The Oceanykan War of Independence was an armed conflict that raged in the aforementioned continent from 1905 to 1907. It is widely considered to be part of the revolutionary waves at the turn of the century, in the same family as the Xinhai Revolution, the Mexican Revolution and the Russian Revolution. Although involving a very wide variety of factors, the catalysts of this conflict were undoubtedly Oceanyka's veterans' associations, formed after the Second Boer War. This conflict, in which hundreds of thousands of Oceanykans participated as co-belligerents on the British Empire's side, brought bitter memories of colonial domination. It did not escape the soldiery that what they were doing to the Boers was precisely what the British had done to them, and what Edward "Ned" Kelly had fought against a generation prior. As such, veterans' associations gained a remarkably anti-British posture, becoming associated with republicanism and Oceanykan nationhood, a concept that had been gestating since the Revolutionary Wars with the Third Ankic Empire, but became entrenched in colonial society thanks to the Eureka Rebellion and Ned's Rebellion.
It was one in particular, the Cestlep All-Union Veterans' Association, that covertly hosted the remains of The Oceanykan Council, operating in the shadows since Ned Kelly's defeat and the political suppression that followed. Through this widely respected organisation, the Oceanykan Council distributed pro-independence and anti-British propaganda across the continent. Political radicalism and partisanship grew exponentially during and after the Second Boer War; some cities like Sydney and Melbourne were decidedly conservative and pro-Commonwealth, while others like Cestlep and Farenday, began to overwhelmingly vote for total independence in referendums and polls.
On February 8th, 1905, Australian troops opened fire against protesters in Cestlep attending a pro-independence rally. They were, however, very much surprised when the citizenry returned fire from their homes, forming ad-hoc companies under the leadership of the veterans. The entirety of the Australian Army was forced to retreat from Cestlep and called for reinforcements from Britain, whose arrival was swift. News of the battle spread like wildfire, inspiring similar acts of insurgency across the continent. Finally, the Oceanykan Council revealed its continued existence at Cestlep, declaring the Commonwealth of Australia as an illegitimate colonial government, and proclaiming a new pan-continental political entity: The Oceanykan Federation.
For decades, the British Empire had built a vast network of railroads and trains, connecting the entire continent by land. They had also made much of the Outback into an enormous ranch, creating a very large demographic of skilled, hardened riders called the Stockmen, overwhelmingly pro-independence. Veterans of the Second Boer War, as well as hundreds of thousands of Stockmen, made up the core of a new, highly mobile fighting force: the Federal Army. Its regiments appeared unexpectedly and amassed where required, inflicting severe defeats on the Australian Army and their British allies, who no longer held a firm technological or organisational edge over the defenders. In March of 1907, the Federal Army had found themselves at the gates of Sydney, last holdout of the loyalists, and facing the greatest fortifications ever devised by mankind, made up of many kilometres of Kalayn Walls; the Sydney Bastion. As such, they opted to blockade the city. One problem, however, was the presence of a small naval squadron led by the HMS Impassable, a cutting-edge battleship of a new class that had revolutionised naval warfare. It was a Dreadnought, and it could not be budged.
A small company-sized team of the best men the Federal Army had at its disposal was formed and issued fast, oil-powered motorboats. Under the cover of a foggy night, they approached HMS Impassable and, despite facing a hail of gunfire in the last hundred-metre dash, they successfully boarded the ship. Brutal close quarters combat erupted, and as a signal flare was launched into the sky, reinforcements arrived with a larger second wave of Federal Army troops, including many former Royal Navy sailors now at Oceanyka's service. The rest of the British Squadron tried to approach and help, but found nothing but empty motorboats and a hellish battle on the deck of HMS Impassable. By morning, its crew had been wholly defeated, and the warship partially manned by Oceanyka's sailors.
HMS Impassable began to open fire against its supposed allies, sinking them with such speed and violence that many of them opted for a retreat. When the waters were clear, the warship aimed its cannons at Sydney and unleashed such hellish broadsides that, after three hours of continuous bombardment, the city put up a white flag of surrender. The war was over by the afternoon of March 5th, 1907, though no formal peace treaty followed. Even then, Oceanykan delegates were invited to attend the 1907 Imperial Conference, where a number of issues pertaining to the British Empire would be raised, including the recognition of Oceanykan independence. It was here that Queen Victoria officially recognised the independence of the Oceanykan Federation, and expressed certain regret that it had been treated with such injustice. Oceanykan diplomats successfully secured a number of favourable treaties with the British Empire, including a defensive alliance, and a total recognition of the new nation's independence. The Oceanykan Federation was now free to follow its own destiny, leading into the Early Republican Age.