Victoria (Australia)

Victoria (abbreviated as Vic) is a state in the south-east of Australia. Victoria is Australia's most densely populated state and its second-most populous state overall. Most of its population is concentrated in the area surrounding Port Phillip Bay, which includes the metropolitan area of its capital and largest city, Melbourne, which is Australia's second-largest city. Geographically the smallest state on the Australian mainland, Victoria is bordered by Bass Strait and Tasmania to the south,^{[note 1]} New South Wales to the north, the Tasman Sea to the east, and South Australia to the west.

Prior to European settlement, the area now constituting Victoria was inhabited by a large number of Aboriginal peoples, collectively known as the Koori. With Great Britain having claimed the entire Australian continent east of the 135th meridian east in 1788, Victoria was included in the wider colony of New South Wales. The first settlement in the area occurred in 1803 at Sullivan Bay, and much of what is now Victoria was included in the Port Phillip District in 1836, an administrative division of New South Wales. Victoria was officially created a separate colony in 1851, and achieved self-government in 1855.^[6] The Victorian gold rush in the 1850s and 1860s significantly increased both the population and wealth of the colony, and by the Federation of Australia in 1901, Melbourne had become the largest city and leading financial centre in Australasia. Melbourne also served as capital of Australia until the construction of Canberra in 1927, with the Federal Parliament meeting in Melbourne's Parliament House and all principal offices of the federal government being based in Melbourne.

Politically, Victoria has 37 seats in the Australian House of Representatives and 12 seats in the Australian Senate. At state level, the Parliament of Victoria consists of the Legislative Assembly (the lower house) and the Legislative Council (the upper house). Victoria is currently governed by the Labor Party, with Daniel Andrews the current Premier. The personal representative of the Queen of Australia in the state is the Governor of Victoria, currently Linda Dessau. Local government is concentrated in 79 municipal districts, including 33 cities, although a number of unincorporated areas still exist, which are administered directly by the state.

The economy of Victoria is highly diversified: service sectors including financial and property services, health, education, wholesale, retail, hospitality and manufacturing constitute the majority of employment. Victoria's total gross state product (GSP) is ranked second in Australia, although Victoria is ranked fourth in terms of GSP per capita because of its limited mining activity. Culturally, Melbourne is home to a number of museums, art galleries and theatres and is also described as the "sporting capital of Australia". The Melbourne Cricket Ground is the largest stadium in Australia, and the host of the 1956 Summer Olympics and the 2006 Commonwealth Games. The ground is also considered the "spiritual home" of Australian cricket and Australian rules football, and hosts the grand final of the Australian Football League (AFL) each year, drawing crowds of approximately 100,000. Victoria includes eight public universities, with the oldest, the University of Melbourne, having been founded in 1853.

Etymology

Victoria, like Queensland, was named after Queen Victoria, who had been on the British throne for 14 years when the colony was established in 1851.^[7]

History

Main article: History of Victoria

After the founding of the colony of New South Wales in 1788, Australia was divided into an eastern half named New South Wales and a western half named New Holland, under the administration of the colonial government in Sydney. The first European settlement in the area later known as Victoria was established in October 1803 under Lieutenant-Governor David Collins at Sullivan Bay on Port Phillip. It consisted of 402 people (5 Government officials, 9 officers of marines, 2 drummers, and 39 privates, 5 soldiers' wives, and a child, 307 convicts, 17 convicts' wives, and 7 children).^[8] They had been sent from England in HMS Calcutta under the command of Captain Daniel Woodriff, principally out of fear that the French, who had been exploring the area, might establish their own settlement and thereby challenge British rights to the continent.

In the year 1826 Colonel Stewart, Captain S. Wright, and Lieutenant Burchell were sent in H.M.S. Fly (Captain Wetherall) and the brigs Dragon and Amity, took a number of convicts and a small force composed of detachments of the 3rd and 93rd regiments. The expedition landed at Settlement Point (now Corinella), on the eastern side of the bay, which was the headquarters until the abandonment of Western Port at the insistence of Governor Darling about twelve months afterwards.^[9]^[10]

Victoria's next settlement was at Portland, on the south west coast of what is now Victoria. Edward Henty settled Portland Bay in 1834.^[11]

Melbourne was founded in 1835 by John Batman, who set up a base in Indented Head, and John Pascoe Fawkner. From settlement the region around Melbourne was known as the Port Phillip District, a separately administered part of New South Wales. Shortly after the site now known as Geelong was surveyed by Assistant Surveyor W. H. Smythe, three weeks after Melbourne. And in 1838 Geelong was officially declared a town, despite earlier white settlements dating back to 1826.

