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ABC News
ABC News
National

Failed dreams of building 'New Australia' utopia in Paraguay jungle in 19th century

Would you give it all up for a new life in a tropical utopia?

That's what more than 500 Australians did in the 1890s, led by a radical socialist, but the venture didn't quite go to plan. 

It turns out that combining Australian shearers with the South American jungle, jaguars, parasitic insects and strict rules about booze and sex was not the secret to a utopian new life.

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