91-522: The Victoria Australian rules football team , known colloquially as the Big V , is the state representative side of Victoria, Australia , in the sport of Australian rules football . The Big V has a proud history, dominating the first 100 years of intercolonial-interstate football . After the change to State of Origin rules, the results with the other main Australian football states became more even. Victoria has
182-531: A State of Origin game." Garry Lyon has stated about playing for Victoria that he "loved it", and has been quoted about captaining Victoria, saying: "it was a great honour". Tony Lockett is known as a big supporter of Victoria, and he said after he won the E. J. Whitten Medal that "this will probably go down as one of the happiest days of my life, and I'll treasure it forever". Brent Harvey , Gerard Healy , Greg Williams and Simon Madden are also big supporters of Victoria. The Victoria and South Australia rivalry
273-728: A child, 307 convicts, 17 convicts' wives, and seven children). They had been sent from England in HMS ; Calcutta 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 (Captain Wetherall) and
364-778: 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 32 °C (90 °F) during summer and 15 °C (59 °F) in winter. Except at cool mountain elevations,
455-516: A game in 1992 that Victoria narrowly lost, that "geez it's hard to cop it over here when you get beaten". Western Australia's rivalry stems from dislike coming from a number of reasons, like a feeling in Western Australia that Victoria never gave them the credit they deserve, despite some of the best players of all time coming from the state. It has been described that Western Australia has disdain for Victoria. Some games widely regarded as some of
546-460: A land area of 227,444 km (87,817 sq mi); the second-most-populated state (after New South Wales ), with a population of over 6.9 million; and the most densely populated state in Australia (30.6 per km ). Victoria's economy is the second-largest among Australian states and is highly diversified, with service sectors predominating. Victoria is bordered by New South Wales to
637-590: A legitimate threat, as Victoria had not won a single game against South Australia since the 1984 Australian Football Championships , played five years prior, despite playing off each year (albeit one loss was a result of a technical forfeit). Despite this, various ins bolstered the Victorian line-up. Even without Ablett, Victoria's inclusion of Dermott Brereton and Tony Lockett to an already stacked line-up helped Victoria crush South Australia's chances. Nine of Victoria's 22 for this game (41%) would be future inductees into
728-550: A long and intense rivalry with South Australia and Western Australia . The Victorian and South Australian rivalry was characterised by the catchcry in South Australia called "Kick a Vic", and fans would bring signs of the cry to the games. Some of the games between Victoria, South Australia, and Western Australia in the 1980s and 1990s have been regarded as some of the greatest games in the history of Australian football. Victoria's last appearance against another state at open level
819-569: 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
910-759: A number of museums, art galleries, and theatres; in 2016 a sports marketing company named it the world's sporting capital. Victoria has 38 seats in the Australian House of Representatives and 12 seats in the Australian Senate . At state level, the Parliament of Victoria consists of the Legislative Assembly and the Legislative Council . The Labor Party , led by Jacinta Allan as premier , has governed Victoria since 2014. The Governor of Victoria ,
1001-583: 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. 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
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#17328920543231092-569: A return of the State of Origin concept as a once-off carnival as part of the 150th anniversary of Australian rules football scheduled for 2008. The format of the carnival was not announced at this early stage. The media featured several opinions on how the series could work without unduly interrupting the AFL season. There were suggestions that each state be individually represented, with a two division format to ensure that there would be no one-sided matches between
1183-525: A semi-nomadic existence of fishing, hunting and gathering, and farming eels. At the Keilor Archaeological Site , a human hearth excavated in 1971 was radiocarbon-dated to about 31,000 years BP , making Keilor one of the earliest sites of human habitation in Australia. A cranium found at the site has been dated at between 12,000 and 14,700 years BP . Archaeological sites in Tasmania and on
1274-934: Is also home to four of Australia's 20 largest cities : Melbourne , Geelong , Ballarat and Bendigo . Victoria is home to numerous Aboriginal groups, including the Boonwurrung , the Bratauolung , the Djadjawurrung , the Gunai , the Gunditjmara , the Taungurung , the Wathaurong , the Wurundjeri , and the Yorta Yorta . There were more than 30 Aboriginal languages spoken in the area prior to European colonisation. In 1770 James Cook claimed
1365-512: Is at 39°12' S, which passes through Boundary Islet in the Bass Strait for 85 metres. 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 alpine areas which rise to almost 2,000 m (6,600 ft), with Mount Bogong the highest peak at 1,986 m (6,516 ft). There are extensive semi-arid plains to
1456-399: Is divided into distinct geographic regions , most commonly for the purposes of economic development , while others for land management (agriculture or conservation) and for censusing (statistical or meteorological) or electoral purposes. The most commonly used regions are those created by the state government for the purposes of economic development . In addition to Greater Melbourne ,
1547-802: Is heavier. Rainfall is most reliable in Gippsland and the Western District , making them both leading farming areas. Victoria's highest recorded daily rainfall was 377.8 mm (14.87 in) at Tidal River in Wilsons Promontory National Park on 23 March 2011. At March 2024 Victoria had a population of 6,959,200. The Australian Bureau of Statistics estimates that the population may well reach 10.3 million by 2051. Victoria's founding Anglo-Celtic population has been supplemented by successive waves of migrants from Southern and Eastern Europe , Asia and, most recently, Africa and
1638-407: Is honoured with the E. J. Whitten Medal and the E. J. Whitten Legends Game . Many other notable players represented Victoria on numerous occasions, including Gary Ablett Sr. Dale Weightman , Paul Roos and Robert Harvey . The E. J. Whitten Medal is awarded to the best player in a Victorian team. The medal was first awarded in 1985. Following the 2017 AFL Women's season , the AFL announced