Creation of separate colony of Victoria

Victoria Colony

British Crown Colony

←

1851–1901

→

flag (1870-1901)

Government

Self-governing colony

Monarch

•

1851-1901

Victoria

Governor

•

1851-1854

Charles La Trobe (first)

•

1895-1900

Thomas Brassey (last)

History

•

independence from the New South Wales colony

1851

•

Federation of Australia

1901

On 1 July 1851, writs were issued for the election of the first Victorian Legislative Council, and the absolute independence of Victoria from New South Wales was established proclaiming a new Colony of Victoria.^[12] Days later, still in 1851 gold was discovered near Ballarat, and subsequently at Bendigo. Later discoveries occurred at many sites across Victoria. This triggered one of the largest gold rushes the world has ever seen. The colony grew rapidly in both population and economic power. In ten years the population of Victoria increased sevenfold from 76,000 to 540,000. All sorts of gold records were produced including the "richest shallow alluvial goldfield in the world" and the largest gold nugget. Victoria produced in the decade 1851–1860 20 million ounces of gold, one third of the world's output.

Swearing Allegiance to the Southern Cross at the Eureka Stockade on 1 December 1854 – watercolour by Charles Doudiet

Immigrants arrived from all over the world to search for gold, especially from Ireland and China. Many Chinese miners worked in Victoria, and their legacy is particularly strong in Bendigo and its environs. Although there was some racism directed at them, there was not the level of anti-Chinese violence that was seen at the Lambing Flat riots in New South Wales. However, there was a riot at Buckland Valley near Bright in 1857. Conditions on the gold fields were cramped and unsanitary; an outbreak of typhoid at Buckland Valley in 1854 killed over 1,000 miners.

In 1854 at Ballarat there was an armed rebellion against the government of Victoria by miners protesting against mining taxes (the "Eureka Stockade"). This was crushed by British troops, but the discontents prompted colonial authorities to reform the administration (particularly reducing the hated mining licence fees) and extend the franchise. Within a short time, the Imperial Parliament granted Victoria responsible government with the passage of the Colony of Victoria Act 1855. Some of the leaders of the Eureka rebellion went on to become members of the Victorian Parliament.

The first foreign military action by the colony of Victoria was to send troops and a warship to New Zealand as part of the Māori Wars. Troops from New South Wales had previously participated in the Crimean War.

In 1901 Victoria became a state in the Commonwealth of Australia. As a result of the gold rush, Melbourne had by then become the financial centre of Australia and New Zealand. Between 1901 and 1927, Melbourne was the capital of Australia while Canberra was under construction. It was also the largest city in Australia at the time..

Government

Main article: Government of Victoria

The Victorian Parliament House, built in 1856, stands in Spring Street, Melbourne. The building was intended to be finished with a dome, but was not completed due to budget constraints.

The Legislative Council Chamber, as photographed in 1878

One of many local government seats, Geelong Town Hall

Former Fitzroy Town Hall, now functions as secondary offices for the City of Yarra.

Parliament

Main articles: Parliament of Victoria, Victorian Legislative Assembly and Victorian Legislative Council

Victoria has a parliamentary form of government based on the Westminster System. Legislative power resides in the Parliament consisting of the Governor (the representative of the Queen), the executive (the Government), and two legislative chambers. The Parliament of Victoria consists of the lower house Legislative Assembly, the upper house Legislative Council and the Queen of Australia.

Eighty-eight members of the Legislative Assembly are elected to four-year terms from single-member electorates.

In November 2006, the Victorian Legislative Council elections were held under a new multi-member proportional representation system. The State of Victoria was divided into eight electorates with each electorate represented by five representatives elected by Single Transferable Vote. The total number of upper house members was reduced from 44 to 40 and their term of office is now the same as the lower house members—four years. Elections for the Victorian Parliament are now fixed and occur in November every four years. Prior to the 2006 election, the Legislative Council consisted of 44 members elected to eight-year terms from 22 two-member electorates.

Political Composition of Parliament, 2014 election
Political Party	Legislative Assembly	Legislative Council
ALP	47	14
Liberal	30	14
National	8	2
Greens	2	5
Other	1	5
Source: Victorian Electoral Commission

Premier and cabinet

The Premier of Victoria is the leader of the political party or coalition with the most seats in the Legislative Assembly. The Premier is the public face of government and, with cabinet, sets the legislative and political agenda. Cabinet consists of representatives elected to either house of parliament. It is responsible for managing areas of government that are not exclusively the Commonwealth's, by the Australian Constitution, such as education, health and law enforcement. The current Premier of Victoria is Daniel Andrews.

Governor

Main article: Governors of Victoria

Executive authority is vested in the Governor of Victoria who represents and is appointed by Queen Elizabeth II. The post is usually filled by a retired prominent Victorian. The governor acts on the advice of the premier and cabinet. The current Governor of Victoria is Linda Dessau.

Constitution

Victoria has a written constitution enacted in 1975,^[13] but based on the 1855 colonial constitution, passed by the United Kingdom Parliament as the Victoria Constitution Act 1855, which establishes the Parliament as the state's law-making body for matters coming under state responsibility. The Victorian Constitution can be amended by the Parliament of Victoria, except for certain "entrenched" provisions that require either an absolute majority in both houses, a three-fifths majority in both houses, or the approval of the Victorian people in a referendum, depending on the provision.

Politics

Main article: Politics of Victoria

Victorians, and Melburnians in particular, are said to be "more progressive than other Australians", and although "most Australians support gay marriage", it is supported "nowhere more strongly than in Victoria." At the republic referendum in 1999, the state with the highest yes vote was Victoria. Victorians are also said to be "generally socially progressive, supportive of multiculturalism, wary of extremes of any kind."^[14]

Premier Daniel Andrews leads the Australian Labor Party that won the November 2014 Victorian state election.

