View source for Victoria (state)

{{Short description|State of Australia}}
{{about|the Australian state|other places named Victoria|Victoria (disambiguation)#Places}}
{{Use Australian English|date=October 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2023}}
{{Infobox political division
| name = Victoria
| settlement_type = [[States and territories of Australia|State]]
| image_flag = Flag of Victoria (Australia).svg
| flag_size = 140px
| flag_link = Flag of Victoria (state)
| image_seal = Coat of Arms of Victoria.svg
| seal_size = 70px
| seal_type = Coat of arms
| seal_link = Coat of arms of Victoria (state)
| motto = "Peace and Prosperity"
| image_map = {{Australian state map|Map=Victoria in Australia.svg|align=center|border=none|width=300px}}
| map_caption = Location of Victoria in Australia<br />Coordinates: {{Coord|36|51|15|S|144|16|52|E|type:adm1st_region:AU-VIC|display=inline,title}}
| subdivision_type = Country
| subdivision_name = [[Australia]]
| established_title =Before federation 
| established_date =[[Colony of Victoria]] 
| established_title2 = Separation from New South Wales
| established_date2 = 1 July 1851<ref name = "RecordOffice" />
| established_title3 = [[Responsible government]]
| established_date3 = 23 November 1855
| named_for = [[Queen Victoria]]
| demonym = Victorian
| capital = [[Melbourne]]
| largest_city = capital
| admin_center_type = Administration
| admin_center = [[Local government areas of Victoria|79 local government areas]]
| coordinates = {{coord|37|48|51|S|144|57|47|E|type:city_region:AU–VIC|display=inline}} 
| leader_title1 = [[Monarchy of Australia|Monarch]]
| leader_name1 = [[Charles III]]
| leader_title2 = [[Governor of Victoria|Governor]]
| leader_name2 = [[Margaret Gardner]]
| leader_title3 = [[Premier of Victoria|Premier]]
| leader_name3 = [[Jacinta Allan]] ([[Australian Labor Party (Victorian Branch)|ALP]])
| leader_title4 = [[Chief Justice of Victoria|Chief Justice]]
| leader_name4 = [[Richard Niall]]
| legislature = [[Parliament of Victoria]]
| upper_house = [[Victorian Legislative Council|Legislative Council]]
| lower_house = [[Victorian Legislative Assembly|Legislative Assembly]]
| judiciary = [[Supreme Court of Victoria]] 
| national_representation = [[Parliament of Australia]]
| national_representation_type1 = [[Australian Senate|Senate]]
| national_representation1 = [[List of senators from Victoria|12 senators]] (of 76)
| national_representation_type2 = [[House of Representatives (Australia)|House of Representatives]]
| national_representation2 = [[List of electoral divisions in Victoria|38 seats]] (of 150)
| area_land_km2 = 227444<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.ga.gov.au/scientific-topics/national-location-information/dimensions/area-of-australia-states-and-territories | title=Area of Australia - States and Territories | date=27 June 2014 | access-date=18 February 2024 | archive-date=18 January 2024 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240118174336/https://www.ga.gov.au/scientific-topics/national-location-information/dimensions/area-of-australia-states-and-territories | url-status=live }}</ref>
| area_rank = 6th
| area_rank_link = States and territories of Australia#Statistics
| elevation_max_m = 1986
| elevation_max_point = [[Mount Bogong]]
| population_estimate = 7,012,962
| population_estimate_rank = 2nd
| population_rank_link = States and territories of Australia#Statistics
| population_estimate_year = September 2024
| population_density_km2 = 30.6
| population_density_sq_mi =
| population_density_rank = 2nd
| population_density_rank_link = States and territories of Australia#Statistics
| GDP_nominal = {{increase}} AU$458.895 billion<ref name="gspref">{{cite web |url=https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/economy/national-accounts/australian-national-accounts-state-accounts/latest-release |title=5220.0 – Australian National Accounts: State Accounts, 2019–20 |publisher=Australian Bureau of Statistics |date=20 November 2020 |access-date=20 January 2021 |archive-date=17 June 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160617110448/http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/allprimarymainfeatures/E6765105B38FFFC6CA2568A9001393ED?opendocument |url-status=live }}</ref>
| GDP_nominal_type = [[List of Australian states and territories by gross state product|GSP]]
| GDP_nominal_year = 2020
| GDP_nominal_rank = 2nd
| GDP_nominal_rank_link = List of Australian states and territories by gross state product
| GDP_nominal_per_capita = {{increase}} AU$68,996
| GDP_nominal_per_capita_rank = 6th
| GDP_nominal_per_capita_rank_link = List of Australian states and territories by gross state product
| HDI = 0.948<!--number only-->
| HDI_year = 2021<!-- Please use the year to which the data refers, not the publication year-->
| HDI_change = increase
| HDI_ref = <ref>{{cite web|url=https://hdi.globaldatalab.org/areadata/shdi/|title=Sub-national HDI – Area Database – Global Data Lab|website=hdi.globaldatalab.org|language=en|access-date=18 February 2023|archive-date=23 September 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180923120638/https://hdi.globaldatalab.org/areadata/shdi/|url-status=live}}</ref>
| HDI_rank = 4th
| HDI_rank_link = List of Australian states and territories by Human Development Index
| timezone = [[Australian Eastern Standard Time|AEST]]
| utc_offset = +10:00
| timezone_DST = [[Australian Eastern Daylight Time|AEDT]]
| utc_offset_DST = +11:00
| calling_code =+61 (03) 
| postal_code_type = [[Postcodes in Australia#Allocation|Postal abbreviation]]
| postal_code = VIC
| website = {{URL|vic.gov.au}}
| iso_code = [[ISO 3166-2:AU|AU–VIC]]
{{Infobox place symbols
|embedded=yes
| mammal   = [[Leadbeater's possum]]<br />''(Gymnobelideus leadbeateri)''
| bird     = [[Helmeted honeyeater]]<br />''(Lichenostomus melanops cassidix)''  
| fish     = [[Weedy seadragon]]<br />''(Phyllopteryx taeniolatus)''    
| flower   = [[Epacris impressa|Common heath]]<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.anbg.gov.au/emblems/vic.emblem.html|title= Floral Emblem of Victoria|publisher= anbg.gov.auhi|access-date= 26 March 2008|archive-date= 26 December 2018|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20181226130157/http://www.anbg.gov.au/emblems/vic.emblem.html|url-status= live}}</ref><br />''(Epacris impressa)''   
| fossil = [[Koolasuchus|Koolasuchus cleelandi]]
| mineral = [[Gold]]<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.dpc.vic.gov.au/index.php/resources/victorian-symbols-emblems |title= Victorian Symbols and Emblems |work= Department of Premier and Cabinet |access-date= 11 May 2013 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130508000438/http://www.dpc.vic.gov.au/index.php/resources/victorian-symbols-emblems |archive-date= 8 May 2013 |url-status= dead}}</ref>
| colour    = [[Navy blue]] and [[Silver (color)|silver]]<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.parliament.curriculum.edu.au/vic.htm |title= Victoria |work= Parliament@Work |access-date= 22 January 2013 |archive-date= 10 March 2019 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20190310035951/https://www.parliament.curriculum.edu.au/vic.htm |url-status= live }}</ref><br />{{scarf|{{cell|#003C71}}{{cell|#8A8D8F}}}}
}}
|established_title4=[[Federation of Australia|Federation]]|established_date4=1 January 1901|nicknames=The Garden State<ref>{{Cite web |title=Victoria, the garden state of Australia |url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-352202375 |access-date=10 May 2023 |website=Trove |language=en}}</ref> • The Education State}}

'''Victoria''', commonly abbreviated as '''Vic''',<ref>{{cite web|title=State and territory abbreviations|url=https://contentmanual.com.au/subject-areas/geography/australian-place-names#state-and-territory-abbreviations|access-date=27 June 2025|website=Biotext content manual}}</ref> is a [[States and territories of Australia|state]] in southeastern [[Australia]]. It is the second-smallest state (after [[Tasmania]]), with a land area of {{cvt|227444|km2}}; the second-most-populated state (after [[New South Wales]]), with a population of over 7 million;<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=2025-03-20 |title=National, state and territory population, September 2024 {{!}} Australian Bureau of Statistics |url=https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/people/population/national-state-and-territory-population/sep-2024#rebasing-of-australia-s-population-estimates-using-the-2021-census |access-date=2025-03-20 |website=www.abs.gov.au |language=en}}</ref> and the most densely populated state in Australia (30.6 per&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>).{{Refn|The ACT has a higher population density, but it is a territory rather than a state.}} Victoria's economy is the [[List of Australian states and territories by gross state product|second-largest among Australian states]] and is highly diversified, with service sectors predominating.

Victoria is bordered by New South Wales to the north and [[South Australia]] to the west and is bounded by the [[Bass Strait]] to the south (with the exception of a small land border with [[Tasmania]] located along [[Boundary Islet]]), the [[Southern Ocean]] to the southwest, and the [[Tasman Sea]] (a [[marginal sea]] of the [[South Pacific Ocean]]) to the southeast. The state encompasses a range of climates and geographical features from its [[temperate climate|temperate]] coastal and central regions to the [[Victorian Alps]] in the northeast and the [[semi-arid climate|semi-arid]] northwest.

The majority of the Victorian population is concentrated in the central-south area surrounding [[Port Phillip]], and in particular within the [[metropolitan area]] of [[Greater Melbourne]], Victoria's state capital and [[list of places in Victoria by population|largest city]] and also [[list of cities in Australia by population|Australia's second-largest city]],<ref>{{Cite web |date=26 March 2024 |title=Regional population |url=https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/people/population/regional-population/latest-release |access-date=21 April 2024 |website=Australian Bureau of Statistics |archive-date=10 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231010145251/https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/people/population/regional-population/latest-release |url-status=live }}</ref><!-- Please do not change without consensus. See Talk. --> where over three-quarters of the culturally diverse population live (35.1% of inhabitants being [[Immigration to Australia|immigrants]]).<ref name="quickstats.censusdata.abs.gov.au">{{cite web|url=https://quickstats.censusdata.abs.gov.au/census_services/getproduct/census/2016/communityprofile/2?opendocument|title=2016 Census Community Profiles: Victoria|access-date=22 June 2019|archive-date=22 June 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190622040717/https://quickstats.censusdata.abs.gov.au/census_services/getproduct/census/2016/communityprofile/2%3Fopendocument|url-status=live}}</ref> The state is also home to [[list of cities in Australia by population|four of Australia's 20 largest cities]]: [[Melbourne]], [[Geelong]], [[Ballarat]] and [[Bendigo]].

Victoria is home to numerous [[Aboriginal Australians|Aboriginal]] groups, including the [[Boonwurrung]], the [[Bratauolung people|Bratauolung]], the [[Djadjawurrung]], the [[Gunai people|Gunai]], the [[Gunditjmara]], the [[Taungurung]], the [[Wathaurong]], the [[Wurundjeri]], and the [[Yorta Yorta]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.vic.gov.au/system/user_files/Documents/av/Kulin-People-of-Central-Victoria.pdf |title=The Kulin People of Central Victoria |access-date=11 February 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180212005039/https://www.vic.gov.au/system/user_files/Documents/av/Kulin-People-of-Central-Victoria.pdf |archive-date=12 February 2018 |url-status=dead }}</ref> There were more than 30 [[Australian Aboriginal languages|Aboriginal languages]] spoken in the area prior to European colonisation. In 1770 [[James Cook]] claimed the east coast of the [[Australia (continent)|Australian continent]] for the [[Kingdom of Great Britain]]. The first European settlement in the area occurred in 1803 at [[Sullivan Bay, Victoria|Sullivan Bay]]. Much of Victoria was included in 1836 in the [[Port Phillip District]] of New South Wales.

Named in honour of [[Queen Victoria]], Victoria was separated from New South Wales and established as a separate [[Crown colony]] in 1851, achieving [[responsible government]] in 1855.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/publications/fact-sheets/2333-fact-sheet-i1-victorias-parliamentary-history|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130309135053/http://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/publications/fact-sheets/2333-fact-sheet-i1-victorias-parliamentary-history|url-status=dead|title=Parliament of Victoria – 54th Parliament Votes|archivedate=9 March 2013|website=parliament.vic.gov.au}}</ref> The [[Victorian gold rush]] in the 1850s and 1860s significantly increased Victoria's population and wealth. By the time of [[Federation of Australia|Australian Federation]] in 1901, Melbourne had become the largest city in [[Australasia]], and was the seat of Federal government until [[Canberra]] became the national capital in 1927. The state continued to grow strongly through various periods of the 20th and 21st centuries due to high levels of international and interstate migration. Melbourne hosts a number of museums, art galleries, and theatres; in 2016 a sports marketing company named it the world's sporting capital.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.smh.com.au/sport/melbourne-named-worlds-sporting-capital-20160420-gobebk.html|title=Melbourne named world's sporting capital|date=21 April 2016|work=The Sydney Morning Herald|access-date=22 July 2017|archive-date=11 August 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170811174613/http://www.smh.com.au/sport/melbourne-named-worlds-sporting-capital-20160420-gobebk.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

Victoria has 38 seats in the [[Australian House of Representatives]] and 12 seats in the [[Senate (Australia)|Australian Senate]]. At state level, the [[Parliament of Victoria]] consists of the [[Victorian Legislative Assembly|Legislative Assembly]] and the [[Victorian Legislative Council|Legislative Council]]. The [[Australian Labor Party (Victorian Branch)|Labor Party]], led by [[Jacinta Allan]] as [[Premier of Victoria|premier]], has governed Victoria since 2014. The [[Governor of Victoria]], the representative of the [[Monarchy of Australia|monarch]] in the state, is currently [[Margaret Gardner]]. Victoria is divided into [[Local government areas of Victoria|79 local government areas]], as well as several [[unincorporated areas]] which the state administers directly.

