Victoria
Victoria may be Australia's smallest mainland
state, but this does not stop it from still hosting some
of the best National Parks and wonderful landscapes in the
country.
The population is relatively large in Australian
terms with 4.6 million people living in an area of 228,000
sq km. |
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Melbourne
is a truly wonderful city of Victoria. It is said to be
the country's fashion, food and cultural capital and is
Australia's second largest city after Sydney. Melbourne
offers plenty of action and a great nightlife scene.
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| However, Melbourne also offers a number of
spectacular buildings, as well as some beautiful parks that
surround the city. Walking, cycling and relaxing along the
Yarra River are all popular. |
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The states Wonderful coastal scenery, National
Parks and rainforests can be found along the Great
Ocean Road, from Geelong
and the South West
near the border of South Australia. North from here, in the
West is desert land
and beautiful wildflowers, where you will find the Sunset
Country which is a dry semi-desert land. |
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The Great
Dividing Range is made up of the Victorian Alps, the Dandenongs
and the Grampians.
The good news for people who enjoy a good vintage is that many
wineries can be found, complimented by historic river towns along
the Murray in the North West
and North.
If you have got a good eye then Gold can still
be found today in the largest gold rush towns, Bendigo
and Ballarat situated in the
goldfields of the Mid West.
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The general climate of Victoria is cooler
than other parts of Australia. The Coast is generally humid,
allthough inland it can get extremely cold. To contradict
oneself, however, it is often hotter in Melbourne than other
places during the summer, but can often suffer from very
unpredictable and changable weather.
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A LITTLE HISTORY
The huge European interest in Australia encouraged
a rather hurried settlement. On hearing that France had sent ships
to explore the South coast, Britain quickly set up an expedition
to build a colony, in 1803. The first settlement, lasting a year,
was at Sorrento on Port Phillip Bay.
However, due to a lack of fresh water the group
moved to Tasmania. The first permanent colony was at Melbourne,
in 1835, by John Batman and John Pascoe Fawkner, who arrived from
Tasmania. The state was named after the Queen of England, and
the town was named in 1837, after her Prime Minister, Lord Melbourne.
In 1851 the colony of Victoria was created. The settlement had
a free-enterprise spirit, leading to clashes with Sydney, as they
often turned away convict ships.
Gold was discovered, and inevitably the population
grew rapidly to roughly double. Of course many of the gold diggers
returned to their homeland, but those that remained built new
settlements.
POINTS OF INTEREST
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Great Ocean Road
This can only be described as one of the world's most impressive
coastal routes.
Victorian Alps
A great place to ski, camp or bushwalk.
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Full
directory of things to do in Victoria
VICTORIA FACTS
* Victoria Area: 227,416 square kilometres
* Victoria Population (2006): 5,078,500
* Victoria Capital: Melbourne
* Major Industries: Agriculture, Manufacturing, Property & Business services and Retail Trade
* Victoria Unemployment Rate (2005): 5.5%
* Average Weekly Earnings for Employees (2006): Males $983.4 Females $644.6
* Victoria Births (2004): 62,400
* Melbourne's Mean Maximum Temperature (Summer 2006): 27.7°c
* Melbourne's Mean Minimum Temperature (Summer 2006): 17.3°c
* Melbourne's Mean Maximum Temperature (Winter 2006): 14.3°c
* Melbourne's Mean Minimum Temperature (Winter 2006): 6.3°c
View more Australian Facts
POPULAR VICTORIA TRAVEL DESTINATIONS
PLEASE NOTE: The Victoria travel destinations outlined above are only a small selection from the tens of thousands of Australian travel information pages available on Australian Explorer. A comprehensive list of destinations for Victoria Holidays can be found on the main Victoria Holidays location guide. |
