Paris: Australia's governor-general has been one of the first to benefit from the country's submarine deal with France, touring some of Paris' finest palaces to a universally rapturous welcome.

The timing was (allegedly) pure coincidence, but on a day meeting two ministers and the president, Sir Peter Cosgrove can thank Canberra for choosing his hosts over Japan and Germany – and ensuring a much more genuine reception.

French media have hailed the $50 billion contract as the "deal of the century" – it is projected to lead to the creation of thousands of jobs in France, mainly on sites in Cherbourg, Nantes and Lorient.

And the French government gets a nice boost to its budget – the state is a 62 per cent shareholder in DCNS.