Victoria

G'day and welcome to my Victoria information page. Here you will find some information about Victoria, some sights (eventually) from around the state as well as links to other related sites.

Victoria occupies the south east corner of the continent between latitudes 34 and 39 south and longitudes 141 and 150 east. It covers 227 600 km² - which is about the same area as England, Wales and Scotland; three-fifths of Japan and slightly larger than the US State of Utah.

About 36 per cent of Victoria is covered by forest with the major forest belt in the east. The highest peaks are Mt Bogong (1986 m) and Mt Feathertop (1922 m).

Victoria's 1800 km coastline borders on Bass Strait, which separates the mainland from Tasmania, and in the west on the Southern Ocean. It's a generally rugged coastline but includes many wide sandy beaches and three large, almost fully enclosed harbours. Melbourne and Geelong are on the shores of the most important of these harbours, Port Phillip Bay.

Victoria lies in the south-east corner of Australia. It has a population of 4.5 million of which 3.2 million live in Melbourne, the nation's largest city after Sydney. Other important urban centres include Geelong; the inland cities of Ballarat and Bendigo; the industrial towns of the Latrobe Valley, east of Melbourne; Albury-Wodonga and Shepparton-Kyabram-Rodney.

Largest Cities

Temperatures vary widely but most of the State falls within the warm, temperate belt of the south-east corner of Australia, characterised by warm and dry summers and cool to mild, wet, winters.

Daily summer temperatures range from 14° to 23° C in the coastal areas, 11° to 20° C in the mountains and 16° to 31° C inland. In winter, temperatures range from 7° C to 14° C in coastal areas, 0° C to 5° C in the mountains and 5° C to 16° C inland. Snow settles on the Australian Alps in the north-east of Victoria from June to September.

Rainfall is heaviest in the eastern highlands, in Gippsland in the east of the State and in the Otway Ranges in western Victoria. Some areas receive annual rainfalls of more than 1000 mm. Lowest falls are in the Mallee region, where the average is 327 mm. Melbourne's average rainfall is about 660 mm a year.

Rural Production

Victoria produces almost a quarter of Australia's total rural output. Agricultural and pastoral products include wool, sheep meat and beef, wheat, oats, barley, maize, tobacco, hops and fodder crops, citrus, grapes, apples, stone fruits and vegetables and dairy products. Victoria is Australia's main producer of mutton and lamb, dairy products and dried vine fruits and substantial amounts are exported.

Victoria is also an important producer of timber and paper products from its 8 million hectares of forests. This includes approximately 225 000 hectares of forest plantations.

Minerals

The Latrobe Valley, east of Melbourne, has one of the world's largest deposits of brown coal and is the resource base for Victoria's internationally competitive supply of electricity. The coal is used to produce most of the State's electricity.

Large oil and natural gas fields exist in the Gippsland Basin, off the coast of eastern Victoria. These provide 50 per cent of Australia's domestic oil production, while assuring Victoria of natural gas supplies well into the next century.

Most of Australia's large mining and minerals processing companies are headquartered in Melbourne. It is also a major centre for mining project management, research and development.

Manufacturing

Victoria is one of Australia's major manufacturing States. Its factories employ about 34 per cent of the national labour force. Large industries include automotive manufacture, food processing, textiles, clothing and footwear, paper and paper products, oil refining, petrochemicals, aluminium smelting, information technology and telecommunications and aircraft production.

The food processing sector contributes 26 per cent of the State's manufactured exports. Products such as processed meats, cheese, fruit etc are exported overseas as well as to other Australian states.

A major aluminium smelting industry is located at Portland and Point Henry, which produce about half a million tonnes of aluminium a year.

Victoria accounts for some 45 per cent of Australia's communications industry production. Major telecommunications equipment manufacturers and computer companies are also located in the state due to Melbourne's large container and cargo port.

Other industries include forest products (including pulp and paper production), chemicals, plastics and rubber and scientific and medical instruments.

Transport

Melbourne's public transport system consists of major roads, railways and tramways that fan out from the central business district. Melbourne's tramway network supplements an extensive suburban rail network and bus services.

Because it is densely populated by Australian standards, the State has good roads reaching into all but the most remote regions. National highways connect Melbourne with Sydney to the north and Adelaide to the west.

Melbourne has the nation's busiest general cargo port and largest container port. Eight domestic airlines and 30 international airlines provide regular services into Melbourne's international airport, Tullamarine.

The flag of Victoria is a British Blue Ensign defaced with the state badge. The badge depicts the Southern Cross surmounted by the St Edwards Crown. The stars in the Southern Cross range from five to eight points.

The design of the flag is changed in accordance with the style of Crown chosen by the reigning monarch. The last such change occurred in 1953, after Queen Elizabeth II adopted the St Edwards Crown upon her Coronation in 1952.

The present coat of arms was granted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1972. It incorporates a shield of five stars, representing the constellation of the Southern Cross. On either side stands a female figure, one representing peace and the other prosperity. The motto is, of course, Peace and Prosperity.

Page maintained by Grant Schmarr,
Copyright © 1997-99 Grant Schmarr.
Created: 29th September 1997. Updated: 24th November 1999