==History==
{{Main|History of Victoria}}

===Indigenous Victorians===
{{Further|Aboriginal Victorians}}

The state of Victoria was home to many [[Aboriginal Australian]] nations that had occupied the land for tens of thousands of years before [[European settlement of Australia|European settlement]].<ref>Richard Broome, pp xviii–xxii, ''Aboriginal Victorians: A History Since 1800'', Allen & Unwin, 2005, {{ISBN|1-74114-569-4}}, {{ISBN|978-1-74114-569-4}}</ref> According to [[Gary Presland]], Aboriginal people have lived in Victoria for about 40,000 years,<ref>Gary Presland, ''The First Residents of Melbourne's Western Region'', (revised edition), Harriland Press, 1997. {{ISBN|0-646-33150-7}}. Presland says on page 1: "There is some evidence to show that people were living in the [[Maribyrnong River]] valley, near present day [[Keilor]], about 40,000 years ago".</ref> living a semi-nomadic existence of fishing, hunting and gathering, and farming eels.<ref>Gary Presland, ''Aboriginal Melbourne: The Lost Land of the Kulin People'', Harriland Press (1985), Second edition 1994, {{ISBN|0-9577004-2-3}}. This book describes in some detail the archaeological evidence regarding aboriginal life, culture, food gathering and land management</ref>

At the [[Keilor Archaeological Site]], a human hearth excavated in 1971 was radiocarbon-dated to about 31,000 years [[Before Present|BP]], making Keilor one of the earliest sites of human habitation in Australia.<ref name="keilor_presland">{{cite web |url=http://www.emelbourne.net.au/biogs/EM00792b.htm |title=Keilor Archaeological Site |last=Presland |first=Gary |date=July 2008 |website=eMelbourne |access-date=3 November 2008 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200703093409/http://www.emelbourne.net.au/biogs/EM00792b.htm |archive-date=3 July 2020}}</ref> A [[Human cranium|cranium]] found at the site has been dated at between 12,000<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www-personal.une.edu.au/~pbrown3/Keilor.html |title=The Keilor Cranium |last=Brown |first=Peter |website=Peter Brown's Australian and Asian Palaeoanthropology |access-date=3 November 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041217013357/http://www-personal.une.edu.au/~pbrown3/Keilor.html |archive-date=17 December 2004 |quote=}}</ref> and 14,700 years [[Before Present|BP]].<ref name="keilor_presland" />

Archaeological sites in [[Tasmania]] and on the [[Bass Strait]] Islands have been dated to between 20,000 to 35,000 years ago when sea levels were 130 metres below present level allowing First Nations Peoples to move across the region of southern Victoria and onto the land bridge of the Bassian plain to [[Tasmania]] by at least 35,000 years ago.<ref name="Steyne2009">{{cite web |url=http://www.heritage.vic.gov.au/admin/file/content2/c7/AIMAPoster_A3.pdf |title=Investigating the Submerged Landscapes of Port Phillip Bay, Victoria |last=Steyne |first=Hanna |date=23 May 2009 |publisher=Heritage Victoria |access-date=3 November 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090523122147/http://www.heritage.vic.gov.au/admin/file/content2/c7/AIMAPoster_A3.pdf |archive-date=23 May 2009}}</ref><ref name="channelproject.com.au">{{cite report |last=Rhodes |first=David |date=2003 |title=Channel Deepening Existing Conditions Final Report – Aboriginal Heritage |url=http://www.channelproject.com.au/global/docs/vol%201%20aboriginal%20heritage%20key%20features.pdf |access-date=3 November 2008 |publisher=Terra Culture Heritage Consultants |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091001143843/http://www.channelproject.com.au/global/docs/Vol%201%20Aboriginal%20Heritage%20Key%20Features.pdf |archive-date=1 October 2009}}</ref>

During the Ice Age about 20,000 years [[Before Present|BP]], the area now the bay of [[Port Phillip]] would have been dry land, and the [[Yarra River|Yarra]] and [[Werribee River|Werribee rivers]] would have joined to flow through the heads then south and south west through the Bassian plain before meeting the ocean to the west. Tasmania and the Bass Strait islands became separated from mainland Australia around 12,000 BP, when the sea level was approximately 50m below present levels.{{r|Steyne2009|annot=Citing Lambeck & Chappell 2001.}} Port Phillip was flooded by post-glacial [[sea level rise|rising sea levels]] between 8,000 and 6,000 years ago.{{r|Steyne2009|annot=Citing Bird 1993, Bowler 1966, Holdgate et al. 2001.}}

Oral history and creation stories from the [[Wathaurong|Wada wurrung]], [[Woiwurrung]] and [[Bunurong|Bun wurrung]] languages describe the flooding of the bay. Hobsons Bay was once a kangaroo hunting ground. Creation stories describe how [[Bunjil]] was responsible for the formation of the bay,<ref name="channelproject.com.au"/> or the bay was flooded when the Yarra River was created.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.freshwater.net.au/wurundjeri/melbourne_aboriginal_dreamtime.htm#yarra |title=Yarra Creation Story |last=Hunter |first=Ian |date=2005 |website=Wurundjeri Dreaming |publisher= |access-date=3 November 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081104085319/http://www.freshwater.net.au/wurundjeri/melbourne_aboriginal_dreamtime.htm#yarra |archive-date=4 November 2008}}</ref>

===British colonisation===
{{Further|Eumeralla Wars|Gippsland massacres}}[[File:Doudiet Swearing allegiance to the Southern Cross.jpg|thumb|upright=1.05|''Swearing Allegiance to the Southern Cross at the [[Eureka Stockade]] on 1 December 1854'' – watercolour by [[Charles Doudiet]]]]

Victoria, like [[Queensland]], was named after [[Queen Victoria]], who had been on the British throne for 14 years when the colony was established in 1851.<ref name = "RecordOffice">{{cite web | author = House of Lords Record Office | title = An Act for the better Government of Her Majesty's Australian Colonies (1850) | url = http://foundingdocs.gov.au/item-did-76.html | access-date = 23 August 2016 | archive-date = 19 August 2016 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160819204547/http://www.foundingdocs.gov.au/item-did-76.html | url-status = live }}</ref> After the founding of the colony of New South Wales in 1788, Australia was divided into an eastern half named New South Wales and a western half named [[New Holland (Australia)|New Holland]], under the [[Administration (government)|administration]] of the colonial government in Sydney.

The first British settlement in the area later known as Victoria was established in October 1803 under Lieutenant-Governor [[David Collins (lieutenant governor)|David Collins]] at Sullivan Bay on Port Phillip. It consisted of 402 people (five government officials, nine officers of marines, two drummers, and 39 privates, five soldiers' wives and a child, 307 convicts, 17 convicts' wives, and seven children).<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article4890461 |title=CORRESPONDENCE. |newspaper=[[The Advertiser (Adelaide)|The Advertiser]] |location=Adelaide |date=14 October 1901 |access-date=17 January 2012 |page=7 |via=National Library of Australia |archive-date=14 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220514050503/https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/4890461 |url-status=live }}</ref> They had been sent from England in {{HMS|Calcutta|1795|6}} under the command of Captain [[Daniel Woodriff]], principally out of fear that the French, who had been exploring the area, might establish their own settlement and thereby challenge British rights to the continent.

In 1826, Colonel Stewart, Captain Samuel Wright, and Lieutenant Burchell were sent in {{HMS|Fly|1813|6}} (Captain Wetherall) and the brigs ''Dragon'' and ''Amity'', took a number of convicts and a small force composed of detachments of the 3rd and 93rd regiments. The expedition landed at Settlement Point (now [[Corinella, Victoria|Corinella]]), on the eastern side of Western Port Bay, which was the headquarters until the abandonment of Western Port at the insistence of Governor Darling about 12 months afterwards.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article65840366 |title=ATTEMPTED COLONISATION AT WESTERN PORT. |newspaper=[[Mornington Standard]] |location=Vic. |date=12 August 1905 |access-date=24 January 2012 |page=5 |edition=MORNING. |via=National Library of Australia |archive-date=14 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220514050507/https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/65840366 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.visitcorinella.com/|title=Corinella Victoria's Best Kept Secret !|date=18 September 2008|url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080918081827/http://www.visitcorinella.com/|archive-date=18 September 2008}}</ref> Victoria's next settlement was at [[Portland, Victoria|Portland]], on the south west coast of what is now Victoria. [[Edward Henty]] settled Portland Bay in 1834.<ref>James Boyce (2011). ''1835: The Founding of Melbourne and the Conquest of Australia''. Black Inc., p. 12.</ref>

==== Batman's treaty ====
Melbourne was founded in 1835 by [[John Batman]], who set up a base in [[Indented Head]], and [[John Pascoe Fawkner]]. From settlement, the region around Melbourne was known as the Port Phillip District, a separately administered part of New South Wales. Shortly after, the site now known as Geelong was surveyed by Assistant Surveyor W. H. Smythe, three weeks after Melbourne. And in 1838, [[Geelong]] was officially declared a town, despite earlier European settlements dating back to 1826. On 6 June 1835, just under two years before Melbourne was officially recognised as a settlement, John Batman, the leader of the [[Port Phillip Association]] presented [[Wurundjeri]] Elders with a land use agreement.

This document, now referred to as the [[Batman's Treaty|Batman treaty]], was later given to the British government to claim that local Aboriginal people had given Batman access to their land in exchange for goods and rations. The treaty itself was declared void as Batman did not have permission from the Crown to establish Melbourne. Today, the meaning and interpretation of this treaty is contested. Some argue it was a pretence for taking Aboriginal land in exchange for trinkets, while others argue it was significant in that it sought to recognise [[Aboriginal land rights]]. The exact location of the meeting between Batman and the Kulin men with whom he made the treaty is unknown, although it is believed to have been by the [[Merri Creek]]. According to historian Meyer Eidelson, it is generally believed to have occurred on the Merri near modern-day Rushall Station.<ref>{{cite web|title=Treaty – The Aboriginal History of Yarra|url=https://aboriginalhistoryofyarra.com.au/4-treaty/|access-date=6 August 2020|website=aboriginalhistoryofyarra.com.au|archive-date=10 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200810155721/https://aboriginalhistoryofyarra.com.au/4-treaty/|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Colonial Victoria===
{{Main|Colony of Victoria}}
{{Infobox former subdivision
| _noautocat             = no
| conventional_long_name = Victoria Colony
| common_name            = Victoria
| subdivision            = Colony
| nation                 = United Kingdom
| status_text            = [[British Crown Colony]]
| government_type        = [[Self-governing colony]]
| title_leader           = Monarch
| title_deputy           = Governor
| leader1                = [[Queen Victoria|Victoria]]
| year_leader1           = 1851–1901
| deputy1                = [[Charles La Trobe]] (''first'')
| deputy2                = [[Thomas Brassey, 1st Earl Brassey|Thomas Brassey]] (''last'')
| year_deputy1           = 1851–1854
| year_deputy2           = 1895–1900
| year_start             = 1851
| year_end               = 1901
| event_start            = Independence from the New South Wales colony
| event_end              = [[Federation of Australia]]
| image_flag             = Flag of Victoria (1877–1901).svg
| flag_type              = Flag (1870–1901)
| flag                   = Flag of Victoria (Australia)
| symbol                 = Coat of arms of Victoria (Australia)
| p1                     = Colony of New South Wales
| flag_p1                = Flag of the United Kingdom.svg
| s1                     = Australia
| s2                     = Victoria (Australia)
| flag_s2                = Flag of Victoria (Australia).svg
| flag_s1                = Flag of Australia (1901–1903).svg
| image_coat             = Badge of Victoria (modern).svg
| capital                = Melbourne
}}

On 1 July 1851, writs were issued for the election of the first Victorian Legislative Council, and the absolute independence of Victoria from New South Wales was established proclaiming a new Colony of Victoria.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article4097366 |title=Anniversary of the Week. |newspaper=[[The Argus (Melbourne)|The Argus]] |location=Melbourne |date=4 July 1930 |access-date=26 January 2012 |page=2 Supplement: Saturday Camera Supplement |via=National Library of Australia |archive-date=14 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220514050506/https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/4097366 |url-status=live }}</ref> Days later, still in 1851 gold was discovered near [[Ballarat]], and subsequently at [[Bendigo]]. Later discoveries occurred at many sites across Victoria. This triggered one of the [[Victorian gold rush|largest gold rushes]] the world has ever seen. The colony grew rapidly in both population and economic power. In 10 years, the population of Victoria increased sevenfold from 76,000 to 540,000. All sorts of gold records were produced, including the "richest shallow alluvial goldfield in the world" and the [[Welcome Stranger|largest gold nugget]]. In the decade 1851–1860 Victoria produced 20 million ounces of gold, one-third of the world's output.<ref>{{cite web |title=Parliament of Victoria - About the First Legislative Council |url=https://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/hansard/historical-hansard/about-the-first-legislative-council |access-date=7 August 2020 |publisher=parliament.vic.gov.au |archive-date=28 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200728073320/https://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/hansard/historical-hansard/about-the-first-legislative-council|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 1855 the Geological Survey collected and determined the major [[ion]] chemistry for [[groundwater]] in Victoria.<ref>{{cite book | editor1= Adam Porowski | editor2= Hussein Idris | editor3= James W. LaMoreaux | editor4= Werner Balderer |title= Thermal and Mineral Waters: Origin, Properties and Applications |publisher= Springer Berlin Heidelberg |year=2014 |page=97 |isbn=9783642288241 }}</ref> Immigrants arrived from all over the world to search for gold, especially from [[Ireland]] and China.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.visitvictoria.com/regions/goldfields/things-to-do/history-and-heritage/chinese-history |title=Chinese history, Goldfields, Victoria, Australia |access-date=3 September 2018|archive-date=11 July 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180711093921/https://www.visitvictoria.com/regions/goldfields/things-to-do/history-and-heritage/chinese-history |url-status=live}}</ref> By 1857, 26,000 Chinese miners worked in Victoria, and their legacy is particularly strong in Bendigo and its environs.

In 1854 at Ballarat, an armed rebellion against the government of Victoria was made by miners protesting against [[Miner's Licence|mining taxes]] (the "[[Eureka Stockade]]"). This was crushed by British troops, but the confrontation persuaded the colonial authorities to reform the administration of mining concessions (reducing the hated mining licence fees) and extend the [[Suffrage|electoral franchise]]. The following year, the Imperial Parliament granted Victoria responsible government with the passage of the Colony of Victoria Act 1855. Some of the leaders of the Eureka rebellion went on to become members of the Victorian Parliament.

In 1857, reflecting the growing presence of Irish Catholic immigrants, [[John O'Shanassy]] became the colony's second Premier with the former [[Young Ireland]]er, [[Charles Gavan Duffy (Australian politician)|Charles Gavan Duffy]] as his deputy. Melbourne's Protestant establishment was ill-prepared "to countenance so startling a novelty".<ref>McCaughey, ''Victoria's Colonial Governors'', p. 75</ref> In 1858–59, ''Melbourne Punch'' cartoons linked Duffy and O'Shanassy to the terrors of the [[French Revolution]].<ref>''Punch'', 7 January 1859, p. 5</ref>

In 1862 Duffy's Land Act attempted, but failed, through a system of extended pastoral licences, to break the land-holding monopoly of the so-called [[Squatting (Australian history)|"squatter" class]].<ref>[http://www.historyireland.com/20th-century-contemporary-history/the-george-gavan-duffy-papers George Gavan Duffy papers] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141217213627/http://www.historyireland.com/20th-century-contemporary-history/the-george-gavan-duffy-papers/ |date=17 December 2014 }}, historyireland.com. Retrieved 6 March 2016.</ref> In 1871, having led, on behalf of small farmers, opposition to Premier [[James McCulloch|Sir James McCulloch]]'s [[land tax]], Duffy, himself, was briefly Premier.

