Victoria
State of southeast Australia; bounded on the north and northeast by
New South Wales, from which it is separated by the River Murray;
on the west by South Australia; and on the south and southeast
by the Southern Ocean, Bass Strait, and the Pacific Ocean
Area:
227,600 sq km/87,876 sq mi
Capital:
Melbourne
Towns and Cities:
Geelong, Ballarat, Bendigo
Features:
Part of the Great Dividing Range, running east-west and including the
larger part of the Australian Alps; Aboriginal rock paintings
in the Grampians; Gippsland lake district; the mallee shrub region
Agriculture:
Wool, beef, dairy products, tobacco, wheat, wine, dried fruit, orchard
fruits, vegetables
Industries:
Mining of gold, brown coal, gypsum, kaolin, and bauxite, extraction
of oil and natural gas, oil refining, electronics, food processing,
chemicals, pharmaceuticals, machinery, cars, textiles, wine, aquaculture,
wool, building materials
Population:
(1996) 4,373,500
History:
Annexed for Britain by Captain James Cook in 1770; settled in the 1830s;
after being part of New South Wales, known as the Port Philip
district, became a separate colony in 1851, named after Queen
Victoria; gold discovered at Ballarat in 1851; Eureka Stockade
miners' revolt in 1854; became a state in 1901.
Physical
Victoria is crossed from east to west by the southern tip of the Great
Dividing Range, which is low in the west and rises in the east
to reach a maximum height of 1,986 m/6,516 ft at Mount Bogong.
The eastern part of the range, dividing the Gippsland district
in the southeast of the state from the River Murray, is known
as the Victorian Alps; snow covers the higher peaks for several
months of the year. East of Kilmore for about 320 km/200 mi the
mountains are steep, but westwards they fall away to form lower
hills. The western end of the range is known as the Grampians;
the highest peak is Mount William (1,167 m/3,829 ft). North of
the Grampians is the Mallee district, a flat region of scrub,
sand dunes, and dry lakes, named after the mallee eucalyptus that
grows here. The region is also known for plants such as acacias,
saltbush, spinifex, and numerous wildflower species. The rest
of the state, north and south of the range, is undulating, interrupted
only by outlying spurs of the main mountain chain. Most of the
rivers north of the range are tributaries of the River Murray;
those to the south flow into the sea. Victoria has a number of
inland lakes, most of them saline. The Gippsland Lakes region,
southeast of Melbourne, is Australia's largest inland waterways
system. In the southwest of the state, stretching from Hamilton
into South Australia, lies an extensive volcanic plain with more
than 80 extinct volcanic peaks; some of the plains are marked
by lava flows. Victoria has almost 9 million ha/22 million acres
of public land, of which 3.5 million ha/8.6 million acres are
classified as state forest.
Climate
Victoria has an equable climate with warm, dry summers and cool, wet
winters. Rain is reliable in winter and spring, but erratic in
summer: the average annual rainfall in Melbourne is 660.8 mm/26
in; in Geelong it is 536.5 mm/21 in; and in Ballarat it is 710.3
mm/28 in. The mean temperature in summer in Melbourne is 19.5ºC/67ºF,
and the mean temperature in winter is 10.8ºC/51ºF.
Economy
Agriculture is a major economic activity. Victoria produces about 30
% of Australia's food products, and food products and agricultural
goods produce about 35% of Victoria's export earnings. The state
produces 15% of Australia's grains, cereals (wheat, barley, and
oats), pulses, and oilseeds. Wheat is the largest crop and is
grown in the vast irrigated wheatfields of the Wimmera region
around Horsham in the west of the state. The dairying industry
is centred in the Gippsland district, east of Melbourne and south
of the Victorian Alps. Victoria produces 60% of Australia's milk,
and 75% of its manufactured dairy products; the state also produces
high quality wool. Aquaculture is also important, and includes
salmon, eels, warm water fish, muscles, and ornamental fish such
as gold fish and tropical fish.
Fruit and nut growing is also important. Large areas are planted
with orchards, and oilseed rape (or canola) is grown, accounting
for 57% of national oilseed production. Grapes are grown extensively:
the state produces over half of the national production of grapes,
and these are used for domestic consumption, drying, and wine
production. There are over 200 wineries in Victoria, producing
a wide range of wines, and accounting for 15% of Australia's total
wine production.
Victoria is rich in mineral resources. After the discovery of
gold in 1851, a large proportion of Australia's gold was mined
in Victoria, and gold is still mined in the state. Copper, zinc,
bauxite, kaolin, and gypsum are also mined. There are extensive
deposits of brown coal (lignite) in the La Trobe Valley southeast
of Melbourne. There are major offshore oil and natural gas deposits
in Bass Strait; oil production also centres around offshore Gippsland;
gas is also produced in the Cooper Basin. Most of Victoria's power
needs are met by the coal-fuelled power stations in the La Trobe
Valley; hydroelectric power is generated at Lake Hume and Lake
Eldon.
Most of the state's overseas trade passes through Melbourne,
but the ports at Geelong and Portland are also significant.
Tourism
A major tourist attraction is the colony of Little penguins on Phillip
Island, near Melbourne. Healesville Sanctuary provides a natural
habitat for a large collection (200 species) of Australian native
animals. The city of Melbourne is a major cultural and retailing
centre, with theatres, large markets, and historic buildings.
Other attractions include: Echuca Port, once Australia's largest
inland port, which now offers paddlesteamer tours. Victoria has
many fine surfing beaches, and there is skiing in the Victorian
Alps.
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