The centre-left Australian Labor Party (ALP), the centre-right Liberal Party of Australia, the rural-based National Party of Australia, and the environmentalist Australian Greens are Victoria's main political parties. Traditionally, Labor is strongest in Melbourne's working class western and northern suburbs, and the regional cities of Ballarat, Bendigo and Geelong. The Liberals' main support lies in Melbourne's more affluent eastern and outer suburbs, and some rural and regional centres. The Nationals are strongest in Victoria's North Western and Eastern rural regional areas. The Greens, who won their first lower house seats in 2014, are strongest in inner Melbourne.

Federal government

Victorian voters elect 49 representatives to the Parliament of Australia, including 37 members of the House of Representatives and 12 members of the Senate. Since 2013, the ALP has held 19 Victorian house seats, the Liberals 14, the Nationals two, the Greens one, and one held by an Independent. As of 1 July 2014, the Liberals have held three senate seats, the Nationals one, the ALP four, the Greens two, and the Democratic Labor Party one.

Local government

Main article: Local government areas of Victoria

Victoria is incorporated into 79 municipalities for the purposes of local government, including 39 shires, 32 cities, seven rural cities and one borough. Shire and city councils are responsible for functions delegated by the Victorian parliament, such as city planning, road infrastructure and waste management. Council revenue comes mostly from property taxes and government grants.^[15]

Demographics

Age structure and fertility

The government predicts that nearly a quarter of Victorians will be aged over 60 by 2021. The 2011 census reveals that Australian median age has crept upward from 35 to 37 since 2001, which reflects the population growth peak of 1969–72.^[20] In 2011, Victoria recorded a TFR of 1.88, the highest after 1978.^[21]

Crime

The state of Victoria is divided into four geographical regions; North-West Metropolitan Region, Southern Metropolitan Region, Eastern Region, Western Region. In 2011–2012 there were 173 homicides.^[22]

Criminal offences recorded in Victoria 2010-14^[23]
	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2013-14 % change
Number of offences	378,082	386,061	423,555	437,409	456,381	4.3%

In 2015, the average male prisoner in Victoria is:^[23]

35.5 years old
born in Australia
did not complete high school
a history of alcohol and drug abuse
single and unemployed at the time he entered the prison system
sentence of three years in a medium security prison
more likely than not to have been imprisoned previously

In 2015, the average female prisoner in Victoria is:^[23]

36 years old
born in Australia
single or in a de facto relationship
likely to be a mother/primary care giver
unemployed, home duties or on a pension before prison
has a higher level of education than her male counterpart but still failed to complete high school
sentence of less than two years
likely to be in prison for the first time

Religion

About 61.1% of Victorians describe themselves as Christian. Roman Catholics form the single largest religious group in the state with 26.7% of the Victorian population, followed by Anglicans and members of the Uniting Church. Buddhism is the state's largest non-Christian religion, with 168,637 members as of the most recent census. Victoria is also home of 152,775 Muslims and 45,150 Jews. Hinduism is the fastest growing religion. Around 20% of Victorians claim no religion. Amongst those who declare a religious affiliation, church attendance is low.^[24]

In 2012, the proportion of couples marrying in a church had dropped to 28.2%; the other 71.7% registered their marriage with a civil celebrant.^[25]

Education

Main article: Education in Victoria

Primary and secondary

Victoria's state school system dates back to 1872, when the colonial government legislated to make schooling both free and compulsory. The state's public secondary school system began in 1905. Before then, only private secondary schooling was available. Today, a Victorian school education consists of seven years of primary schooling (including one preparatory year) and six years of secondary schooling.

The final years of secondary school are optional for children aged over 17. Victorian children generally begin school at age five or six. On completing secondary school, students earn the Victorian Certificate of Education. Students who successfully complete their secondary education also receive a tertiary entrance ranking, or ATAR score, to determine university admittance.

Victorian schools are either publicly or privately funded. Public schools, also known as state or government schools, are funded and run directly by the Victoria Department of Education . Students do not pay tuition fees, but some extra costs are levied. Private fee-paying schools include parish schools run by the Roman Catholic Church and independent schools similar to British public schools. Independent schools are usually affiliated with Protestant churches. Victoria also has several private Jewish and Islamic primary and secondary schools. Private schools also receive some public funding. All schools must comply with government-set curriculum standards. In addition, Victoria has four government selective schools, Melbourne High School for boys, MacRobertson Girls' High School for girls, the coeducational schools John Monash Science School, Nossal High School and Suzanne Cory High School, and The Victorian College of the Arts Secondary School. Students at these schools are exclusively admitted on the basis of an academic selective entry test.

As of August 2010, Victoria had 1,548 public schools, 489 Catholic schools and 214 independent schools. Just under 540,800 students were enrolled in public schools, and just over 311,800 in private schools. Over 61 per cent of private students attend Catholic schools. More than 462,000 students were enrolled in primary schools and more than 390,000 in secondary schools. Retention rates for the final two years of secondary school were 77 per cent for public school students and 90 per cent for private school students. Victoria has about 63,519 full-time teachers.^[26]

Tertiary education

The University of Melbourne, ranked 1st in Australia and in the Southern Hemisphere, is Victoria's oldest university.