In 1893 widespread bank failures brought to an end a sustained period of prosperity and of increasingly wild speculation in land and construction. Melbourne nonetheless retained, as the legacy of the gold rush, its status as Australia's primary financial centre and largest city. In 1901, Victoria became a state in the [[Commonwealth of Australia]]. While [[Canberra]] was being built, Melbourne served until 1927 as the country's first federal capital.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Ling |first1=Ted |title=Research Guide: Commonwealth Government records about Commonwealth Government records about the Australian Capital Territory |url=https://www.naa.gov.au/sites/default/files/2022-06/research-guide-government-records-about-ACT.pdf |website=National Archives of Australia |access-date=30 October 2022 |page=7}}</ref>

==Geography==
{{Main|Geography of Victoria|Geology of Victoria}}
Victoria's northern border follows a straight line from [[Cape Howe]] to the start of the [[Murray River]] and then follows the Murray River as the remainder of the northern border. On the Murray River, the border is the southern bank of the river. This precise definition was not established until 1980, when a ruling by [[Ninian Stephen|Justice Ninian Stephen]] of the [[High Court of Australia]] settled the question as to which state had jurisdiction in the unlawful death of a man on an island in the middle of the river. The ruling clarified that no part of the watercourse is in Victoria.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170202122432/http://www.smh.com.au/national/stateless-old-jack-beyond-all-borders-20120413-1wyvj.html "Stateless old Jack, beyond all borders", ''Sydney Morning Herald'', 14 April 2012]. Retrieved 15 April 2016</ref><ref>{{cite court |litigants=Ward v The Queen|opinion=11|court= High Court of Australia|year=1980 |url= http://eresources.hcourt.gov.au/showbyHandle/1/11488|access-date= 17 December 2020}}</ref> The border 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 and shares Australia's shortest land border with [[Tasmania]]. The official border between Victoria and Tasmania is at 39°12' S, which passes through [[Boundary Islet]] in the [[Bass Strait]] for 85 metres.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ga.gov.au/education/facts/dimensions/borders.htm  |title=Victoria Tasmania border |access-date=7 March 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060102184417/http://www.ga.gov.au/education/facts/dimensions/borders.htm |archive-date = 2 January 2006}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.street-directory.com.au/sd_new/mapsearch.cgi?SuburbID=13264&star=5&PCode=3004&heading=&x=147.0211005752303&RegionID=47&y=-39.20060195855119&level=4&CouncilID=608&StateID=1 |title=Boundary Islet on |publisher=Street-directory.com.au |date=4 December 1999 |access-date=17 July 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930135434/http://www.street-directory.com.au/sd_new/mapsearch.cgi?SuburbID=13264&star=5&PCode=3004&heading=&x=147.0211005752303&RegionID=47&y=-39.20060195855119&level=4&CouncilID=608&StateID=1 |archive-date=30 September 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | last = Moore | first = Garry | title = The boundary between Tasmania and Victoria: Uncertainties and their possible resolution | journal = Traverse | issue = 294 | publisher = The Institute of Surveyors Victoria | date = April 2014 | url = http://www.surveying.org.au/docs/traverse/TRAV294.pdf | access-date = 10 April 2015 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160816075748/http://www.surveying.org.au/docs/traverse/TRAV294.pdf | archive-date = 16 August 2016 | url-status = dead}}</ref>

Victoria contains many topographically, geologically and climatically diverse areas, ranging from the wet, [[temperate]] climate of [[Gippsland]] in the southeast to the snow-covered [[Victorian Alps|Victorian alpine areas]] which rise to almost {{convert|2000|m|ft|abbr=on}}, with [[Mount Bogong]] the highest peak at {{convert|1986|m|ft|abbr=on}}. There are extensive semi-arid plains to the west and northwest. There is an extensive series of river systems in Victoria. Most notable is the [[Murray River]] system. Other rivers include: [[Ovens River]], [[Goulburn River, Victoria|Goulburn River]], [[Patterson River]], [[King River, Victoria|King River]], [[Campaspe River]], [[Loddon River]], [[Wimmera River]], Elgin River, [[Barwon River (Victoria)|Barwon River]], [[Thomson River, Victoria|Thomson River]], [[Snowy River]], [[Latrobe River]], [[Yarra River]], [[Maribyrnong River]], [[Mitta River]], [[Hopkins River]], [[Merri River]] and [[Kiewa River]]. The state symbols include the [[pink heath]] (state flower), [[Leadbeater's possum]] (state animal) and the [[helmeted honeyeater]] (state bird). Ecological communities include [[Victorian Volcanic Plain grasslands]], [[Northern Plains Grassland]] and [[Gippsland Plains Grassy Woodland]], all of which are critically endangered.<ref>[https://www.environment.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0017/32453/Northern-Plains-Grassland.pdf Central Gippsland Plains Grassland, Forest Red Gum Grassy Woodland, Northern Plains Grassland, South Gippsland Plains Grassland, Western (Basalt) Plains Grassland] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220320213532/https://www.environment.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0017/32453/Northern-Plains-Grassland.pdf |date=20 March 2022 }} Action Statement, Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988 No. 182, Department of Sustainability and Environment. Retrieved 6 September 2022.</ref>

According to [[Geoscience Australia]], the geographic centre of Victoria is located in [[Mandurang]] at 36° 51' 15"S, 144° 16' 52" E. The small rural locality is located 10&nbsp;km (6&nbsp;mi) south of [[Bendigo]]. Due to its central location and the region's historical ties to the gold rush, the town is widely regarded as the "Heart of Gold". The state's capital, Melbourne, contains about 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]].

<gallery widths="200px" heights="145px">
File:Island Archway, Great Ocean Rd, Victoria, Australia - Nov 08.jpg|[[Island Archway]] on the Great Ocean Road in Victoria, Australia
File:Aireys Inlet Lighthouse.jpg|Aireys Inlet
File:Highways of Victoria.PNG|Victorian cities, towns, settlements and [[Road transport in Victoria|road network]]
</gallery>

=== Regions ===
{{main|Regions of Victoria}}
[[File:Melbourne at night from the International Space Station.jpg|thumb|300px|[[Greater Melbourne]] at night from the [[International Space Station]]]]
Victoria is divided into distinct geographic [[region]]s, most commonly for the purposes of [[economic geography|economic development]], while others for [[land management]] (agriculture or conservation) and for [[census]]ing (statistical or meteorological) or electoral purposes. The most commonly used regions are those created by the state government for the purposes of [[economic geography|economic development]].

In addition to [[Melbourne|Greater Melbourne]], the [[Victoria State Government]] has divided Victoria into five regions covering all parts of the state. The five regional Victoria divisions are:<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rdv.vic.gov.au/victorian-regions|title=Victorian Regions and Regional Cities|work=Regional Development Victoria|publisher=Victorian Government|date=|accessdate=10 August 2014|archive-date=26 July 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140726222320/http://www.rdv.vic.gov.au/victorian-regions|url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[Barwon South West]]
* [[Gippsland]]
* [[Grampians (region)|Grampians]]
* [[Hume (region)|Hume]]
* [[Loddon Mallee]]

The [[Bureau of Meteorology (Australia)|Australian Bureau of Meteorology]] defines regions for its own purposes, some of which share names with the economic regions, even though the exact boundaries may not correlate.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bom.gov.au/weather/vic/vic-forecast-map.shtml|title=Victoria regions map|work=[[Bureau of Meteorology (Australia)|Bureau of Meteorology]]|publisher=Australian Government|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090831073630/http://www.bom.gov.au/weather/vic/vic-forecast-map.shtml|archivedate=31 August 2009}}</ref> As of November 2014, they are:
* [[Mallee (region, Victoria)|Mallee]]
* [[Wimmera]]
* Northern Country
* North East Victoria
* [[East Gippsland]]
* [[West Gippsland|West]] & [[South Gippsland]]
* Central Victoria
* North Central Victoria
* South West Victoria
* [[Victorian Alps|Alpine Victoria]]
* Melbourne

=== Cities and towns ===
This is a list of places in the [[Australia]]n [[States and territories of Australia|state]] of Victoria by population. Urban centres are defined by the [[Australian Bureau of Statistics]] as being a population cluster of 1,000 or more people. The below figures broadly represent the populations of the [[Geographic contiguity|contiguous]] [[Urban area|built-up areas]] of each city:
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+Population by Statistical Urban Centre
! rowspan="2" |Rank
! rowspan="2" |Urban centre
! colspan="4" |Population
|-
!2021 census
!2016 census
!2011 census
!2006 census
|-
|1
|[[Melbourne]]
|4,917,750
|4,196,201
|3,707,530
|3,375,341
|-
|2
|[[Geelong]]
|180,239<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.abs.gov.au/census/find-census-data/quickstats/2021/UCL203003 | title=2021 Geelong, Census All persons QuickStats &#124; Australian Bureau of Statistics | access-date=19 February 2024 | archive-date=30 October 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231030194853/https://www.abs.gov.au/census/find-census-data/quickstats/2021/UCL203003 | url-status=live }}</ref>
|157,103
|143,921
|135,965
|-
|3
|[[Ballarat]]
|116,201
|93,761
|85,936
|77,766
|-
|4
|[[Bendigo]]
|103,034
|92,384
|82,795
|75,420
|-
|–
|[[Melton, Victoria|Melton]]
|N/A
|54,455
|45,625
|35,194
|-
|5
|[[Shepparton]] – [[Mooroopna]]
|68,409
|46,194
|42,742
|38,247
|-
|6
|[[Mildura]]
|56,972
|33,445
|31,363
|30,761
|-
| –
|[[Pakenham, Victoria|Pakenham]]
|54,118
|46,421
|32,913
|18,621
|-
|7
|[[Wodonga]]
|43,253
|35,131
|31,605
|29,538
|-
|8
|[[Sunbury, Victoria|Sunbury]]
|38,851
|34,425
|33,062
|29,071
|-
|9
|[[Warrnambool]]
|35,406
|30,707
|29,286
|28,015
|-
|10
|[[Wangaratta]]
|29,808
|18,567
|17,376
|16,732
|-
|11
|[[Traralgon]]
|26,907
|25,482
|24,590
|21,474
|-
|12
|[[Bacchus Marsh]]
|24,717
|17,303
|14,914
|13,046
|-
|13
|[[Warragul]]
|23,051
|14,274
|13,081
|11,333
|-
|14
|[[Horsham, Victoria|Horsham]]
|20,429
|15,630
|15,261
|13,945
|-
|15
|[[Ocean Grove, Victoria|Ocean Grove]] – [[Barwon Heads, Victoria|Barwon Heads]]
|19,394
|18,208
|16,091
|13,701
|-
|16
|[[Torquay, Victoria|Torquay]] – [[Jan Juc, Victoria|Jan Juc]]
|18,534
|16,942
|13,336
|9,463{{refn|group="N"|This figure is for Torquay only.}}
|-
|17
|[[Moe, Victoria|Moe]] – [[Newborough, Victoria|Newborough]]
|16 844
|15,062
|15,293
|15,159
|-
|18
|[[Sale, Victoria|Sale]]
|15,472
|13,507
|12,764
|13,090
|-
|19
|[[Morwell, Victoria|Morwell]]
|14,432
|13,540
|13,689
|13,399
|}


===Climate===
[[File:Victoria Köppen.svg|upright=1.35|thumb|[[Köppen climate classification|Köppen climate types]] in Victoria]]

{| class=wikitable style="float:right; clear:right; line-height:1.2em; font-size:90%; margin-left:1em"
|+ Average monthly maximum<br />temperatures in Victoria
|-  style="background:#ccc; vertical-align:center;"
!Month
!Melbourne<br />°C (°F)
!Mildura <br />°C (°F)
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|January
| style="text-align:center;"|{{convert|25.8|°C|0|abbr=values}}
| style="text-align:center;"|{{convert|32.8|°C|0|abbr=values}}
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|February
| style="text-align:center;"|{{convert|25.8|°C|0|abbr=values}}
| style="text-align:center;"|{{convert|32.7|°C|0|abbr=values}}
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|March
| style="text-align:center;"|{{convert|23.8|°C|0|abbr=values}}
| style="text-align:center;"|{{convert|29.3|°C|0|abbr=values}}
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|April
| style="text-align:center;"|{{convert|20.2|°C|0|abbr=values}}
| style="text-align:center;"|{{convert|24.1|°C|0|abbr=values}}
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|May
| style="text-align:center;"|{{convert|16.6|°C|0|abbr=values}}
| style="text-align:center;"|{{convert|19.6|°C|0|abbr=values}}
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|June
| style="text-align:center;"|{{convert|14.0|°C|0|abbr=values}}
| style="text-align:center;"|{{convert|16.0|°C|0|abbr=values}}
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|July
| style="text-align:center;"|{{convert|13.4|°C|0|abbr=values}}
| style="text-align:center;"|{{convert|15.4|°C|0|abbr=values}}
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|August
| style="text-align:center;"|{{convert|14.9|°C|0|abbr=values}}
| style="text-align:center;"|{{convert|17.7|°C|0|abbr=values}}
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|September
| style="text-align:center;"|{{convert|17.2|°C|0|abbr=values}}
| style="text-align:center;"|{{convert|21.1|°C|0|abbr=values}}
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|October
| style="text-align:center;"|{{convert|19.6|°C|0|abbr=values}}
| style="text-align:center;"|{{convert|25.0|°C|0|abbr=values}}
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|November
| style="text-align:center;"|{{convert|21.8|°C|0|abbr=values}}
| style="text-align:center;"|{{convert|29.0|°C|0|abbr=values}}
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|December
| style="text-align:center;"|{{convert|24.1|°C|0|abbr=values}}
| style="text-align:center;"|{{convert|31.7|°C|0|abbr=values}}
|-
| colspan="5"  style="font-size:80%; text-align:center;"| Source: Bureau of Meteorology
|}

Victoria has a varied climate that ranges from semi-arid temperate with hot summers in the north-west, to temperate and cool along the coast. Victoria's main land feature, the Great Dividing Range, produces a cooler, mountain climate in the centre of the state. Winters along the coast of the state, particularly around [[Melbourne]], are relatively mild (''see chart'').

The coastal plain south of the Great Dividing Range has Victoria's mildest climate. Air from the [[Southern Ocean]] helps reduce the heat of summer and the cold of winter. Melbourne and other large cities are located in this temperate region.

[[The Mallee]] and upper [[Wimmera]] are Victoria's warmest regions with hot winds blowing from nearby semi-deserts. Average temperatures exceed {{convert|32|°C|0}} during summer and {{convert|15|C|F}} in winter. Except at cool mountain elevations, the inland monthly temperatures are {{convert|2|-|7|C-change|F-change|0}} warmer than around Melbourne (see chart). Victoria's highest maximum temperature of {{convert|48.8|C|F}} was recorded in [[Hopetoun, Victoria|Hopetoun]] on 7 February 2009, during the [[2009 southeastern Australia heat wave]].<ref name="weatherrecords">{{cite web|url=http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/extreme/records/national.pdf|title=Rainfall and Temperature Records: National|publisher=[[Bureau of Meteorology (Australia)|Bureau of Meteorology]]|access-date=8 June 2018|archive-date=27 March 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150327211715/http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/extreme/records/national.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>

The Victorian Alps in the northeast are the coldest part of Victoria. The Alps are part of the Great Dividing Range mountain system extending east–west through the centre of Victoria. Average temperatures are less than {{convert|9|C|F|0}} in winter and below {{convert|0|C|F|0}} in the highest parts of the ranges. The state's lowest minimum temperature of {{convert|−11.7|°C|1}} was recorded at [[Omeo, Victoria|Omeo]] on 15 June 1965, and again at [[Falls Creek, Victoria|Falls Creek]] on 3 July 1970.<ref name="weatherrecords"/> Temperature extremes for the state are listed in the table below:

<div style="width:65%;">
{{Weather box
|location = Victoria
|metric first = Yes
|single line = Yes
|Jan record high C = 47.2
|Feb record high C = 48.8
|Mar record high C = 44.4
|Apr record high C = 39.3
|May record high C = 32.2
|Jun record high C = 25.7
|Jul record high C = 27.1
|Aug record high C = 29.9
|Sep record high C = 37.7
|Oct record high C = 40.2
|Nov record high C = 45.8
|Dec record high C = 46.6
|year record high C = 48.8
|Jan record low C = -3.9
|Feb record low C = -3.9
|Mar record low C = -4.3
|Apr record low C = -8.2
|May record low C = -8.3
|Jun record low C = -11.7
|Jul record low C = -11.7
|Aug record low C = -10.5
|Sep record low C = -9.4
|Oct record low C = -8.4
|Nov record low C = -7.0
|Dec record low C = -5.2
|year record low C = -11.7
|source 1 = Bureau of Meteorology<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bom.gov.au/cgi-bin/climate/extremes/daily_extremes.cgi?period=%2Fcgi-bin%2Fclimate%2Fextremes%2Fdaily_extremes.cgi&climtab=tmax_high&area=vic&year=2013&mon=1&day=11|title=Official records for Australia in January|date=31 July 2013|work=Daily Extremes|publisher=Bureau of Meteorology|access-date=8 June 2018|archive-date=10 January 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190110222631/http://www.bom.gov.au/cgi-bin/climate/extremes/daily_extremes.cgi?period=%2Fcgi-bin%2Fclimate%2Fextremes%2Fdaily_extremes.cgi&climtab=tmax_high&area=vic&year=2013&mon=1&day=11|url-status=live}}</ref>
|date=June 2018
}}
</div>

