Victoria

Victoria - VIC

Prior to European settlement Indigenous Australians around 30,000 were estimated to have lived in the area now occupied by the state, European settlement began in the 1830s with the discovery of gold in the 1851 that transformed Victoria in to a leading industrial and commercial centre, which triggered one of the larges gold rushes world has ever seen. The worlds larges gold nugget was found in 1869 discovered by John Deason and Richard Oates, weighing 72.02 kg, which lead to immigrants arriving from all over the world to search for gold especially form Ireland and China. Victoria is situated south east of Australia and bordered by New South Wales and South Australia making it the smallest mainland state but the most densely populated and urbanised with population of around 5.2 million,
Melbourne being Victoria’s capital and making it the largest City, Victoria has rugged Coast line with lush and fertile land that provides great Alpine regions and the world famous Great Ocean Drive. Victorian state has the largest economy in Australia where agriculture, mining concentrating on energy producing mineral such as brown coal, gas, manufacturing industries such as Ford and Holden play a big roll of its economy but it also has the highest unemployment rate in Australia.

Climate – Varied Climate ranging from semi-arid with hot in the north west, being cooler and wetter then other states.


Emblems
Floral – Common Heath
Aquatic – Weedy Seadragon
Bird – Helmeted Honeyeaters
Faunal – Leadbeater’s possum
Colours Navy Blue and Silver

Melbourne - Discovered by John Batman in 1835, with Melbourne being capital of Victoria it has elegant and historical buildings with European atmosphere. Trams are efficient way to get around  where you can explore the Rialto Towers and Chinatown with great shopping facilities and the world class sporting events such as the AFL Grand Final, Australian Formula One Grand Prix held in Albert Park, Melbourne Cup and Australian Open.  

Yarra River – Is the focal point of Melbourne and once have played crucial role in the development and pre-European history of Melbourne, cruises, numerous bridges and walking paths with beautiful parks and gardens allows you to criss-cross the waterway.