Victoria has nine universities. The first to offer degrees, the University of Melbourne, enrolled its first student in 1855. The largest, Monash University, has an enrolment of nearly 56,000 students—more than any other Australian university.

The number of students enrolled in Victorian universities was 241,755 at 2004, an increase of 2% on the previous year. International students made up 30% of enrolments and account for the highest percentage of pre-paid university tuition fees. The largest number of enrolments were recorded in the fields of business, administration and economics, with nearly a third of all students, followed by arts, humanities, and social science, with 20% of enrolments.

Victoria has 18 government-run institutions of “technical and further education” (TAFE). The first vocational institution in the state was the Melbourne Mechanics' Institute (established in 1839), which is now the Melbourne Athenaeum. More than 1,000 adult education organisations are registered to provide recognised TAFE programs. In 2004, there were about 480,700 students enrolled in vocational education programs in the state.^[27]

The State Library of Victoria forecourt

Libraries

The State Library of Victoria is the State's research and reference library. It is responsible for collecting and preserving Victoria's documentary heritage and making it available through a range of services and programs. Material in the collection includes books, newspapers, magazines, journals, manuscripts, maps, pictures, objects, sound and video recordings and databases.

In addition, local governments maintain local lending libraries, typically with multiple branches in their respective municipal areas.

Economy

Agriculture

Manufacturing

Victoria has a diverse range of manufacturing enterprises and Melbourne is Victoria's (and Australia's) most important industrial city, followed by Geelong. Additionally, energy production has aided industrial growth in the Latrobe Valley.

Machinery and equipment manufacturing is the state's most valuable manufacturing activity, followed by food and beverage products, petrochemicals and chemicals. More than 15% of Victorian workers, are employed directly in manufacturing, the highest percentage in Australia. The state is marginally behind New South Wales in the total value of manufacturing output.

Prominent manufacturing plants in the state include the Portland and Point Henry aluminium smelters, owned by Alcoa; oil refineries at Geelong and Altona; a major petrochemical facility at Laverton; and Victorian-based CSL, a global biotechnology company that produces vaccines and plasma products, among others. Victoria also plays an important role in providing goods for the defence industry.

Historically, Victoria has been the base for the manufacturing plants of the major car brands Ford, Toyota and Holden; however, closure announcements by all three companies in the 21st century will mean that Australia will no longer be a base for the global car industry, with Toyota's statement in February 2014 outlining a closure year of 2017. Holden's announcement occurred in May 2013, followed by Ford's decision in December of the same year (Ford's Victorian plants—in Broadmeadows and Geelong—will close in October 2016).^[28]^[29]

Crown land

Crown land held in Victoria is managed under the Crown Land (Reserves) Act 1978 and the Land Act 1958

Mining

Yallourn Power Station in the Latrobe Valley

Service industry

The service industries sector is the fastest growing component of the Victorian economy. It includes the wide range of activities generally classified as community, social and personal services; finances, insurance and property services, government services, transportation and communication, and wholesale and retail trade. Most service industries are located in Melbourne and the state's larger regional centres.

As of 2004–05, service industries employed nearly three-quarters of Victorian workers and generated three-quarters of the state's GSP. Finance, insurance and property services, as a group, provide a larger share of GSP than any other economic activity in Victoria. More than a quarter of Victorian workers are employed by the community, social and personal services sector.^[32]

Tourism

The Melbourne skyline at night, from Port Phillip

Autumn in the Dandenong Ranges

Jan Juc, Torquay

The Twelve Apostles

Some major tourist destinations in Victoria are:

The metropolis of Melbourne, particular its inner city suburbs (known also for shopping tourism) and the attractions of the city centre such as Crown Casino, Melbourne Zoo, Melbourne Museum, the Melbourne Aquariumand ScienceWorks, tourism precincts such as Melbourne Docklands, Southbank and St Kilda as well as cultural and sporting tourist icons such as Arts Centre Melbourne, the East End Theatre District, the National Gallery of Victoria, the Melbourne Cricket Ground, also known as the MCG, and the Eureka Tower, with the highest observation deck in the Southern Hemisphere, Skydeck 88.
Victoria has more than 2000 kilometres of coastline with hundreds of beaches.^[33]
The Goldfields region featuring the historic cities of Ballarat, Beechworth, Bendigo, Castlemaine, Maldon and Daylesford.
Natural attractions, such as The Twelve Apostles, Wilsons Promontory, The Grampians, the fairy penguins (particularly at Phillip Island and St Kilda), the Buchan Caves and the Gippsland Lakes.
The Dandenong Ranges (in particular the Puffing Billy Railway).
Healesville Sanctuary, which specialises in local Australian species.
Towns along the Murray River and Riverina including Echuca and Mildura including waterskiing.
Geelong and its famous Waterfront, Eastern Beach and Geelong West's Pakington Street
The Australian International Airshow
The Bellarine Peninsula which features vineyards and historic resort towns such as Queenscliff, Drysdale and Portarlington
The Werribee Mansion and Werribee Open Range Zoo
The Surf Coast which features famous beaches such as Bells Beach, Torquay and Lorne
Mornington Peninsula, particularly for its wineries and secluded beaches, Arthur's Seat and the coastal attractions of Portsea and Sorrento.
Yarra Valley (in particular Healesville Sanctuary and wineries).
Great Ocean Road, which features The Twelve Apostles, historic towns of Port Fairy and Portland, cliffs and whale watching and resort towns such as Lorne.
The Victorian Alpine Region, part of the Australian Alps, particularly for skiing
The Central Victorian Highlands, 'Highcountry' are very well known for winter sports and bushwalking
Wine regions across the entire state.