====Rainfall====
Rainfall in Victoria increases from south to the northeast, with higher averages in areas of high altitude. Mean annual rainfall exceeds {{convert|1800|mm|in|abbr=off}} in some parts of the northeast but is less than {{convert|280|mm|in|abbr=on}} in the Mallee. Rain is heaviest in the [[Otway Ranges]] and Gippsland in southern Victoria and in the mountainous northeast. Snow generally falls only in the mountains and hills in the centre of the state. Rain falls most frequently in winter, but summer precipitation is heavier. Rainfall is most reliable in Gippsland and the [[Western District, Victoria|Western District]], making them both leading farming areas. Victoria's highest recorded daily rainfall was {{convert|377.8|mm|in|abbr=on}} at [[Tidal River, Victoria|Tidal River]] in [[Wilsons Promontory National Park]] on 23 March 2011.<ref name="weatherrecords"/>

<gallery class="center" caption="Average temperatures and precipitation for Victoria">
File:Victoria_summer.jpg|Average January maximum temperatures:<br />Victoria's north is almost always hotter than coastal and mountainous areas.
File:Victoria_winter.jpg|Average July maximum temperatures:<br />Victoria's hills and ranges are coolest during winter. Snow also falls there.
File:Victoria_rainfall.jpg|Average yearly precipitation:<br />Victoria's rainfall is concentrated in the mountainous north-east and coast.
</gallery>
{{center|style=font-size:90%|Source: Bureau of Meteorology, Department of Primary Industries, Australian Natural Resources Atlas}}

==Demographics==
{{See also|Demographics of Australia}}
[[File:ABS-3101.0-AustralianDemographicStatistics-EstimatedResidentPopulationStatesTerritories-EstimatedResidentPopulation-Persons-Victoria-A2060844K.svg|thumb|right|upright=1.5|The estimated resident population since 1981]]
{| class="wikitable" style="float:right; margin-left:.5em; font-size:90%;"
|+ Population growth<br />estimates for Victoria
! Year !! Population{{br}}estimate
|-
| style="text-align:right;"| 2001 || style="text-align:center;"| 4,763,615
|-
| style="text-align:right;"| 2011 || style="text-align:center;"| 5,537,817
|-
| style="text-align:right;"| 2021 || style="text-align:center;"| 6,547,822
|-
| style="text-align:right;"| 2031 || style="text-align:center;"| 7,802,503
|-
| style="text-align:right;"| 2041 || style="text-align:center;"| 9,057,948
|-
| style="text-align:right;"| 2051 || style="text-align:center;"| 10,328,326
|-
| colspan="2"  style="font-size:80%; text-align:center;"| Source: Dept of Transport and<br /> Planning
|}
[[File:Melbourne skyline sor.jpg|thumb|upright=1.45|right|[[Melbourne]], the state capital, is home to more than three in four Victorians.]]
[[File:Lane of Chinatown (6760133489).jpg|thumb|303px|[[Chinatown, Melbourne]]. 2.7% of the Victorian population was born in China, 6.7% of the Victorian population is of Chinese ancestry, and 3.2% of the Victorian population speaks Mandarin at home.]]
It is estimated that on 30th September 2024, Victoria had a population of 7,012,962.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=ABSPop>{{cite web|url=https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/people/population/national-state-and-territory-population/latest-release|publisher=Australian Bureau of Statistics|date=19 September 2024|accessdate=29 September 2024|title=National, state and territory population, March 2024 &#124; Australian Bureau of Statistics|archive-date=26 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210126062952/https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/people/population/national-state-and-territory-population/latest-release|url-status=live}}</ref> The [[Australian Bureau of Statistics]] estimates that the population may well reach 10.3&nbsp;million by 2051.

Victoria's founding [[Anglo-Celtic Australian|Anglo-Celtic]] population has been supplemented by successive waves of [[Immigration to Australia|migrants]] from [[Southern Europe|Southern]] and [[Eastern Europe]], [[Asia]] and, most recently, [[Africa]] and the [[Middle East]]. Victoria's population is ageing in proportion with the average of the remainder of the Australian population.

About 72% of Victorians are Australian-born. This figure falls to around 66% in Melbourne but rises to higher than 95% in some rural areas in the north west of the state. Less than 1% of Victorians identify themselves as [[Australian Aborigines|Aboriginal]].

More than 75% of Victorians live in Melbourne, located in the state's south. The greater Melbourne metropolitan area is home to an estimated 5,207,145 people.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/people/population/regional-population/latest-release|publisher=Australian Bureau of Statistics|date=26 March 2024|accessdate=29 September 2024|title=Regional population &#124; Australian Bureau of Statistics|archive-date=10 October 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231010145251/https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/people/population/regional-population/latest-release|url-status=live}}</ref> Urban centres outside Melbourne include [[Geelong]], [[Ballarat]], [[Bendigo]], [[Shepparton]], [[Mildura]], [[Warrnambool]], [[Wodonga]] and the [[Latrobe Valley]].

Victoria is Australia's most urbanised state: nearly 90% of residents living in cities and towns. State Government efforts to decentralise population have included an official campaign run since 2003 to encourage Victorians to settle in regional areas,<ref>[http://www.provincialvictoria.vic.gov.au/about.aspx Provincial Victoria – About] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100426113502/http://www.provincialvictoria.vic.gov.au/about.aspx |date=26 April 2010 }}</ref> however Melbourne continues to rapidly outpace these areas in terms of population growth.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.theage.com.au/national/pressure-grows-as-melbourne-rockets-to-4-million-20090423-agt5.html |location=Australia |work=The Age |title=Pressure grows as Melbourne rockets to 4 million |first=Tim |last=Colebatch |date=24 April 2009 |access-date=14 April 2010 |archive-date=7 May 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100507041801/http://www.theage.com.au/national/pressure-grows-as-melbourne-rockets-to-4-million-20090423-agt5.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Ancestry and immigration===
{{See also|Immigration to Australia}}
{| class="wikitable" style="float:right;"
|+Country of birth (2016)<ref name="quickstats.censusdata.abs.gov.au"/>
! Birthplace{{refn|group="N"|In accordance with the Australian Bureau of Statistics source, [[England]], [[Scotland]], [[Mainland China]] and the Special Administrative Regions of [[Hong Kong]] and [[Macau]] are listed separately.}} !! Population
|-
| [[Australians|Australia]] || 3,845,493
|-
| [[English Australian|England]] || 171,443
|-
| [[Indian Australian|India]] || 169,802
|-
| [[Chinese Australian|Mainland China]] || 160,652
|-
| [[New Zealander Australian|New Zealand]] || 93,253
|-
| [[Vietnamese Australian|Vietnam]] || 80,253
|-
| [[Italian Australian|Italy]] || 70,527
|-
| [[Sri Lankan Australian|Sri Lanka]] || 55,830
|-
| [[Filipino Australians|Philippines]] || 51,290
|-
| [[Malaysian Australian|Malaysia]] || 50,049
|-
| [[Greek Australian|Greece]] || 47,240
|}

At the 2016 census, the most commonly nominated ancestries were:{{refn|group="N"|As a percentage of 5,533,099 persons who nominated their ancestry at the 2016 census.}}<ref name="quickstats.censusdata.abs.gov.au"/><ref name="censusdata.abs.gov.au">{{cite web |url=http://www.censusdata.abs.gov.au/CensusOutput/copsub2016.NSF/All%20docs%20by%20catNo/2016~Community%20Profile~2/$File/GCP_2.zip?OpenElement |title=GCP_2 |format=ZIP |access-date=30 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200318005541/https://www.censusdata.abs.gov.au/CensusOutput/copsub2016.NSF/All%20docs%20by%20catNo/2016~Community%20Profile~2/$File/GCP_2.zip?OpenElement |archive-date=18 March 2020}}</ref> <!-- Only ancestries with >1% are listed. Do not use the QuickStats data from ABS for ancestries. Use the full ancestry data series (eg from ABS Community Profiles series) as the QuickStats data shows each ancestry as a percentage of all ancestry responses (where each person can list up to two, thus a far greater number than the total population) while the full data series in the ABS Community Profiles show the percentage of people nominating a given ancestry as a percentage of the population who nominated an ancestry -->
{{columns-list|colwidth=12em|
* [[English Australian|English]] (32%)
* [[Australians|Australian]] (29.9%){{refn|group="N"|The Australian Bureau of Statistics has stated that most who nominate "Australian" as their ancestry are part of the [[Anglo-Celtic Australian|Anglo-Celtic]] group.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.abs.gov.au/Ausstats/abs@.nsf/94713ad445ff1425ca25682000192af2/49f609c83cf34d69ca2569de0025c182!OpenDocument|title=Feature Article – Ethnic and Cultural Diversity in Australia (Feature Article)|first=c=AU; o=Commonwealth of Australia; ou=Australian Bureau of|last=Statistics|website=abs.gov.au|date=January 1995|access-date=22 June 2019|archive-date=20 April 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160420205113/http://www.abs.gov.au/Ausstats/abs%40.nsf/94713ad445ff1425ca25682000192af2/49f609c83cf34d69ca2569de0025c182%21OpenDocument|url-status=live}}</ref>}}
* [[Irish Australian|Irish]] (10.8%)
* [[Scottish Australians|Scottish]] (8.9%)
* [[Chinese Australians|Chinese]] (6.7%)
* [[Italian Australian|Italian]] (6.4%)
* [[Indian Australian|Indian]] (3.8%)
* [[German Australian|German]] (3.6%)
* [[Greek Australian|Greek]] (3.1%)
* [[Vietnamese Australian|Vietnamese]] (2%)
* [[Dutch Australians|Dutch]] (1.8%)
* [[Maltese Australians|Maltese]] (1.3%)
* [[Filipino Australians|Filipino]] (1.2%)
* [[Polish Australians|Polish]] (1%)
}}

0.8% of the population, or 47,788 people, identified as [[Indigenous Australians]] ([[Aboriginal Australians]] and [[Torres Strait Islanders]]) in 2016.{{refn|group="N"|Of any ancestry. Includes those identifying as [[Aboriginal Australians]] or [[Torres Strait Islanders]]. Indigenous identification is separate to the ancestry question on the Australian Census and persons identifying as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander may identify any ancestry.}}<ref name="quickstats.censusdata.abs.gov.au"/><ref name="censusdata.abs.gov.au"/>

At the 2016 census, 64.9% of residents were born in Australia. The other most common countries of birth were [[England]] (2.9%), [[India]] (2.9%), [[Mainland China]] (2.7%), [[New Zealand]] (1.6%) and [[Vietnam]] (1.4%).<ref name="quickstats.censusdata.abs.gov.au"/><ref name="censusdata.abs.gov.au"/>

===Language===
As of the 2016 census, 72.2% of Victorians speak English at home. Speakers of other languages include [[Mandarin Chinese|Mandarin]] (3.2%), [[Italian language|Italian]] (1.9%), [[Greek language|Greek]] (1.9%), [[Vietnamese language|Vietnamese]] (1.7%), and [[Arabic]] (1.3%).<ref name="quickstats.censusdata.abs.gov.au"/><ref name="censusdata.abs.gov.au"/>

===Religion===
In the 2016 Census, 47.9% of Victorians described themselves as [[Christians|Christian]], 10.6% stated that they followed other religions and 32.1% stated that they had no religion or held secular or other spiritual beliefs.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Lookup/by+Subject/2071.0~2016~Main+Features~Religion+Data+Summary~70 |title=2071.0 – Census of Population and Housing: Reflecting Australia – Stories from the Census, 2016 # Religion in the States and Territories |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |year=2019 |publisher=Australian Bureau of Statistics |access-date=25 April 2019 |archive-date=25 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190425101229/https://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Lookup/by%2BSubject/2071.0~2016~Main%2BFeatures~Religion%2BData%2BSummary~70 |url-status=live }}</ref> In the survey, 31.7% of Victorians stated they had no religion, [[Catholic Church|Roman Catholics]] were 23.2%, 9.4% did not answer the question, 9% were [[Anglicanism|Anglican]] and 3.5% were [[Eastern Orthodoxy|Eastern Orthodox]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://quickstats.censusdata.abs.gov.au/census_services/getproduct/census/2016/quickstat/2?opendocument|title=2016 Census QuickStats Victoria|author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.-->|year=2019|publisher=Australian Bureau of Statistics|access-date=25 April 2019|archive-date=9 June 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190609051412/https://quickstats.censusdata.abs.gov.au/census_services/getproduct/census/2016/quickstat/2%3Fopendocument|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2017 the proportion of couples marrying in a civil ceremony in Victoria was 77.3%; the other 22.7% were married in a religious ceremony.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/mf/3310.0|title=Australian Bureau of Statistics 3310.0 Marriages and Divorces, Australia, 2017|date=27 November 2018|website=Australian Bureau of Statistics|access-date=25 April 2019|archive-date=25 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190425101228/https://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/mf/3310.0|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Age structure and fertility===

The government predicts that nearly a quarter of Victorians will be aged over 60 by 2021. The 2016 census revealed that Australian [[median age]] has crept upward from 35 to 37 since 2001, which reflects the [[population growth]] peak of 1969–72.<ref>{{Census 2011 AUS|id=2|name=Victoria|access-date=24 February 2013|quick=on}}</ref> In 2017, Victoria recorded a [[Total Fertility Rate|TFR]] of 1.724.<ref>{{cite web |title=3301.0 – Births, Australia, 2017 |url=https://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/allprimarymainfeatures/F41B99AB234B2074CA25792F00161838?opendocument |publisher=Australian Bureau of Statistics |access-date=23 November 2019 |archive-date=21 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200721173208/https://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/allprimarymainfeatures/F41B99AB234B2074CA25792F00161838?opendocument |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Average demographic ===
The "average Victorian" according to the demographic statistics may be described as follows:<ref>{{cite web |date=11 April 2017|title=Media Release – Census reveals the 'typical' Victorian|url=https://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/mediareleasesbyReleaseDate/28072302A79D3669CA2580FE0013ED93?OpenDocument|access-date=7 August 2020|website=Australian Bureau of Statistics |language=en|archive-date=24 September 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200924223419/https://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/mediareleasesbyReleaseDate/28072302A79D3669CA2580FE0013ED93?OpenDocument|url-status=live}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable"
|+2016 Victorian Census
!Median age
|37
|-
!Sex (mode)
|Female
|-
!Country of birth of person (mode)
|Australia
|-
!Country of birth of parents (mode)
|At least one parent born overseas
|-
!Language spoken at home (mode)
|English
|-
!Ancestry 1st response (mode)
|English
|-
!Social marital status (mode)
|Married in a registered marriage
|-
!Family composition (mode)
|Couple family with children
|-
!Count of all children in family (mode)
|Two children in family
|-
!Highest year of school completed (mode)
|Year 12 or equivalent
|-
!Unpaid domestic work: number of hours (mode)
|5 to 14 hours
|-
!Number of motor vehicles (mode)
|Two vehicles
|-
!Number of bedrooms in private dwelling (mode)
|Three bedrooms
|-
!Tenure type (dwelling count) (mode)
|Owned with a mortgage
|}

