Comprehensive information and links about Australia Victoria

Victoria is a state located in the south-eastern corner of Australia. It is the smallest mainland state in area, but the most densely populated and urbanised. Victoria began as a farming community in the 1800s, until the discovery of gold transformed it into a leading industrial and commercial centre. In June 2005, Victoria's population reached an estimated 5,022,300 - making it the second most populous Australian state, after New South Wales. Melbourne is Victoria's capital and largest city, with more than 70 per cent of all Victorians living there.

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After the founding of the colony of New South Wales in 1788, the continent was divided into an eastern half - named New South Wales, and a western half, named New Holland, but under the administration of the colonial government in Sydney. Victoria's first settlement was at Portland, on the west coast of what is now Victoria, Melbourne was founded in 1835 by John Batman.

In 1851 gold was discovered at Anderson's Creek near Melbourne, at 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. Victoria grew rapidly in both population and economic power. The colony was granted independence from New South Wales in the same year.

In 1901 Victoria became a state in the Commonwealth of Australia. Melbourne was the capital of Australia while Canberra was under construction.

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. While Queen Elizabeth II is Victoria's head of state, it is in practice a ceremonial role.

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. The Legislative Council consists of 44 members elected to eight-year terms from 22 two-member electorates. Legislative Council elections are staggered so that half the members face election every four years.

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 reserved for the states by the Australian Constitution, such as education, health and law enforcement.

The Governor of Victoria has a ceremonial role representing Queen Elizabeth II. The post is usually filled by a retired prominent Victorian. The governor acts on the advice of the Premier and Cabinet.

Victoria has a written constitution. Enacted in 1975, but based on the 1855 colonial constitution, it establishes the parliament as the state's supreme law-making . The Victorian Constitution can be amended by the parliament without voter approval.

From November 2006, Victorian voters will elect members to the upper house under a revamped system. The Legislative Council will consist of 40 seats, with five representatives each elected from eight new multi-member districts. Minor parties are expected to benefit most from the changes.

Local Government

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.

Politics

The Australian Labor Party, Liberal Party of Australia and National Party of Australia are Victoria's major political parties. Traditionally, Labor is strongest in Melbourne's inner, working class and western suburbs. The Liberals' main support lies in Melbourne's more affluent eastern and outer suburbs, and some regional centres. The Nationals are strongest in Victoria's regional and rural areas.

The 2001 Australian census reported that Victoria had 4,644,950 people, an increase of 6.2 per cent on the 1996 figure. The Australian Bureau of Statistics estimates that by June 2005 the state's population had reached 5,022,300. A Victorian Government estimate puts the figure at 5,024,529. Victoria's founding Anglo-Celtic population has been supplemented by successive waves of migrants from southern and eastern Europe, Southeast Asia and, most recently, the Horn of Africa and Middle East. Victoria's population is ageing rapidly. The government predicts that nearly a quarter of Victorians will be aged over 60 by 2021.

More than 70 per cent of Victorians live in Melbourne, located in the state's south. The sprawling Melbourne metropolitan area is home to an estimated 3,641,254 people. Other important urban centres include Geelong, Ballarat, Bendigo and Latrobe City. Victoria is Australia's most urbanised state, with nearly 90 per cent of residents living in cities and towns. Since 1871, more than half of all Victorians have lived in urban areas. Today, just over 12 per cent of Victorians live in rural areas. The drift of people into Melbourne continues despite government efforts to encourage Victorians to settle in regional areas.

About 72 per cent of Victorians are Australian-born. This figure falls to around 66 per cent in Melbourne, but rises to higher than 95 per cent in some rural areas in the north-west of the state. Around two-thirds of Victorians claim Australian, English or Irish ancestry. Less than one per cent of Victorians identify themselves as Aboriginal. The largest groups of people born outside Australia came from the United Kingdom, Italy, Vietnam, Greece and New Zealand.

About 65 out of every 100 Victorians describe themselves as Christian. Roman Catholics form the single largest religious group in the state, followed by Anglicans and members of the Uniting Church. Catholics and Protestants in Victoria each form around 30 per cent of the population. Buddhism, the state's largest non-Christian religion, is also the fastest growing. Victoria is also home to around 93,000 Muslims and 40,000 Jews. Around 17 per cent of Victorians claim no religion.