Other popular tourism activities are gliding, hang-gliding, hot air ballooning and scuba diving.

Major events also play a big part in tourism in Victoria, particularly cultural tourism and sports tourism. Most of these events are centred on Melbourne, but others occur in regional cities, such as the V8 Supercars and Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix at Phillip Island, the Grand Annual Steeplechase at Warrnambool and the Australian International Airshow at Geelong and numerous local festivals such as the popular Port Fairy Folk Festival, Queenscliff Music Festival, Bells Beach SurfClassic and the Bright Autumn Festival.

Geology and geography

Island Archway on the Great Ocean Road in Victoria, Australia.

Main articles: Geology of Victoria and Geography of Victoria

Victoria's northern border is the southern bank of the Murray River. This precise definition was not established until 1980, when a ruling by Justice Ninian Stephen of the High Court of Australia settled the question as to which state had jurisdiction in the unlawful death of a man on an island in the middle of the river. The ruling clarified that no part of the watercourse is in Victoria.^[34] The border also rests at the southern end of the Great Dividing Range, which stretches along the east coast and terminates west of Ballarat. It is bordered by South Australia to the west and shares Australia's shortest land border with Tasmania. The official border between Victoria and Tasmania is at 39°12' S, which passes through Boundary Islet in the Bass Strait for 85 metres.^[35]^[36]

Victorian cities, towns, settlements and road network

Victoria contains many topographically, geologically and climatically diverse areas, ranging from the wet, temperate climate of Gippsland in the southeast to the snow-covered Victorian alpine areas which rise to almost 2,000 m (6,600 ft), with Mount Bogong the highest peak at 1,986 m (6,516 ft). There are extensive semi-arid plains to the west and northwest. There is an extensive series of river systems in Victoria. Most notable is the Murray River system. Other rivers include: Ovens River, Goulburn River, Patterson River, King River, Campaspe River, Loddon River, Wimmera River, Elgin River, Barwon River, Thomson River, Snowy River, Latrobe River, Yarra River, Maribyrnong River, Mitta River, Hopkins River, Merri River and Kiewa River. The state symbols include the pink heath (state flower), Leadbeater's possum (state animal) and the helmeted honeyeater (state bird).

The state's capital, Melbourne, contains about 70% of the state's population and dominates its economy, media, and culture. For other cities and towns, see list of localities (Victoria) and local government areas of Victoria.

Climate

Aireys Inlet

Average monthly maximum temperatures in Victoria
Month	Melbourne °C (°F)	Mildura °C (°F)
January	25.8 (78)	32.8 (91)
February	25.8 (78)	32.7 (91)
March	23.8 (75)	29.3 (85)
April	20.2 (68)	24.1 (75)
May	16.6 (62)	19.6 (67)
June	14.0 (57)	16.0 (61)
July	13.4 (56)	15.4 (60)
August	14.9 (59)	17.7 (64)
September	17.2 (63)	21.1 (70)
October	19.6 (67)	25.0 (77)
November	21.8 (71)	29.0 (84)
December	24.1 (75)	31.7 (89)
Source: Bureau of Meteorology

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Climate diagrams of Victoria.

Victoria has a varied climate despite its small size. It ranges from semi-arid temperate with hot summers in the north-west, to temperate and cool along the coast. Victoria's main land feature, the Great Dividing Range, produces a cooler, mountain climate in the centre of the state. Winters along the coast of the state, particularly around Melbourne, are relatively mild (see chart at right).

Victoria's southernmost position on the Australian mainland means it is cooler and wetter than other mainland states and territories. The coastal plain south of the Great Dividing Range has Victoria's mildest climate. Air from the Southern Ocean helps reduce the heat of summer and the cold of winter. Melbourne and other large cities are located in this temperate region. The autumn months of April/May are mild and bring some of Australia's colourful foliage across many parts of the state.