==Crime==
{{main|Crime in Victoria}}
In the year ending September 2020, the statistics were skewed by the introduction of six new public safety offences relating to the [[COVID-19 pandemic in Australia]].<ref>{{cite web | title=Latest Victorian crime data | website=Crime Statistics Agency Victoria | date=28 September 2020 | url=https://www.crimestatistics.vic.gov.au/crime-statistics/latest-victorian-crime-data | access-date=13 February 2021 | archive-date=13 February 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210213012543/https://www.crimestatistics.vic.gov.au/crime-statistics/latest-victorian-crime-data | url-status=live }} [[File:CC-BY icon.svg|50px]] Text may have been copied from this source, which is available under a Attribution 4.0 International  (CC BY 4.0) {{Cite web|url=https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/|title=Deed - Attribution 4.0 International - Creative Commons|website=creativecommons.org|accessdate=13 January 2025|archive-date=16 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171016050101/https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/|url-status=live}}) licence.</ref> Total offences numbered 551,710, with 32,713 of these being breaches of [[Chief Health Officer]] Directions. The total offences occurred at a rate of 8,227 per 100,000 people, up 4.4% on the previous year. While there have been some dips along the way, the rate of recorded offences have increased year on year since 2011, when the figure was 6,937.7 offences per 100,000 people.<ref>{{cite web | title=Recorded Offences | website=Crime Statistics Agency Victoria | date=17 December 2020 | url=https://www.crimestatistics.vic.gov.au/crime-statistics/latest-victorian-crime-data/recorded-offences-1 | access-date=13 February 2021 | archive-date=13 February 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210213012859/https://www.crimestatistics.vic.gov.au/crime-statistics/latest-victorian-crime-data/recorded-offences-1 | url-status=dead }} [[File:CC-BY icon.svg|50px]] Text may have been copied from this source, which is available under an Attribution 4.0 International  (CC BY 4.0) ({{Cite web |url=https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |title=Deed - Attribution 4.0 International - Creative Commons |access-date=14 May 2022 |archive-date=16 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201016190421/https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |url-status=bot: unknown }}) licence.</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
|+Criminal offences recorded in Victoria 2010–14<ref>{{cite web|url = https://www.ombudsman.vic.gov.au/getattachment/5188692a-35b6-411f-907e-3e7704f45e17|title = Investigation into the rehabilitation and reintegration of prisoners in Victoria |date=September 2015|access-date = 22 August 2018|website = Ombudsman Victoria|archive-date = 4 March 2019|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190304223654/https://www.ombudsman.vic.gov.au/getattachment/5188692a-35b6-411f-907e-3e7704f45e17|url-status = dead }}</ref>
!
!2010
!2011
!2012
!2013
!2014
|-
|Number of offences
|378,082
|386,061
|423,555
|437,409
|456,381
|}

==Government==
{{Main|Government of Victoria}}
[[File:VIC Parliament.jpg|thumb|upright=1.05|The Victorian [[Parliament House, Melbourne|Parliament House]], built in 1856, stands in [[Spring Street, Melbourne|Spring Street]], Melbourne. The building was intended to be finished with a [[dome]], but was not completed due to budget constraints.]]
[[File:Vic legislative council 1878.jpg|thumb|upright=1.05|right|The [[Victorian Legislative Council|Legislative Council]] Chamber, as photographed in 1878]]
[[File:Town Hall, Geelong.jpg|thumb|upright=1.05|One of many local government seats, [[Geelong Town Hall]]]]

===Parliament===
{{Main|Parliament of Victoria|Victorian Legislative Assembly|Victorian Legislative Council}}

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 King), the executive (the Government), and two legislative chambers. The [[Parliament of Victoria]] consists of the lower house [[Victorian Legislative Assembly|Legislative Assembly]], the upper house [[Victorian Legislative Council|Legislative Council]] and the [[Monarchy of Australia|monarch]]. Eighty-eight members of the Legislative Assembly are elected to four-year terms from single-member electorates.

In November 2006, the Victorian Legislative Council elections were held under a new multi-member proportional representation system. The State of Victoria was divided into eight electorates with each electorate represented by five representatives elected by [[Single Transferable Vote]]. The total number of upper house members was reduced from 44 to 40 and their term of office is now the same as the lower house members—four years. Elections for the Victorian Parliament are now fixed and occur in November every four years. Prior to the 2006 election, the Legislative Council consisted of 44 members elected to eight-year terms from 22 two-member electorates.

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Party !! Legislative Assembly !! Legislative Council
|-
| {{Australian party shading/Labor}}|[[Australian Labor Party|Labor]] || 56 || 15
|-
| {{Australian party shading/Liberal}}| [[Liberal Party of Australia|Liberal]] || 19 || 12
|-
| {{Australian party shading/National}}| [[National Party of Australia|National]] || 9 || 2
|-
| {{Australian party shading/Greens}} |[[Australian Greens|Greens]]|| 4 || 4
|-
| {{Australian party shading/Independent}}| Others || 0 || 7
|}

===Premier and cabinet===
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 that are not exclusively vested in the Commonwealth, by the [[Australian Constitution]], such as education, health and law enforcement. The current Premier of Victoria is [[Jacinta Allan]].

===Governor===
{{Main|Governor of Victoria}}
Executive authority is vested in the [[Governor of Victoria]] who represents and is appointed by the [[Monarchy of Australia|monarch]]. The post is usually filled by a retired prominent Victorian. The governor acts on the advice of the premier and cabinet. The current Governor of Victoria is [[Margaret Gardner]].

===Constitution===
{{main|Constitution of Victoria}}
Victoria has a written constitution enacted in 1975,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/vic/consol_act/ca1975188/ |title=Constitution Act 1975 |publisher=Australasian Legal Information Institute |access-date=17 July 2016 |archive-date=25 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160525084614/http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/vic/consol_act/ca1975188/ |url-status=live }}</ref> but based on the 1855 colonial constitution, passed by the United Kingdom Parliament as the ''Victoria Constitution Act 1855'', which establishes the Parliament as the state's law-making body for matters coming under state responsibility. The Victorian Constitution can be amended by the Parliament of Victoria, except for certain "entrenched" provisions that require either an absolute majority in both houses, a three-fifths majority in both houses, or the approval of the Victorian people in a referendum, depending on the provision. To this day, not a single referendum has been held to change the Victorian Constitution.

===Politics===
{{Main|Politics of Victoria|Electoral regions of Victoria}}
Victoria is considered by some analysts to be the most [[Progressivism|progressive]] state in the nation.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.smh.com.au/comment/victorias-new-age-of-enlightenment-puts-nsw-in-the-shade-20171117-gznak0.html|title=Victoria's new age of enlightenment puts NSW in the shade|work=The Sydney Morning Herald|author=Debbie Cuthbertson|date=17 November 2017|quote=Sunny Sydneysiders might consider themselves much more open-minded and free thinking than their archetypal black-clad Melbourne cousins. But taking the political temperature of the two states shows that supposedly dour Victorians are loosening their corsets and becoming much more progressive.|access-date=30 November 2017|archive-date=5 January 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220105095856/https://www.smh.com.au/opinion/victorias-new-age-of-enlightenment-puts-nsw-in-the-shade-20171117-gznak0.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://michaelwest.com.au/how-victoria-became-the-progressive-jewel-in-the-national-crown/|title=Don't tell Mr Menzies: how Victoria became the progressive jewel in the national crown|work=michealwest.com.au|date=26 March 2022|access-date=6 February 2024|archive-date=6 February 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240206120135/https://michaelwest.com.au/how-victoria-became-the-progressive-jewel-in-the-national-crown/|url-status=live}}</ref> The state recorded the highest ''Yes'' votes of any state in the [[1999 Australian republic referendum|republic referendum]], [[Australian Marriage Law Postal Survey|same-sex marriage survey]] and [[2023 Australian Indigenous Voice referendum|Indigenous Voice referendum]]. Victorians are said to be "generally socially progressive, supportive of multiculturalism, wary of extremes of any kind".<ref>{{cite news |title=Welcome to Victoria, the progressive state |author=Gay Alcorn |url=http://www.theage.com.au/comment/welcome-to-victoria-the-progressive-state-20130509-2jak0.html |newspaper=The Age |date=10 May 2013 |access-date=2 October 2013 |archive-date=17 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131017035350/http://www.theage.com.au/comment/welcome-to-victoria-the-progressive-state-20130509-2jak0.html#ixzz2gYTfr55q |url-status=live }}</ref> Premier [[Jacinta Allan]] leads the [[Victorian Labor Party]] who replaced [[Daniel Andrews]] after his resignation in September 2023. Labor has been in power since the [[2014 Victorian state election|November 2014 Victorian state election]], and has been in power in 31 of the 42 years since 1982.

The centre-left [[Australian Labor Party]] (ALP), the centre-right [[Liberal Party of Australia]], the rural-based [[National Party of Australia]], and the left-wing environmentalist [[Australian Greens]] are Victoria's main political parties. Traditionally, Labor is strongest in Melbourne's working and middle class western, northern and inner-city suburbs, and the regional cities of [[Ballarat]], [[Bendigo]] and [[Geelong]]. The Liberals' main support lies in Melbourne's more affluent eastern suburbs and outer suburbs, and some rural and regional centres. The Nationals are strongest in Victoria's North Western and Eastern rural regional areas. The Greens, who won their first lower house seats in 2014, are strongest in inner Melbourne.

===Federal government===
Victorian voters elect 50 representatives to the [[Parliament of Australia]], including 38 members of the [[Australian House of Representatives|House of Representatives]] and 12 members of the [[Australian Senate|Senate]]. Since 1 April 2023, the ALP hold 25 Victorian house seats, the Liberals 10, the Nationals three, the Greens one, and independents the remaining three. The ALP and the Liberals hold four senate seats each, while the Nationals, Greens, UAP and an independent hold one seat each.

===Local government===
{{Main|Local government areas of Victoria}}
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.<ref>Victorian Parliamentary Library, Department of Victorian Communities, Australian Electoral Commission</ref>

==Education==

{{Main|Education in Victoria}}

===Primary and secondary===
[[File:Camberwell High School.jpg|thumb|right|[[Camberwell High School]], a public secondary school in Victoria]]
[[File:Melbourne University south lawn.jpg|thumb|upright=1.05|The [[University of Melbourne]], ranked as one of the best universities in Australia and in the Southern Hemisphere, is Victoria's oldest university.]]
[[File:Deakin University Burwood Campus.jpg|thumb|right|[[Deakin University]] consistently leads the state in student satisfaction, and is consistently ranked as one of the world's best young universities.]]
[[File:State Library of Victoria - right side.jpg|thumb|upright=1.05|The State Library of Victoria is the fourth most visited public library in the world.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://premiersdesignawards.vic.gov.au/entries/2020/architectural-design/state-library-victoria-vision-2020-redevelopment|title=State Library Victoria Vision 2020 Redevelopment|work=Victorian Premiers Design Awards|date=2020|accessdate=26 March 2023|archive-date=26 March 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230326044036/https://premiersdesignawards.vic.gov.au/entries/2020/architectural-design/state-library-victoria-vision-2020-redevelopment|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=A bright new chapter opens for rejuvenated state library, thanks to the help of good friends |url=https://www.theaustralian.com.au/ |accessdate=26 March 2023 |archive-date=6 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221206031756/https://www.theaustralian.com.au/ |url-status=live }}</ref>]]

Victoria's [[Public school (government funded)|state school]] system dates back to 1872, when the colonial government legislated to make schooling both free and compulsory. The state's public secondary school system began in 1905. Before then, only private secondary schooling was available. Today, a Victorian school education consists of seven years of primary schooling (including one preparatory year) and six years of secondary schooling.

The final years of secondary school are optional for children aged over 17. Victorian children generally begin school at age five or six. On completing secondary school, students earn the [[Victorian Certificate of Education|Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE)]] or [[VCE Vocational Major|Victorian Certificate of Education - Vocational Major (VCE-VM)]]. Students who successfully complete their VCE (not including VCE-VM students) also receive an [[ATAR]], to determine university admittance (unless the student is [[Victorian Certificate of Education#Unscored VCE|'going unscored']].

Victorian schools are either publicly or privately funded. Public schools, also known as state or government schools, are funded and run directly by the [[Department of Education (Victoria)|Victorian Department of Education]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.education.vic.gov.au/Pages/default.aspx|title=Department of Education|website=www.education.vic.gov.au|accessdate=13 January 2025|archive-date=4 January 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250104200637/https://www.education.vic.gov.au/Pages/default.aspx|url-status=live}}</ref> Students do not pay tuition fees, but some extra costs are levied. Private fee-paying schools include parish schools run by the Roman Catholic Church and independent schools similar to British public schools. Independent schools are usually affiliated with Protestant churches. Victoria also has several private Jewish and Islamic primary and secondary schools. Private schools also receive some public funding. All schools must comply with government-set curriculum standards. In addition, Victoria has six government [[selective school]]s, [[Melbourne High School]] for boys, [[MacRobertson Girls' High School]] for girls, the coeducational schools [[John Monash Science School]], [[Nossal High School]] and [[Suzanne Cory High School]], and the [[Victorian College of the Arts Secondary School]]. Students at these schools are exclusively admitted on the basis of an academic selective entry test. Victoria also offers an online schooling system, called Virtual School Victoria, or VSV.

As of February 2019, Victoria had 1,529 public schools, 496 Catholic schools and 219 independent schools. Just under 631,500 students were enrolled in public schools, and just over 357,000 in private schools. Over 58 per cent of private students attend Catholic schools. More than 552,300 students were enrolled in primary schools and more than 418,600 in secondary schools. Retention rates for the final two years of secondary school were 84.3 per cent for public school students and 91.5 per cent for private school students. Victoria has about 46,523 full-time teachers.<ref>{{cite web |title=Snapshot: Victorian Schools Summary Statistics |url=https://www.education.vic.gov.au/Documents/about/department/summarystatssnapshot.pdf |publisher=Victorian Department of Education and Training |access-date=23 November 2019 |archive-date=19 May 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200519141031/https://www.education.vic.gov.au/Documents/about/department/summarystatssnapshot.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Tertiary education===

Victoria has [[List of universities in Australia#Victoria|nine universities]]. The first to offer degrees, the [[University of Melbourne]], enrolled its first student in 1855. The largest, [[Monash University]], has an enrolment of over 83,000 students—more than any other Australian university.<ref name="ucube">{{cite web |title=Higher Education Statistics |url=http://highereducationstatistics.education.gov.au |website=uCube |publisher=Department of Education and Training |access-date=20 November 2019 |archive-date=3 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220403065138/http://highereducationstatistics.education.gov.au/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

The number of students enrolled in Victorian universities was 418,447 in 2018, an increase of 5.3% on the previous year. International students made up 40% of enrolments and account for the highest percentage of pre-paid university tuition fees.<ref name="ucube" /> The largest number of enrolments were recorded in the fields of business, administration and economics, with nearly 30% of all students, followed by arts, humanities, and social science, with 18% of enrolments.<ref name="ucube" />

Victoria has 12 government-run institutions of technical and further education ([[TAFE#Victoria|TAFE]]).<ref>{{cite web |title=TAFE governance |url=https://www.education.vic.gov.au/training/providers/rto/Pages/governance.aspx |publisher=Department of Education and Training |access-date=22 November 2019 |archive-date=22 November 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191122225633/https://www.education.vic.gov.au/training/providers/rto/Pages/governance.aspx |url-status=live }}</ref> The first vocational institution in the state was the Melbourne Mechanics' Institute (established in 1839), which is now the [[Athenaeum, Melbourne|Melbourne Athenaeum]]. More than 1,000 adult education organisations are registered to provide recognised TAFE programs. In 2014, there were 443,000 students enrolled in vocational education in the state. By 2018, the number of students in the sector had dropped by 40 per cent to 265,000—a five-year low which the education department attributed to withdrawal of funding to low-quality providers and a societal shift to university education.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Carey |first1=Adam |title=State puts training wheels in motion with vocational education review |url=https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/state-puts-training-wheels-in-motion-with-vocational-education-review-20191031-p536a3.html |access-date=22 November 2019 |work=The Age |date=31 October 2019 |language=en |archive-date=22 November 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191122225640/https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/state-puts-training-wheels-in-motion-with-vocational-education-review-20191031-p536a3.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Libraries===

The [[State Library Victoria]] is the State's research and reference library. It is responsible for collecting and preserving Victoria's documentary heritage and making it available through a range of services and programs. Material in the collection includes books, newspapers, magazines, journals, manuscripts, maps, pictures, objects, sound and video recordings and databases. The state has [[Public library|public libraries]] in most LGAs (typically with multiple branches in their respective municipal areas) and [[Academic library|academic libraries in universities]], and some [[List of libraries in Victoria#Special libraries|special libraries]].

