Yes, for a number of reasons it must be set in Canberra (no matter what your parochial view, it is the capital city of Australia). A virus with soil as host (not a human or animal) , accidentally released from the CSIRO labs, reproducing exponentially, like a mycelium ring, will reach the outskirts of Canberra in x months. The army proposes to destroy the city with a nuclear weapon to save the rest of Australia, the politicians abandon the city. But our scientist believes he can control the virus with something simple, if only…

Thanks for your comments. I’ll re-think “pre-emptive”, “obsessed”, etc.