The Mallee and upper Wimmera are Victoria's warmest regions with hot winds blowing from nearby semi-deserts. Average temperatures exceed 32 °C (90 °F) during summer and 15 °C (59 °F) in winter. Except at cool mountain elevations, the inland monthly temperatures are 2–7 °C (4–13 °F) warmer than around Melbourne (see chart). Victoria's highest maximum temperature since World War II, of 48.8 °C (119.8 °F) was recorded in Hopetoun on 7 February 2009, during the 2009 southeastern Australia heat wave.^[37]

The Victorian Alps in the northeast are the coldest part of Victoria. The Alps are part of the Great Dividing Range mountain system extending east-west through the centre of Victoria. Average temperatures are less than 9 °C (48 °F) in winter and below 0 °C (32 °F) in the highest parts of the ranges. The state's lowest minimum temperature of −11.7 °C (10.9 °F) was recorded at Omeo on 13 June 1965, and again at Falls Creek on 3 July 1970.^[37] Temperature extremes for the state are listed in the table below:

Climate data for Victoria
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °C (°F)	47.2 (117)	48.8 (119.8)	44.4 (111.9)	37.8 (100)	32.2 (90)	25.7 (78.3)	27.1 (80.8)	29.9 (85.8)	37.4 (99.3)	40.2 (104.4)	45.8 (114.4)	46.6 (115.9)	48.8 (119.8)
Record low °C (°F)	−3.9 (25)	−3.9 (25)	−4.3 (24.3)	−8.2 (17.2)	−8.3 (17.1)	−11.7 (10.9)	−11.7 (10.9)	−11.7 (10.9)	−9.4 (15.1)	−8.4 (16.9)	−6.8 (19.8)	−5.2 (22.6)	−11.7 (10.9)
Source: Bureau of Meteorology^[38]

Rainfall

Victoria is the wettest Australian state after Tasmania. Rainfall in Victoria increases from south to north, with higher averages in areas of high altitude. Mean annual rainfall exceeds 1,800 millimetres (71 inches) in some parts of the northeast but is less than 280 mm (11 in) in the Mallee.

Rain is heaviest in the Otway Ranges and Gippsland in southern Victoria and in the mountainous northeast. Snow generally falls only in the mountains and hills in the centre of the state. Rain falls most frequently in winter, but summer precipitation is heavier. Rainfall is most reliable in Gippsland and the Western District, making them both leading farming areas. Victoria's highest recorded daily rainfall was 375 mm (14.8 in) at Tanybryn in the Otway Ranges on 22 March 1983.^[37]

Average temperatures and precipitation for Victoria
Average January maximum temperatures:
Victoria's north is almost always hotter than coastal and mountainous areas.
Average July maximum temperatures:
Victoria's hills and ranges are coolest during winter. Snow also falls there.
Average yearly precipitation:
Victoria's rainfall is concentrated in the mountainous north-east and coast.

Source: Bureau of Meteorology, Department of Primary Industries, Australian Natural Resources Atlas

Transport

Victoria has the highest population density in any state in Australia, with population centres spread out over most of the state; only the far northwest and the Victorian Alps lack permanent settlement.

The Victorian road network services the population centres, with highways generally radiating from Melbourne and other major cities and rural centres with secondary roads interconnecting the highways to each other. Many of the highways are built to freeway standard ("M" freeways), while most are generally sealed and of reasonable quality.

A current Melbourne C 2 class (Citadis) and a D-class tram

Rail transport in Victoria is provided by several private and public railway operators who operate over government-owned lines. Major operators include: Metro Trains Melbourne which runs an extensive, electrified, passenger system throughout Melbourne and suburbs; V/Line which is now owned by the Victorian Government, operates a concentrated service to major regional centres, as well as long distance services on other lines; Pacific National, CFCL Australia which operate freight services; Great Southern Rail which operates The Overland Melbourne—Adelaide; and NSW TrainLink which operates XPTs Melbourne—Sydney.

There are also several smaller freight operators and numerous tourist railways operating over lines which were once parts of a state-owned system. Victorian lines mainly use the 1,600 mm (5 ft 3 in) broad gauge. However, the interstate trunk routes, as well as a number of branch lines in the west of the state have been converted to 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 ¹⁄₂ in) standard gauge. Two tourist railways operate over 760 mm (2 ft 6 in) narrow gauge lines, which are the remnants of five formerly government-owned lines which were built in mountainous areas.

Melbourne has the world's largest tram network,^[39] currently operated by Yarra Trams. As well as being a popular form of public transport, over the last few decades trams have become one of Melbourne's major tourist attractions. There are also tourist trams operating over portions of the former Ballarat and Bendigo systems. There are also tramway museums at Bylands and Haddon.

Melbourne Airport is the major domestic and international gateway for the state. Avalon Airport is the state's second busiest airport, which complements Essendon and Moorabbin Airports to see the remainder of Melbourne's air traffic. Hamilton Airport, Mildura Airport, Mount Hotham and Portland Airport are the remaining airports with scheduled domestic flights. There are no fewer than 27 other airports in the state with no scheduled flights.

The Port of Melbourne is the largest port for containerised and general cargo in Australia,^[40] and is located in Melbourne on the mouth of the Yarra River, which is at the head of Port Phillip. Additional seaports are at Westernport, Geelong, and Portland.

As of October 2013, smoking tobacco is prohibited in the sheltered areas of train stations, and tram and bus stops—between 2012 and 2013, 2002 people were issued with infringement notices. The state government announced a plan in October 2013 to prohibit smoking on all Victorian railway station platforms and raised tram stops.^[41]

NSW TrainLink is the New South Wales Government's long distance train and coach service provider which provides twice-daily interstate services from Melbourne to Sydney.