==Economy==

{{Main|Economy of Victoria (state)}}

{| class="wikitable toccolours" style="float:right; font-size:90%; margin-top:0.3em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:0.5em;"
|-
! colspan="4"  style="background:#cef; text-align:center;"| Victorian production and<br />workers by economic activities
|-  style="background:#ccc; vertical-align:top;"
!Economic<br />sector
!GSP<br />produced<ref>The figures are taken as a proportion of total Victoria Gross State Product, Industry Value Added with the exclusion of ''Ownership of dwellings'', ''Taxes Less Subsidiaries'' and the ''Statistical Discrepancy'' adjustment. {{cite web|url=http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/Lookup/5220.0Main+Features12015-16?OpenDocument|title=5220.0 – Australian National Accounts: State Accounts, 2015–16|date=18 November 2016|access-date=25 August 2017|archive-date=25 August 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170825191632/http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/Lookup/5220.0Main+Features12015-16?OpenDocument|url-status=live}}</ref>
!Number of<br />workers ('000s)
!Percentage<br />of workers
|- style="text-align:center;"
| style="text-align:left;"| Finance, insurance<br />services
| 12.8%
| 115.5
| 3.8%
|- style="text-align:center;"
| style="text-align:left;"| Professional,<br />technical services
| 9.1%
| 274.3
| 9.0%
|- style="text-align:center;"
| style="text-align:left;"| Manufacturing
| 8.6%
| 274.4
| 9.0%
|- style="text-align:center;"
| style="text-align:left;"| Health Care,<br />social services
| 8.5%
| 390.6
| 12.8%
|- style="text-align:center;"
| style="text-align:left;"| Construction
| 7.7%
| 255.7
| 6.4%
|- style="text-align:center;"
| style="text-align:left;"| Education
| 6.7%
| 257.7
| 8.5%
|- style="text-align:center;"
| style="text-align:left;"| Retail Trade
| 6.0%
| 310.6
| 10.2%
|- style="text-align:center;"
| style="text-align:left;"| Transport Services
| 5.7%
| 165.4
| 5.4%
|- style="text-align:center;"
| style="text-align:left;"| Wholesale Trade
| 5.6%
| 113.4
| 3.7%
|- style="text-align:center;"
| style="text-align:left;"| Public<br />Administration
| 5.0%
| 146.5
| 4.8%
|- style="text-align:center;"
| style="text-align:left;"| Communications<br />and IT
| 3.9%
| 57.0
| 1.9%
|- style="text-align:center;"
| style="text-align:left;"| Real Estate
| 3.7%
| 43.6
| 1.4%
|- style="text-align:center;"
| style="text-align:left;"| Administrative<br />services
| 3.3%
| 119.0
| 3.9%
|- style="text-align:center;"
| style="text-align:left;"| Accommodation and<br />food services
| 2.9%
| 209.9
| 6.9%
|- style="text-align:center;"
| style="text-align:left;"| Agriculture, forestry<br />and fishing
| 2.8%
| 86.1
| 2.8%
|- style="text-align:center;"
| style="text-align:left;"| Utilities
| 2.4%
| 39.4
| 1.3%
|- style="text-align:center;"
| style="text-align:left;"| Mining
| 2.0%
| 11.0
| 0.4%
|- style="text-align:center;"
| style="text-align:left;"| Arts and<br />recreation
| 1.1%
| 63.2
| 2.1%
|- style="text-align:center;"
| style="text-align:left;"| Other Services
| –
| 115.1
| 3.8%
|-
| colspan="4"  style="font-size:90%; background:#cef; "| Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics. GSP as of June 2016. Employment as of Aug 2016. 
|}

The state of Victoria is the second largest economy in Australia after New South Wales, accounting for a quarter of the nation's gross domestic product. The total [[gross state product]] (GSP) at current prices for Victoria was A$459&nbsp;billion in June 2020, with a GSP per capita of A$68,996.<!--The economy grew by 1.0 per cent in the 2015–16 financial year, less than the Australian average of 2.7 per cent.--><ref name="gspref" />

===Agriculture===
{{see also|Agriculture in Australia}}
[[File:Victorian stand in 1867.jpg|thumb|left|Victoria's stand at the Paris ''Exhibition Universal'' of 1867, showing bales of wool]]

Victoria is Australia's second-largest agricultural producer in gross value of production, representing about 25 percent of Australia's total food production.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Day |first1=Lesley M. |title=Farm work related fatalities among adults in Victoria, Australia: The human cost of agriculture |journal=Accident Analysis & Prevention |date=1 January 1999 |volume=31 |issue=1 |pages=153–159 |doi=10.1016/S0001-4575(98)00057-8 |pmid=10084630 |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0001457598000578 |access-date=1 December 2023 |issn=0001-4575|url-access=subscription }}</ref> There are 67,600 people employed in the agricultural industry, making it the 6th largest employer in the state.<ref>{{cite web |title=Industry sector of employment {{!}} Australia {{!}} Community profile |url=https://profile.id.com.au/australia/industries?WebID=110 |website=profile.id.com.au |access-date=1 December 2023 |archive-date=25 September 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170925160835/http://profile.id.com.au/australia/industries?WebID=110 |url-status=live }}</ref> There are about 21,600 farms in the state, managing more than 11.4&nbsp;million hectares or 50% of the state's total landmass, of which 40% was used for [[crop]]ping and 50% for [[grazing]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Department of Jobs |first1=Precincts and Regions |title=Victoria's agriculture and food industries – Agriculture |url=https://agriculture.vic.gov.au/about/agriculture-in-victoria/victorias-agriculture-and-food-industries |website=Agriculture Victoria |access-date=1 December 2023 |language=en-AU |date=28 September 2023 |archive-date=1 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231201170838/https://agriculture.vic.gov.au/about/agriculture-in-victoria/victorias-agriculture-and-food-industries |url-status=live }}</ref> Victorian farms produce nearly 90% of Australian pears and a third of apples. The main vegetable crops include asparagus, broccoli, carrots, potatoes, and tomatoes.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Murphy |first1=Maureen |last2=Carey |first2=Rachel |last3=Alexandra |first3=Leila |title=Building the resilience of agri-food systems to compounding shocks and stresses: A case study from Melbourne, Australia |journal=Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems |date=2023 |volume=7 |doi=10.3389/fsufs.2023.1130978 |issn=2571-581X |doi-access=free |bibcode=2023FrSFS...730978M }}</ref>

More than 14&nbsp;million sheep and 5&nbsp;million lambs graze over 10% of Victorian farms, mostly in the state's north and west.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Rankin |first1=Don |last2=Shi |first2=Lisa |title=harvesting growth for victoria |url=https://www.victorianchamber.com.au/cdn/kcv6vkxggyokg0ss |publisher=Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry |access-date=1 December 2023}}</ref> [[Pgt 126|''Pgt'' standard race 126]] was the most common {{visible anchor|Stem Rust}} ([[Puccinia graminis f. sp. tritici|''Puccinia graminis'' f. sp. ''tritici'']]) race here from 1929 to 1941, as it was for the whole of Australia.<ref name="Somatic-Hybridization" /> First detected on [[Tasmania]] in 1954, [[Pgt 21|standard race 21]] was the most common race by the next year in this state, the southern part of [[New South Wales|NSW]], and Tasmania.<ref name="Somatic-Hybridization" /> {{visible anchor|Leaf Rust}} (''[[Puccinia triticina|P. triticina]]'') is known to have been present here, and throughout the continent, at least since European colonization.<ref name="Somatic-Hybridization" /> ''P. triticina'' [[pathotype]] {{visible anchor|104-2,3,(6),(7),11}} was first found here in 1984 and has contributed to populations ever since.<ref name="Somatic-Hybridization" /> It is considered to be foreign to Australia due to a difference in [[pathogenicity]] and due to its unique ''{{visible anchor|Pgm2 c}}'' [[allele]].<ref name="Somatic-Hybridization">{{cite journal | issue=1 | publisher=[[Annual Reviews (publisher)|Annual Reviews]] | volume=50 | date=8 September 2012 | last1=Park | journal=[[Annual Review of Phytopathology]] | issn=0066-4286 | first1=Robert F. | last2=Wellings | first2=Colin R. | title=Somatic Hybridization in the Uredinales | doi=10.1146/annurev-phyto-072910-095405 | pages=219–239 | pmid=22920559 | bibcode=2012AnRvP..50..219P | s2cid=712909}}</ref>

Victorian farms produce nearly 90% of Australian [[pear]]s and a third of [[apple]]s. It is also a leader in [[Prunus|stone fruit]] (''Prunus'') production. The main vegetable crops include [[asparagus]], [[broccoli]], [[carrot]]s, [[potato]]es and [[tomato]]es. Last year, {{convert|121,200|MT|ST}} of pears and {{convert|270,000|MT|ST}} of tomatoes were produced. More than 14&nbsp;million sheep and 5&nbsp;million lambs graze over 10% of Victorian farms, mostly in the state's north and west. In 2004, nearly 10&nbsp;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 {{convert|108,000|MT|ST}} 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% of Australia's 3&nbsp;million dairy cattle and produces nearly two-thirds of the nation's milk, almost {{convert|6.4|e9l|e9USgal|abbr=off}}. The state also has 2.4&nbsp;million beef cattle, with more than 2.2&nbsp;million cattle and calves slaughtered each year. In 2003–04, Victorian commercial fishing crews and aquaculture industry produced {{convert|11,634|MT|ST}} of seafood valued at nearly A$109&nbsp;million. Blacklipped [[abalone]] is the mainstay of the catch, bringing in A$46&nbsp;million, followed by southern [[spiny lobster|rock lobster]] worth A$13.7&nbsp;million. Most abalone and rock lobster is exported to Asia.

Most of Australia {{endash}} including this state {{endash}} imposed a moratorium on [[GM canola]] in 2003 to consider the positives and negatives.<ref name="Moratorium" /> After consideration the ban here was lifted in 2008 and the state's produced a review of the effects of the moratorium and the expected economic and other effects of adoption or failure to adopt GM canola.<ref name="Moratorium" /> The government finds a benefit of [[Australian dollar|AUS]]{{convert|45|$/hectare}}/season over conventional.<ref name="Moratorium">
{{Unbulleted list citebundle|{{*}} {{cite journal | last1=Biden | year=2018 | issue=1 | pages=13–20 | volume=9 | publisher=[[Taylor & Francis]] | first3=David | last2=Smyth | first1=Scott | first2=Stuart J. | last3=Hudson | journal=[[GM Crops & Food]] | issn=2164-5698 | title=The economic and environmental cost of delayed GM crop adoption: The case of Australia's GM canola moratorium | doi=10.1080/21645698.2018.1429876| pmid=29359993 | pmc=5927647 }}|{{*}} {{cite book | year=2007 | location=[[Melbourne]] | pages=xii + 144 + illustrations + tables | author=Victoria GM Canola Review Panel Secretariat | title=Review of the moratorium on genetically modified canola in Victoria | isbn=9781741996753 | publisher=Victoria Department of Primary Industries}}}}</ref>

Late in 2019, the [[COVID-19 pandemic]] began, and Australian agriculture was heavily impacted by the resulting supply chain issues. The scarcity of freight space and disruption to Chinese New Year purchases was particularly painful, with China being Australia's largest export market and a particularly large buyer of live seafood.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Pollard |first=Emma |last2= |date=2020-02-03 |title=Coronavirus devastates Australian export businesses |language=en-AU |work=ABC News |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-02-04/coronavirus-devastates-australian-export-businesses/11925536 |access-date=2023-07-20 |archive-date=4 February 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200204071134/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-02-04/coronavirus-devastates-australian-export-businesses/11925536 |url-status=live }}</ref> {{As of|2022}} there are almost 100 [[strawberry]] farms here, most close to [[Melbourne CBD]] in the [[Yarra Valley]].<ref name="Victorian-Straw" /> They are represented by the {{visible anchor|Victorian Strawberries}} organization,<ref name="Victorian-Straw">{{cite web | access-date=27 July 2022 | title=Victorian Strawberries – Berry Delicious | website=[[Victorian Strawberries]] – Berry Delicious | url=https://vicstrawberry.com.au/ | archive-date=27 May 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220527043641/https://vicstrawberry.com.au/ | url-status=live }}</ref> who recommend [[strawberry variety|varieties]] for production.<ref>{{cite web | access-date=27 July 2022 | title=varieties | website=[[Victorian Strawberries]] – Berry Delicious | url=https://vicstrawberry.com.au/?page_id=13139 | archive-date=27 September 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210927070950/https://vicstrawberry.com.au/?page_id=13139 | url-status=live }}</ref>

===Manufacturing===

Victoria has a diverse range of manufacturing enterprises and Melbourne is considered Australia's most important industrial city. The post-World War II manufacturing boom was fuelled by international investment, attracted to the state by the availability of cheap land close to the city and inexpensive energy from the [[Latrobe Valley]]. Victoria produced 26.4% of total manufacturing output in Australia in 2015–16, behind New South Wales at 32.4%.

Machinery and equipment manufacturing is the state's most valuable manufacturing activity, followed by food and beverage products, petrochemicals and chemicals. Prominent manufacturing plants in the state include the [[Portland aluminium smelter|Portland]] and [[Point Henry smelter|Point Henry]] aluminium smelters, owned by [[Alcoa World Alumina & Chemicals|Alcoa]]; [[Geelong Oil Refinery|Geelong]] and [[Altona Refinery|Altona]] oil refineries; a major petrochemical facility at [[Laverton, Victoria|Laverton]]; and Victorian-based [[CSL Limited|CSL]], a global biotechnology company that produces vaccines and plasma products, among others. Victoria also plays an important role in providing goods for the [[Defence industry of Victoria|defence industry]].

Victoria proportionally relies on manufacturing more than any other state in Australia, constituting 8.6% of total state product; slightly higher than South Australia at 8.0%. However, this proportion has been declining for three decades; in 1990 at the time of the [[Early 1990s recession in Australia|early 1990s recession]] manufacturing constituted 20.3% of total state output. Manufacturing output peaked in absolute terms in 2008, reaching $28.8&nbsp;billion and has slowly fallen over the decade to $26.8&nbsp;billion in 2016 (−0.77% per annum). Since 1990, manufacturing employment has also fallen in both aggregate (367,700 to 274,400 workers) and proportional (17.8% to 9.0%) terms. The strong Australian dollar as a result of the [[Mining in Australia|2000s mining boom]], small population and isolation, high wage base and the general shift of manufacturing production towards developing countries have been cited as some of the reasons for this decline.

