of New South Wales
http://www.migrationheritage.nsw.gov.au/exhibition/objectsthroughtime-history/1790-1830/index.html
” Around this time Matthew Flinders was exploring the coastline of New South Wales and New Holland. In 1802 – 1803 Finders circumnavigated the continent and was the first person to use the term Australia when referring to the whole continent of New Holland, New South Wales and Van Diemens Land. “
The Colony at Sydney Cove was closing to starving in the late 18th century, Macquarie took over in 1810, getting rid of Bligh etc. Australian rebellion! Good turmoil and opportunity.
Historical Colonial Population of Australia
In 1820, around 36,000 immigrants in New South Wales.
So, a small population of possible Player Characters with those numbers.
Mokuy Picture 1
First Public Railroads in Australia
” New South Wales: In 1849, the Sydney Railway Company started building the first railway track in New South Wales between Sydney and Parramatta—a distance of 22 km. The project ran into financial difficulty and was taken over by the New South Wales colonial government. The line opened on 26 September 1855. “
https://infrastructure.gov.au/rail/trains/history.aspx
So for an 1820s each set Australian game, prototypes by your crazy science types are very likely..