An 'X'Trapolis' in livery of former commuter-service provider Connex, now succeeded by Metro Trains Melbourne

V/Line is a government-owned train and coach service provider in Victoria. The enterprise provides inter-city services to a number of regional cities in the state.

Utilities

Energy

Victoria's major utilities include a collection of brown-coal-fired power stations, particularly in the Latrobe Valley. One of these is Hazelwood Power Station, which is number 1 in the worldwide List of least carbon efficient power stations.

Water

Victoria's water infrastructure includes a series of dams and reservoirs, predominantly in Central Victoria, that hold and collect water for much of the state. The water collected is of a very high quality and requires little chlorination treatment, giving the water a taste more like water collected in a rainwater tank. In regional areas however, such as in the west of the state, chlorination levels are much higher.

The Victorian Water Grid consists of a number of new connections and pipelines being built across the State. This allows water to be moved around Victoria to where it is needed most and reduces the impact of localised droughts in an era thought to be influenced by climate change. Major projects already completed as part of the Grid include the Wimmera Mallee Pipeline and the Goldfields Superpipe.^[42]

Sport

Main article: Sport in Victoria

Statue outside the Melbourne Cricket Ground commemorating the origins of Australian rules football

The MCG during the 1998 Boxing Day Test match

Victoria is the home of Australian rules football, with ten of the eighteen Australian Football League (AFL) clubs based in the state. The AFL Grand Final is traditionally held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on the last Saturday of September.

Victoria's cricket team, the Victorian Bushrangers play in the national Sheffield Shield cricket competition. Victoria is represented in the National Rugby League by the Melbourne Storm and in Super Rugby by the Melbourne Rebels. It is represented in the National Basketball League by Melbourne United. It is also represented in Football (soccer) by Melbourne Victory and Melbourne City in the A-League.

Melbourne has held the 1956 Summer Olympics, 2006 Commonwealth Games and the FINA World Swimming Championship.

Melbourne is also home to the Australian Open tennis tournament in January each year, the first of the world's four Grand Slam tennis tournaments, and the Australian Formula One Grand Prix.

Victoria's Bells Beach hosts one of the world's longest-running surfing competition, the Bells Beach SurfClassic, which is part of The ASP World Tour.

Netball is a big part of sport in Victoria. The Melbourne Vixens represent Victoria in the ANZ Championship. Some of the world's best netballers such as Sharelle McMahon, Renae Hallinan, Madison Browne, Julie Corletto and Bianca Chatfield come from Victoria.

Possibly Victoria's most famous island, Phillip Island, is home of the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit which hosts the Australian motorcycle Grand Prix which features MotoGP (the world's premier motorcycling class), as well as the Australian round of the World Superbike Championship and the domestic V8 Supercar racing, which also visits Sandown Raceway and the rural Winton Motor Raceway circuit.

Australia's most prestigious footrace, the Stawell Gift, is an annual event.

Victoria is also home to the Aussie Millions poker tournament, the richest in the Southern Hemisphere.

The Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival is one of the biggest horse racing events in the world and is one of the world's largest sporting events. The main race is for the $6 million Melbourne Cup, and crowds for the carnival exceed 700,000.

Major professional teams include:

Notes

↑ Due to a previous surveying error, Victoria and Tasmania share a land border on Boundary Islet. At 85 metres (93 yd) in length, the border is the smallest between any two Australian states or territories.