Historically, Victoria has been a hub for the manufacturing plants of the major car brands [[Ford Australia|Ford]], [[Toyota Australia|Toyota]] and [[Holden]]; however, closure announcements by all three companies in the 2010s has meant Australia will completely lose their car manufacturing industry by the end of 2017. Holden's announcement occurred in May 2013 following Ford's decision in December the previous year (Ford's Victorian plants, in [[Broadmeadows]] and [[Geelong]], closed in October 2016).<ref>{{cite news|title=South Australia stunned as GM announces Holden's closure in Adelaide in 2017|url=http://www.news.com.au/finance/business/holden-announces-it-will-stop-producing-cars-in-australia-leading-to-the-loss-of-2900-jobs/story-fnda1bsz-1226780247370|access-date=12 February 2014|newspaper=News.com.au|date=12 December 2013|archive-date=9 February 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140209160149/http://www.news.com.au/finance/business/holden-announces-it-will-stop-producing-cars-in-australia-leading-to-the-loss-of-2900-jobs/story-fnda1bsz-1226780247370|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Ford closure sends shockwave through manufacturing industry|url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-05-23/ford-closure-sends-shockwave-through-manufacturing-industry/4708584|access-date=12 February 2014|newspaper=ABC News|date=24 May 2013|archive-date=6 February 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140206215710/http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-05-23/ford-closure-sends-shockwave-through-manufacturing-industry/4708584|url-status=live}}</ref> Toyota followed suit in February 2014 with an expected announcement as without Holden or Ford, local supply chains would struggle to create the [[economics of scale]] required to supply one manufacturer.<ref>{{cite news|title=Toyota to stop making cars in Australia, follows Ford and Holden|url=http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/news/toyota-to-stop-making-cars-in-australia-follows-ford-and-holden/news-story/c446dddef6098aed1361d200040bc1c6|newspaper=The Australian|date=10 February 2014|access-date=25 August 2017|archive-date=23 August 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170823043114/http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/news/toyota-to-stop-making-cars-in-australia-follows-ford-and-holden/news-story/c446dddef6098aed1361d200040bc1c6|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Land===
Victoria adopted the [[Torrens title|Torrens system]] of land registration with the ''Real Property Act 1862''.<ref>{{cite Legislation AU|Vic|hist_act|rpa178|Real Property Act 1862}}</ref> The Torrens system did not replace the common law system but applied only to new land grants and to land that has been voluntarily registered under the Act, and its successors. The common law system continues to apply to all other private landholdings. [[Crown land#Australia|Crown land]] held in Victoria is managed under the ''Crown Land (Reserves) Act 1978'' and the ''Land Act 1958''.

===Mining===

[[File:Yallourn-w-power-station-australia.jpg|thumb|upright=1.05|[[Yallourn Power Station]] in the Latrobe Valley]]
{{See also|Energy in Victoria}}
Mining in Victoria contributes around A$6&nbsp;billion to the gross state product (~2%) but employs less than 1% of workers. The Victorian mining industry is concentrated on energy producing minerals, with [[brown coal]], petroleum and [[natural gas|gas]] accounting for nearly 90% of local production. The oil and gas industries are centred off the coast of [[Gippsland]] in the state's east, while brown coal mining and power generation is based in the [[Latrobe Valley]].

In 1985, oil production from the offshore Gippsland Basin peaked to an annual average of {{convert|450000|oilbbl|m3}} per day. In 2005–2006, the average daily oil production has declined to {{convert|83000|oilbbl|m3|abbr=on}}/d, but despite the decline Victoria still produces almost 19.5% of crude oil in Australia.<ref name="macrabbit" /> In the 2005–06 fiscal year, the average gas production was over {{convert|700|Mcuft|m3}} per day (M cuft/d) and represented 18% of the total national gas sales, with demand growing at 2% per year.<ref name="macrabbit">{{cite web |url=http://www.dpi.vic.gov.au/DPI/nrenmp.nsf/childdocs/-56D4D5E9AEF563E84A256A800011E5D6?open |website=Department of Primary Industries |title=Oil and Gas |access-date=22 August 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080719055505/http://www.dpi.vic.gov.au/DPI/nrenmp.nsf/childdocs/-56D4D5E9AEF563E84A256A800011E5D6?open |archive-date=19 July 2008 }}</ref> Campaigning resulted in a prohibition on onshore gas exploration and production in Victoria in 2014,. This was partially lifted in 2021 but the state retains a constitutional ban on fracking.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rooney |first=Millie |date=2022-06-01 |title='Always look up': Connecting Community for a Win against Gas |url=https://commonslibrary.org/always-look-up-connecting-community-for-a-win-against-gas/ |access-date=2024-08-12 |website=The Commons Social Change Library |language=en-AU}}</ref>

[[Brown coal]] is Victoria's leading mineral, with 66&nbsp;million tonnes mined each year for electricity generation in the Latrobe Valley, Gippsland.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/dc057c1016e548b4ca256c470025ff88/B43CD5ECE4E63E4BCA256DEA00053A0E?opendocument |title=Year Book Australia, 2004 – Profile of major commodities |publisher=Australian Bureau of Statistics |date=27 February 2004 |access-date=17 July 2016 |archive-date=27 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110727121651/http://abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/dc057c1016e548b4ca256c470025ff88/B43CD5ECE4E63E4BCA256DEA00053A0E?opendocument |url-status=live }}</ref> The region is home to the world's largest known reserves of brown coal. Despite being the historic centre of Australia's gold rush, Victoria today contributes a mere 1% of national gold production. Victoria also produces limited amounts of [[gypsum]] and [[kaolin]]. Victoria's gold production is mostly derived from the [[Fosterville Gold Mine|Fosterville]] and [[Stawell Gold Mine|Stawell]] Gold Mines.

===Tourism===
Tourism is a significant industry in the state of [[Victoria, Australia]]. The country's second most-populous city, [[Melbourne]] was visited by 2.7 million international overnight visitors and 9.3 million domestic overnight visitors during the year ending December 2017.<ref name="T">{{Cite web|url=https://assets.destination.melbourne/resources/Melbourne-Summary-year-ending-December-2017.pdf?mtime=20180418083202|title=Melbourne Tourism Summary|last=Victorian Government|website=Destination Melbourne|access-date=12 November 2018|archive-date=12 November 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181112181625/https://assets.destination.melbourne/resources/Melbourne-Summary-year-ending-December-2017.pdf?mtime=20180418083202|url-status=live}}</ref> Named the [[Most livable cities|world's most liveable city]] from 2011 to 2017, Melbourne's culture and lifestyle have been increasingly promoted internationally, leading to average year-on-year growth of international visitors of 10% in the five years to 2017.<ref name="T" /><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-08-14/melbourne-loses-most-liveable-city-title-to-vienna/10117338|title=Melbourne loses title of most liveable city to Vienna|date=2018-08-14|work=ABC News|access-date=2018-11-12|language=en-AU}}</ref> Some major tourist destinations in Victoria are:

* The metropolis of Melbourne, particular its inner city suburbs (known also for shopping tourism) and the attractions of the [[Melbourne city centre|city centre]] such as [[Melbourne Zoo]], [[Melbourne Museum]], the [[Melbourne Aquarium]] and [[Scienceworks Museum (Melbourne)|Scienceworks]], tourism precincts such as [[Melbourne Docklands]], [[Southbank, Victoria|Southbank]] and [[St Kilda, Victoria|St Kilda]] as well as cultural and sporting tourist icons such as [[Arts Centre Melbourne]], the [[East End Theatre District]], the [[National Gallery of Victoria]], the [[Melbourne Cricket Ground]], also known as the [[Melbourne Cricket Ground|MCG]], and the [[Eureka Tower]], with the highest observation deck in the Southern Hemisphere, Skydeck 88.
* Victoria has more than 2000 kilometres of coastline with hundreds of beaches.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.watoday.com.au/travel/waves-of-fancy-victorias-best-beaches-20081127-6jx2.html|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110203042722/http://www.watoday.com.au/travel/waves-of-fancy-victorias-best-beaches-20081127-6jx2.html|url-status=dead|title=WA Today: Waves of fancy: Victoria's best beaches|archivedate=3 February 2011}}</ref>
* The Goldfields region featuring the historic cities of [[Ballarat]], [[Beechworth]], [[Bendigo]], [[Castlemaine, Victoria|Castlemaine]], [[Maldon, Victoria|Maldon]] and [[Daylesford, Victoria|Daylesford]].
* Natural attractions, such as [[The Twelve Apostles, Victoria|The Twelve Apostles]], [[Wilsons Promontory]], [[Grampians National Park|The Grampians]], the [[Little penguin|fairy penguins]] (particularly at [[Phillip Island (Victoria)|Phillip Island]] and [[St Kilda, Victoria|St Kilda]]), the [[Buchan Caves]] and the [[Gippsland Lakes]].
* The [[Dandenong Ranges]] (in particular the [[Puffing Billy Railway]]).
* [[Healesville Sanctuary]], which specialises in local Australian species.
* Towns along the Murray River and Riverina including [[Echuca, Victoria|Echuca]] and [[Mildura]] including waterskiing.
* [[Geelong, Victoria|Geelong]] and its famous Waterfront, Eastern Beach and Geelong West's Pakington Street.
* The [[Bellarine Peninsula]] which features vineyards and historic resort towns such as [[Queenscliff, Victoria|Queenscliff]], [[Drysdale, Victoria|Drysdale]] and [[Portarlington, Victoria|Portarlington]].
* The [[Werribee Park Mansion]] and [[Werribee Open Range Zoo]].
* The Surf Coast which features famous beaches such as [[Bells Beach, Victoria|Bells Beach]], [[Torquay, Victoria|Torquay]] and Lorne
* [[Mornington Peninsula]], particularly for its wineries in [[Red Hill, Victoria|Red Hill]] and secluded beaches in [[Mount Eliza, Victoria|Mount Eliza]] and [[Mornington, Victoria|Mornington]], The Pillars in [[Mount Martha, Victoria|Mount Martha]], [[Arthur's Seat, Victoria|Arthur's Seat]] and the coastal attractions of [[Portsea, Victoria|Portsea]], [[Sorrento, Victoria|Sorrento]] and [[Flinders, Victoria|Flinders]].
* [[Yarra Valley]] (in particular [[Healesville Sanctuary]] and wineries).
* [[Great Ocean Road]], which features The Twelve Apostles, historic towns of [[Port Fairy, Victoria|Port Fairy]] and [[Portland, Victoria|Portland]], cliffs and whale watching and resort towns such as [[Lorne, Victoria|Lorne]].
* The Victorian Alpine Region, part of the [[Australian Alps]], particularly for [[Skiing in Victoria|skiing]].
* The Central Victorian Highlands, "High country" are very well known for winter sports and bushwalking.
* [[Victorian wine|Wine regions]] across the entire state.

Other popular tourism activities are gliding, hang-gliding, hot air ballooning and scuba diving. Major events that explore cultural diversity, music and sports play a big part in Victoria's tourism. The V8 Supercars and Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix at Phillip Island, the Grand Annual Steeplechase at Warrnambool and the [[Australian International Airshow]] at Avalon and numerous local festivals such as the popular [[Port Fairy Folk Festival]], [[Queenscliff Music Festival]], Pako Festa in Geelong West, Bells Beach Surf Classic and the [[Bright, Victoria|Bright]] Autumn Festival amongst others.

<gallery widths="200px" heights="160px">
File:Urban river banks (Unsplash).jpg|The Melbourne skyline at night
File:Brighton Beach and Beach Huts, Australia - panoramio (37).jpg|[[Brighton, Victoria|Brighton Beach]] bathing boxes
File:Mornington Mills Beach W from carpark.jpg|[[Mornington, Victoria|Mornington]] Mills Beach
File:Autumn in the Dandenong Ranges.jpg|Autumn in the Dandenong Ranges
File:TwelveApostles-Gaz.jpg|[[The Twelve Apostles, Victoria|The Twelve Apostles]]
File:Sunset at Jan Juc, Torquay (6758802783).jpg|[[Jan Juc]], [[Torquay, Victoria|Torquay]]
</gallery>

==Transport==
{{See also|Transport in Melbourne|Rail transport in Victoria}}
[[File:E 6001 and E 6002 (Melbourne trams) in Bourke St on route 96, 2013.JPG|alt=Two E-Class trams on Bourke St as part of the Melbourne tram network.|thumb|Two [[E-class Melbourne tram|E-Class trams]] on [[Bourke Street|Bourke St]] on the [[Trams in Melbourne|Melbourne tram network]]]]
Victoria has the highest population density in any state in Australia, with population centres spread out over most of the state; only the far northwest and the [[Victorian Alps]] lack permanent settlement. As of October 2013, smoking tobacco is prohibited in the sheltered areas of train stations, and tram and bus stops, as is the use of e-cigarettes. Between 2012 and 2013, 2002 people were issued with infringement notices. The state government announced a plan in October 2013 to prohibit smoking on all Victorian railway station platforms and raised tram stops.<ref>{{cite news |date=13 October 2013 |title=Vic transport smoking bans to be extended |url=https://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/latest-news/vic-transport-smoking-bans-to-be-extended/news-story/2e2ce010cbe2200930c375fbd40b4261 |access-date=2024-01-12 |newspaper=The Australian |agency=Australian Associated Press}}</ref>

The [[Road transport in Victoria|Victorian road network]] services the population centres, with highways generally radiating from Melbourne and other major cities and rural centres with secondary roads interconnecting the highways to each other. Many of the highways are built to freeway standard ("M"&nbsp;freeways), while most are generally sealed and of reasonable quality.
[[File:VL81 Ballarat Station.jpg|thumb|A [[V/Line]] VLocity diesel train at [[Ballarat railway station|Ballarat station]]]]
[[Rail transport in Victoria]] is provided by several private and public railway operators who operate over government-owned lines. Major operators include: [[Metro Trains Melbourne]] which runs an extensive, electrified, passenger system throughout Melbourne and suburbs; [[V/Line]] which is now owned by the Victorian Government, operates a concentrated service to major regional centres, as well as long-distance services on other lines; [[Pacific National]], [[CFCL Australia]] which operate freight services; [[Great Southern Rail (Australia)|Great Southern Rail]] which operates ''[[The Overland]]'' Melbourne—Adelaide; and [[NSW TrainLink]] which operates [[New South Wales XPT|XPTs]] Melbourne—Sydney.

There are also several smaller freight operators and numerous tourist railways operating over lines which were once parts of a state-owned system. Victorian lines mainly use the {{convert|5|ft|3|in|mm|order=flip|abbr=on}} [[Victorian broad gauge|broad gauge]]. However, the interstate trunk routes, as well as a number of freight lines in the north and west of the state have been converted to {{convert|4|ft|8+1/2|in|mm|order=flip|abbr=on}} [[standard gauge]]. Two tourist railways operate over {{convert|2|ft|6|in|mm|order=flip|abbr=on}} [[Narrow gauge lines of the Victorian Railways|narrow gauge]] lines, which are the remnants of five formerly government-owned lines which were built in mountainous areas.

