The similarities and differences in the evolution of modern nations across the world are most evident in the ways in which ideas of development and progress engage with the natural environment. India and Australia as nation state emerge from the shared lineage of being part of the British Empire, which has characterized the nature of their respective journeys as modern nation states. Juxtaposing case studies from India and Australia reveals that although both locations differ in their particular historical and social contexts, both contend with similar challenges and compulsions, characteristic of modernity.