The Victorian economy is the second largest in Australia, accounting for a quarter of the nation's gross domestic product. The total gross state product at current prices for Victoria was at just over $A222 billion, with a GSP per capita of $A44,443. The economy grew by 3.4 per cent in 2004, less than the Australian average of 5.2 per cent. Finance, insurance and property services form Victoria's largest income producing sector, while the community, social and personal services sector is the state's biggest employer. Despite the shift towards service industries, manufacturing remains Victoria's single largest employer and income producer.

Agriculture

Victoria is Australia's leading farming state. During 2003-04, the gross value of Victorian agricultural production increased by 17 per cent to $8.7 billion. This represented 24 per cent of national agricultural production total gross value. As of 2004, an estimated 32,463 farms occupied around 13.6 million hectares of Victorian land. This comprises more than 60 per cent of the state's total land surface. Victorian farms range from small horticultural outfits to largescale livestock and grain productions. A quarter of farmland is used to grow consumable crops.

More than 2.6 million hectares of Victorian farmland is sown for grain, mostly in the state's west. More than 50 per cent of this area is sown for wheat, 33 per cent for barley and seven per cent for oats. A further 600,000 hectares is sown for hay. In 2003-04, Victorian farmers produced more than 3 million tonnes of wheat and 2 million tonnes of barley. The state also grows about half of Australia's tobacco. Victorian farms produce nearly 90 per cent of Australian pears and third of apples. It is also a leader in stone fruit production. The main vegetable crops include asparagus, broccoli, carrots, potatoes and tomatoes. Last year, 121,200 tonnes of pears and 270,000 tonnes of tomatoes were produced.

More than 14 million sheep and 5 million lambs graze over 10 per cent of Victorian farms, mostly in the state's north and west. In 2004, nearly 10 million lambs and sheep were slaughtered for local consumption and export. Victoria also exports live sheep to the Middle East for meat and to the rest of the world for breeding. More than 108,000 tonnes of wool clip was also produced - one-fifth of the Australian total.

Victoria is the centre of dairy farming in Australia. It is home to 60 per cent of Australia's 3 million dairy cattle and produces nearly two-thirds of the nation's milk, almost 6.4 million litres. The state also has 2.4 million beef cattle, with more than 2.2 million cattle and calves slaughtered each year. In 2003-04, Victorian commercial fishing crews and aquaculture industry produced 11,634 tonnes of seafood valued at nearly $A109 million. Blacklipped abalone is the mainstay of the catch, bringing in $A46 million, followed by southern rock lobster worth $A13.7 million. Most abalone and rock lobster is exported to Asia.

Victoria's northern border is the south bank of the Murray River, the river itself being part of New South Wales. It 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. In this space are 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 2000 m (with Mount Bogong the highest peak at 1986 m) and extensive semi-arid plains to the west and north-west.

There is an extensive series of river systems in Victoria owing to its relatively high (relative to the rest of Australia) rainfall. Most notable is the Murray River system. Other rivers include: Ovens River, Goulburn River, King River, Campaspe River, Loddon River, Wimmera River, Elgin River, Barwon River, Thompson River, Snowy River, Latrobe River, Yarra River, Maribyrnong River, Mitta 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 approximately 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.

Some major tourist destinations in Victoria include: Ballarat, Beechworth, Bendigo, Buchan Caves, Echuca, Fairy penguins, Geelong, Gippsland Lakes, Gliding, Great Ocean Road, Maldon, Melbourne Casino, Melbourne Cricket Ground, Murray River golf clubs, Port Fairy Folk Festival, Puffing Billy, Skiing in Victoria, Sovereign Hill, The Twelve Apostles. Other popular activies include whale watching, hang-gliding and hot air ballooning.

, with 10 of the 16 clubs of the major league (see Australian Football League) based in Victoria, and the traditional Grand Final held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on the last Saturday in September.

Australian Places - a gazetteer of Australian cities, towns and suburbs, many of which are in Victoria