Melbourne has the world's largest [[Trams in Melbourne|tram network]],<ref>DoI (2008). [http://www.doi.vic.gov.au/DOI/DOIElect.nsf/alldocs/1173456893D78FD4CA25741A000461EE/$FILE/Investing_in_Transport_East_West-Chapter03.pdf]. Retrieved 28 April 2008. {{Dead link|date=December 2010|fix-attempted=yes}}</ref> currently operated by [[Yarra Trams]]. As well as being a popular form of public transport, over the last few decades trams have become one of Melbourne's major tourist attractions. There are also tourist trams operating over portions of the former [[Ballarat Tramway Museum|Ballarat]] and Bendigo systems. There are also tramway museums at [[Tramway Museum Society of Victoria|Bylands]], Haddon and [[Hawthorn tram depot|Hawthorn]].

[[Melbourne Airport]] is the major domestic and international gateway for the state. [[Avalon Airport]] is the state's second busiest airport, which complements [[Essendon Airport|Essendon]] and [[Moorabbin Airport]]s to see the remainder of Melbourne's air traffic. [[Hamilton Airport (Australia)|Hamilton Airport]], [[Mildura Airport]], [[Mount Hotham]] and [[Portland Airport (Australia)|Portland Airport]] are the remaining airports with scheduled domestic flights. There are no fewer than 27 [[List of airports in Australia|other airports]] in the state with no scheduled flights. The [[Port of Melbourne]] is the largest port for containerised and general cargo in Australia,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.legislation.vic.gov.au/domino/Web_Notes/newmedia.nsf/798c8b072d117a01ca256c8c0019bb01/1b374a6d8cae09e9ca2571cb0003c23a!OpenDocument |title=DoI media release – 'Government outlines vision for Port of Melbourne Freight Hub' – 14 August 2006 |access-date=26 July 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070917095230/http://www.legislation.vic.gov.au/domino/Web_Notes/newmedia.nsf/798c8b072d117a01ca256c8c0019bb01/1b374a6d8cae09e9ca2571cb0003c23a!OpenDocument |archive-date=17 September 2007 }}</ref> and is located in Melbourne on the mouth of the [[Yarra River]], which is at the head of [[Port Phillip]]. Additional seaports are at [[Westernport]], [[Port of Geelong|Geelong]], and [[Portland, Victoria|Portland]].

{{Multiple image|
| align             = center|
| image1            = HCMT train running a service to Pakenham running express through Hawksburn Station, South Yarra (53185991677).jpg|
| width1            = 350|
| caption1          = A [[High Capacity Metro Train]] on the [[Railways in Melbourne|Melbourne metropolitan train network]] operated by [[Metro Trains Melbourne]]. The trains have been introduced as part of the [[Metro Tunnel]] project.|
| image2            = VLocity train running a service to Traralgon passing through Platform 4 at Hawksburn Station, South Yarra (53186004547).jpg|
| width2            = 350|
| caption2          = A [[V/Line VLocity|VLocity]] train at [[Hawksburn railway station|Hawksburn station]]. [[V/Line]] is a government-owned train and coach service provider in Victoria, providing inter-city services to a number of regional cities in the state.
| alt1              = A high capacity metro train at a station in Melbourne
}}

{{Clear}}

==Utilities==

===Energy===

Victoria's major utilities include a collection of brown-coal-fired power stations, particularly in the Latrobe Valley. One of these was the recently decommissioned [[Hazelwood Power Station]], which was number&nbsp;1 on the worldwide [[List of least carbon efficient power stations]]. The Victorian government is aiming to cut 40.6 megatonnes of greenhouse gas emissions by 2025.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.esc.vic.gov.au/victorian-energy-upgrades/about-victorian-energy-upgrades-program|title=About the Victorian Energy Upgrades program|website=Essential Services Commission|access-date=23 January 2020|archive-date=4 February 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200204083646/https://www.esc.vic.gov.au/victorian-energy-upgrades/about-victorian-energy-upgrades-program|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ecofinsolution.com.au/victorian-energy-upgrades/|title=Victorian Energy Upgrades (VEU) Program|website=Ecofin Solutions|access-date=23 January 2020|archive-date=27 January 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200127101735/https://www.ecofinsolution.com.au/victorian-energy-upgrades|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Water===
{{see also|Water management in Victoria}}

Victoria's water infrastructure includes a series of dams and reservoirs, predominantly in Central Victoria, that hold and collect water for much of the state. The water collected is of a very high quality and requires little chlorination treatment, giving the water a taste more like water collected in a rainwater tank. In regional areas however, such as in the west of the state, chlorination levels are much higher. The Victorian Water Grid consists of a number of new connections and pipelines being built across the State. This allows water to be moved around Victoria to where it is needed most and reduces the impact of localised droughts in an era thought to be influenced by climate change. Major projects already completed as part of the Grid include the Wimmera Mallee Pipeline and the Goldfields Superpipe.<ref>"Department of Sustainability & Environment, "Expansion of the Water Grid", {{cite web |url=http://www.ourwater.vic.gov.au/programs/water-grid |title=Our Water, Our Future – Expansion of the Water Grid |access-date=27 January 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110219123539/http://www.ourwater.vic.gov.au/programs/water-grid |archive-date=19 February 2011  }}. Retrieved 27 January 2011".</ref>

==Sport==
{{Main|Sport in Victoria}}

[[File:Tom Wills Statue.jpg|thumb|right|Statue outside the [[Melbourne Cricket Ground]] commemorating the origins of [[Australian rules football]]]]
[[File:2017 AFL Grand Final panorama during national anthem.jpg|right|thumb|upright=1.05|Panorama of the [[Melbourne Cricket Ground|MCG]] during the AFL Grand Final on 30 September 2017]]

Victoria is the home of [[Australian rules football]], with ten of the 18 [[Australian Football League]] (AFL) clubs based in the state. The [[AFL Grand Final]] is traditionally held at the [[Melbourne Cricket Ground]] on the last Saturday of September. The state has a public holiday the day before the Grand Final, which coincides with the AFL Grand Final parade. The MCG is sometimes called the spiritual home of [[Australian rules football]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Screen Australia Digital Learning – Rules of AFL (2009) |url=http://dl.nfsa.gov.au/module/1593/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170811063017/http://dl.nfsa.gov.au/module/1593/ |archive-date=11 August 2017 |access-date=22 July 2017 |website=dl.nfsa.gov.au}}</ref>

The [[Victoria cricket team|Victorian]] cricket team play in the national [[Sheffield Shield]] cricket competition. Victoria is represented in the [[National Rugby League]] by the [[Melbourne Storm]]. Prior to their axing at the end of the [[2024 Super Rugby Pacific season|2024 season]], Victoria was represented by the [[Melbourne Rebels]] in the [[Super Rugby]]. It is represented in the [[National Basketball League (Australia)|National Basketball League]] by [[Melbourne United]] and [[South East Melbourne Phoenix]]. It is also represented in [[soccer]] by [[Melbourne Victory]], [[Melbourne City FC|Melbourne City]] and [[Western United FC|Western United]] in the [[A-League]]. Melbourne has held the [[1956 Summer Olympics]], [[2006 Commonwealth Games]] and the FINA World Swimming Championship.

Melbourne is also home to the [[Australian Open]] tennis tournament in January each year, which is the first of the world's four Grand Slam tennis tournaments, as well as the Formula One [[Australian Grand Prix]], which is, on an annual basis, usually held in March or April. It hosted the [[Australian Masters]] golf tournament from 1979 to 2015. Victoria's Bells Beach hosts one of the world's longest-running surfing competition, the Bells Beach SurfClassic, which is part of The [[ASP World Tour]]. The [[Melbourne Vixens]] and [[Collingwood Magpies Netball]] represent Victoria in the [[Suncorp Super Netball|National Netball League]].

Victoria's [[Phillip Island (Victoria)|Phillip Island]] is home of the [[Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit]] which hosts the [[Australian motorcycle Grand Prix]] which features [[Grand Prix motorcycle racing|MotoGP]] (the world's premier motorcycling class), as well as the Australian round of the [[World Superbike Championship]] and the domestic [[V8 Supercar]] racing, which also visits [[Sandown Raceway]] and the rural [[Winton Motor Raceway]] circuit. Australia's most prestigious footrace, the [[Stawell Gift]], is an annual event. Victoria is also home to the [[Aussie Millions]] poker tournament, the tournament with the highest potential proceeds in the Southern Hemisphere.

The main horse racing tracks in Victoria are [[Caulfield Racecourse]], [[Flemington Racecourse]] and [[Sandown Racecourse]]. The [[Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival]] is one of the biggest horse racing events in the world and is one of the world's largest sporting events. The main race is for the $6&nbsp;million [[Melbourne Cup]], and crowds for the carnival usually exceed 700,000. Victoria was due to host the [[2026 Commonwealth Games]] but withdrew on 18 July 2023 as a result of increased costs of holding the event.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/apr/12/regional-victoria-announced-as-host-of-2026-commonwealth-games |title=Regional Victoria announced as host of 2026 Commonwealth Games &#124; Victoria |work=The Guardian |date=12 April 2022 |accessdate=18 April 2022 |archive-date=12 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220412161635/https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/apr/12/regional-victoria-announced-as-host-of-2026-commonwealth-games |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=18 July 2023 |title=Commonwealth Games: 2026 event in doubt after Victoria cancels |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-66229574 |access-date=10 August 2023 |archive-date=18 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230718004440/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-66229574 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Major professional teams include:

* [[Australian rules football]] ([[Australian Football League|AFL]]): [[Carlton Football Club|Carlton]], [[Collingwood Football Club|Collingwood]], [[Essendon Football Club|Essendon]], [[Geelong Football Club|Geelong Cats]], [[Hawthorn Football Club|Hawthorn]], [[Melbourne Football Club|Melbourne]], [[North Melbourne Football Club|North Melbourne]], [[Richmond Football Club|Richmond]], [[St Kilda Football Club|St Kilda]], [[Western Bulldogs]]
* [[Basketball]] ([[National Basketball League (Australia)|NBL]]): [[Melbourne United]], [[South East Melbourne Phoenix]]
* [[Cricket]] ([[Big Bash League|BBL]]): [[Melbourne Renegades]], [[Melbourne Stars]]
* [[Cricket]] ([[Sheffield Shield]] and [[Marsh One-Day Cup]]): [[Victoria cricket team]]
* [[Netball]] ([[Suncorp Super Netball|NNL]]): [[Melbourne Vixens]], [[Collingwood Magpies Netball|Collingwood Magpies]]
* [[Rugby league]] ([[National Rugby League|NRL]]): [[Melbourne Storm]]
*[[Rugby union]] ([[Super Rugby]]): [[Melbourne Rebels]]
*[[Association football|Soccer]] ([[A-League]]): [[Melbourne City FC|Melbourne City]], [[Melbourne Victory]], [[Western United FC|Western United]]

==Sister states==
Victoria has four [[sister city|sister states]]:<ref>{{cite web|title=International relations|url=https://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/about/international-relations|publisher=Parliament of Victoria|access-date=25 August 2017|archive-date=25 August 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170825145340/https://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/about/international-relations|url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[Jiangsu]], China (1979)<ref>{{cite web|title=35th Anniversary of Jiangsu's Sister-State Relationship with Victoria|url=http://www.governor.vic.gov.au/victorias-governor/publications/speeches/speech/speech/322|publisher=Governor of Victoria|access-date=25 August 2017|archive-date=25 August 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170825144601/http://www.governor.vic.gov.au/victorias-governor/publications/speeches/speech/speech/322|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* [[Aichi Prefecture]], Japan (1980)<ref>{{cite web|title=Aichi-Victoria 35th Anniversary of the Sister-State Relationship|url=http://www.japaninmelbourne.com.au/aichi-victoria-35th-anniversary-of-the-sister-state-relationship/|publisher=Japan in Melbourne|access-date=25 August 2017|archive-date=25 August 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170825183749/http://www.japaninmelbourne.com.au/aichi-victoria-35th-anniversary-of-the-sister-state-relationship/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Victoria's relationship with Japan|url=http://trade.vic.gov.au/all-offices/japan/victorias-relationship-with-japan|publisher=Trade Victoria|access-date=25 August 2017|date=3 January 2017|archive-date=25 August 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170825145426/http://trade.vic.gov.au/all-offices/japan/victorias-relationship-with-japan|url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[Busan]], South Korea (1994)<ref>{{cite web|title=Victoria's relationship with Korea|url=http://www.invest.vic.gov.au/all-offices/korea/victoria-s-relationship-with-korea|publisher=Invest Victoria|access-date=25 August 2017|date=12 February 2015|archive-date=25 August 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170825151822/http://www.invest.vic.gov.au/all-offices/korea/victoria-s-relationship-with-korea|url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[Sichuan]], China (2016)<ref>{{cite web|title=Victoria And Sichuan Move To Become Sister States|url=http://www.premier.vic.gov.au/victoria-and-sichuan-move-to-become-sister-states/|publisher=Premier of Victoria|access-date=25 August 2017|date=26 September 2015|archive-date=25 August 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170825151546/http://www.premier.vic.gov.au/victoria-and-sichuan-move-to-become-sister-states/|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Victorian Jobs To Be Created With New Sister-State Sichuan|url=http://www.premier.vic.gov.au/victorian-jobs-to-be-created-with-new-sister-state-sichuan/|publisher=Premier of Victoria|access-date=25 August 2017|date=24 September 2016|archive-date=25 August 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170825151549/http://www.premier.vic.gov.au/victorian-jobs-to-be-created-with-new-sister-state-sichuan/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

== See also ==
{{portal|Victoria|Australia|Oceania|Geography|}}
* [[Geography of Victoria]]
* [[List of highways in Victoria]]
* [[Outline of Victoria]]
* [[Protected areas of Victoria]]
* [[Vicmap Topographic Map Series]]
* [[List of places in Victoria by population]]

== Notes ==
{{reflist|group="N"}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
===Victorian frontier history===
* Jan Critchett (1990), ''A distant field of murder: Western district frontiers, 1834–1848'', Melbourne University Press (Carlton, Vic. and Portland, Or.) {{ISBN|0522843891}}.
* Ian D Clark (1990), ''Aboriginal languages and clans: An historical atlas of western and central Victoria, 1800–1900'', Dept. of Geography & Environmental Science, Monash University (Melbourne), {{ISBN|0-909685-41-X}}.
* Ian D Clark (1995), ''Scars in the landscape: A register of massacre sites in western Victoria, 1803–1859'', Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (Canberra), {{ISBN|0-85575-281-5}}.
* Ian D Clark (2003), ''"That's my country belonging to me": Aboriginal land tenure and dispossession in nineteenth century Western Victoria'', Ballarat Heritage Services, Ballarat.

==External links==
{{Sister project links|auto=1|display=Victoria|wikt=Victoria|s=Category:Victoria|d=yes}}

'''Government'''
* {{official website|https://www.vic.gov.au/}} of the [[Victoria State Government|Victorian Government]]
* [https://new.parliament.vic.gov.au/ Parliament of Victoria]
* [https://prov.vic.gov.au/ Public Record Office Victoria]
* [https://vhd.heritagecouncil.vic.gov.au/ Victorian Heritage Database]

'''Travel'''
* {{official website|https://www.visitvictoria.com/}} of Tourism Victoria
* [https://www.victorianplaces.com.au/ Victorian Places website]
* [https://contenthub.visitvictoria.com/ Tourism Victoria's Online Image Library]

'''General information'''
* {{Wikiatlas|Victoria, Australia}}
* {{osmrelation-inline|2316741}}

{{Victoria|state=expanded}}
{{States and territories of Australia}}
{{Australia topics}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Victoria (state)| ]]
[[Category:States and territories of Australia]]
[[Category:States and territories established in 1851]]
[[Category:1851 establishments in Australia]]