References

↑ "3101.0 – Australian Demographic Statistics, Mar 2015". Australian Bureau of Statistics. 26 September 2014. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
↑ 5220.0 – Australian National Accounts: State Accounts, 2010–11.
↑ "Floral Emblem of Victoria". www.anbg.gov.auhi. Retrieved 26 March 2008.
↑ "Victorian Symbols and Emblems". Department of premier and cabinet. Retrieved 11 May 2013.
↑ "Victoria". Parliament@Work. Retrieved 22 January 2013.
↑ Victoria's Parliamentary History (Parliament of Victoria website) Archived 9 March 2013 at the Wayback Machine.
↑ House of Lords Record Office. "An Act for the better Government of Her Majesty's Australian Colonies (1850)". Retrieved 2016-01-01.
↑ "CORRESPONDENCE.". The Advertiser (Adelaide, SA : 1889 – 1931) (Adelaide, SA: National Library of Australia). 14 October 1901. p. 7. Retrieved 17 January 2012.
↑ "ATTEMPTED COLONISATION AT WESTERN PORT.". Mornington Standard (Vic. : 1889 – 1908) (Vic.: National Library of Australia). 12 August 1905. p. 5 Edition: MORNING. Retrieved 24 January 2012.
↑ Corinella – Victoria's Best Kept Secret
↑ James Boyce (2011) 1835: The Founding of Melbourne and the Conquest of Australia, Black Inc, p.12
↑ "Anniversary of the Week.". The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 – 1956) (Melbourne, Vic.: National Library of Australia). 4 July 1930. p. 2 Supplement: Saturday Camera Supplement. Retrieved 26 January 2012.
↑ CONSTITUTION ACT 1975
↑ Gay Alcorn (10 May 2013). "Welcome to Victoria, the progressive state". The Age. Retrieved 2 October 2013.
↑ Victorian Parliamentary Library, Department of Victorian Communities, Australian Electoral Commission
↑ Australian Bureau of Statistics (31 October 2012). "Victoria". 2011 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 12 February 2013.
↑ "3218.0 – Regional Population Growth, Australia, 2011". ABS website. Australian Bureau of Statistics. 31 July 2012. Archived from the original on 17 August 2012. Retrieved 29 August 2012.
↑ Provincial Victoria – About Archived 26 April 2010 at the Wayback Machine.
↑ Colebatch, Tim (24 April 2009). "Pressure grows as Melbourne rockets to 4 million". The Age (Australia).
↑ Australian Bureau of Statistics (31 October 2012). "Victoria". 2011 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 24 February 2013.
↑ 3301.0 – Births, Australia, 2009
↑ Archived 28 April 2013 at the Wayback Machine.
1 2 3 "Investigation into the rehabilitation and reintegration of prisoners in Victoria September 2015". Obudsman Victoria. Retrieved September 2015. line feed character in |title= at position 56 (help)
↑ 2011 Census Community Profile Series : Victoria
↑ "3310.0 Marriages and Divorces, Australia, 2012". Australian Bureau of Statistics. Australian Bureau of Statistics. 27 November 2013. Retrieved 4 July 2014.
↑ 4221.0 Schools, Australia 2010, Australian Bureau of Statistics, 17 March 2011.
↑ Australian Bureau of Statistics, Department of Education and Training (Victoria), Department of Education, Science and Training (Commonwealth), National Centre for Vocational Education Research
↑ "South Australia stunned as GM announces Holden's closure in Adelaide in 2017". News.com.au. 12 December 2013. Retrieved 12 February 2014.
↑ "Ford closure sends shockwave through manufacturing industry". ABC News. 24 May 2013. Retrieved 12 February 2014.
1 2 Department of Primary Industries: Oil and Gas at the Wayback Machine (archived July 19, 2008)
↑ Australian Bureau of Statistics: Year Book Australia, 2004 – Profile of major commodities
↑ Australian Bureau of Statistics, Department of Primary Industries
↑ WA Today: Waves of fancy: Victoria's best beaches Archived 3 February 2011 at the Wayback Machine.
↑ "Stateless old Jack, beyond all borders", Sydney Morning Herald, 14 April 2012. Retrieved 15 April 2016
↑ "Victoria Tasmania border". Archived from the original on 2 January 2006. Retrieved 7 March 2006.
↑ Boundary Islet on street-directory.com.au
1 2 3 "Rainfall and Temperature Records: National" (PDF). Bureau of Meteorology. Retrieved 14 November 2009.
↑ "Official records for Australia in January". Daily Extremes. Bureau of Meteorology. 31 July 2013. Retrieved 12 March 2014.
↑ DoI (2008). . Retrieved 28 April 2008.
↑ "DoI media release – 'Government outlines vision for Port of Melbourne Freight Hub' – 14 August 2006". Archived from the original on 17 September 2007. Retrieved 26 July 2007.
↑ AAP (13 October 2013). "Vic transport smoking bans to be extended". The Australian. Retrieved 14 October 2013.
↑ "Department of Sustainability & Environment, "Expansion of the Water Grid", http://www.ourwater.vic.gov.au/programs/water-grid, accessed 27 January 2011".

External links

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Victoria (Australia).

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Victoria, Australia.

State Government of Victoria website
Official Government tourism website
Victorian Places website
Tourism Victoria's Online Image Library
Geographic data related to Victoria (Australia) at OpenStreetMap

Victoria

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Population growth estimates for Victoria
2007	5,087,000
2011	5,500,000
2016	6,000,000
2021	6,400,000
2026	6,800,000
2031	7,300,000
Source: Dept of Planning and Community Development

Victorian production and workers by economic activities
Economic sector	GSP produced	Number of workers	Percentage of workers
Finance, insurance and property	30.5%	319,109	15.3%
Community, social and personal services	16.6%	562,783	27.4%
Manufacturing	15.4%	318,218	15.3%
Wholesale and retail trade	12.1%	423,328	20.3%
Transport, utilities and communications	10.6%	133,752	6.4%
Construction	6.2%	136,454	6.6%
Government	4%	62,253	3%
Agriculture	3.3%	72,639	3.5%
Mining	1.3%	4,472	0.2%
Other	–	49,208	2%
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics. Figures are for 2004–2005

Victoria (Australia)

Etymology

History

Creation of separate colony of Victoria

Government

Parliament

Premier and cabinet

Governor

Constitution

Politics

Federal government

Local government

Demographics

Age structure and fertility

Crime

Religion

Education

Primary and secondary

Tertiary education

Libraries

Economy

Agriculture

Manufacturing

Crown land

Mining

Service industry

Tourism

Geology and geography

Climate

Rainfall

Transport

Utilities

Energy

Water

Sport

See also

Notes

References

Further reading

External links