1729-425: Is located 10 km (6 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 . Victoria
1820-454: 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 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
1911-463: 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 contiguous built-up areas of each city: 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
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#17328920543232002-580: The Australian Football Hall of Fame . The game was played in front of a record-breaking game for a State of Origin (91,960), a record that stands to this day. 1993: South Australia 16.13 (109) d. Victoria 14.13 (97). A close game at the MCG saw South Australia just get home. Darren Jarman (SA) kicked six goals, while Gary Ablett Sr (Vic.) kicked five. 1992: South Australia 19.19 (133) d. Victoria 18.12 (120). Wayne Carey (SA) described this game as
2093-698: The Australian National Football Carnival games which were played intermittently between 1908 and 1993. Victoria has a dominant record in the carnivals, winning 17 and coming runner-up in another 6. Between 1950 and 1966, the Victorian Football League (VFL) and the Victorian Football Association (VFA) each fielded a team at carnivals, with the VFL team the stronger of the two. Between 1977 and 1999 senior state football
2184-577: 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. During the Ice Age about 20,000 years BP , the area now the bay of Port Phillip would have been dry land, and
2275-530: 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 Aboriginal . More than 75% of Victorians live in Melbourne, located in
2366-630: The State of Origin for Bushfire Relief Match in 2020 winning both matches. While the Big V no longer regularly appears, Victoria continues to be regularly represented at junior ( underage national championships ), state league, amateur and masters level ( E. J. Whitten Legends Game ). The Big V women's team also competed against the Allies as part of the 2017 AFL Women's season . Victorian representative teams have participated in games against other Australian states since
2457-592: The Victoria State Government has divided Victoria into five regions covering all parts of the state. The five regional Victoria divisions are: The 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. As of November 2014, they are: This is a list of places in the Australian state of Victoria by population. Urban centres are defined by
2548-521: The Victorian Alps in the northeast and the 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 largest city and also Australia's second-largest city , where over three-quarters of the culturally diverse population live (35.1% of inhabitants being immigrants ). The state
2639-554: The Wada wurrung , Woiwurrung and 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, or the bay was flooded when the Yarra River was created. Victoria, like Queensland , was named after Queen Victoria , who had been on the British throne for 14 years when
2730-566: The Yarra and 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. Port Phillip was flooded by post-glacial rising sea levels between 8,000 and 6,000 years ago. Oral history and creation stories from
2821-657: The 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 Irelander , Charles Gavan Duffy as his deputy. Melbourne's Protestant establishment
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2912-500: 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. 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
3003-541: The population growth peak of 1969–72. In 2017, Victoria recorded a TFR of 1.724. The "average Victorian" according to the demographic statistics may be described as follows: 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 . Total offences numbered 551,710, with 32,713 of these being breaches of Chief Health Officer Directions. The total offences occurred at
3094-497: The 1850s and 1860s significantly increased Victoria's population and wealth. By the time of 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
3185-432: The 1870s. The first full intercolonial representative match was Victoria v South Australia (1879) . Originally these games were played between teams representing the major leagues of each state. The first intercolonial representative game of football was played between Victoria and South Australia in 1879 with teams made up of Victorian Football Association and South Australia Football Association players. Even after
3276-467: The 1990s. By December, the vision for a full carnival had been reduced to a single all-star match, to be played between Victoria and the Dream Team, a composite team of all other states, territories and countries, on a State of Origin selection basis. The match would be held as a stand-alone match on the weekend between Rounds 7 and 8, on Saturday 10 May. South Australia's Graham Cornes was critical of
3367-551: The 2006 election, the Legislative Council consisted of 44 members elected to eight-year terms from 22 two-member electorates. AFL Hall of Fame Tribute Match The AFL Hall of Fame Tribute Match was a one-off all-star game between two representative sides organised by the Australian Football League to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Australian rules football . The match was intended to celebrate
3458-410: The 2016 census, 72.2% of Victorians speak English at home. Speakers of other languages include Mandarin (3.2%), Italian (1.9%), Greek (1.9%), Vietnamese (1.7%), and Arabic (1.3%). In the 2016 Census, 47.9% of Victorians described themselves as 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. In
3549-440: The 2016 census, the most commonly nominated ancestries were: 0.8% of the population, or 47,788 people, identified as Indigenous Australians ( Aboriginal Australians and Torres Strait Islanders ) in 2016. 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%). As of
3640-467: The Australian states and territories eligible for the Dream Team were also included in small beige text across the front. In April 2008 the AFL announced 40-man squads for both teams, which would later be trimmed to 25 per side. All AFL teams except Essendon and Melbourne had at least one player selected in one of the sides. The match was played with an extended interchange bench of seven players instead of four. Several high-profile players pulled out of
3731-637: The King), the executive (the Government), and two legislative chambers. The Parliament of Victoria consists of the lower house Legislative Assembly , the upper house Legislative Council and the 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
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3822-561: The MCG was the highest-attended interstate match, with 91,960 attending and 10,000 people turned away at the gate. After South Australia had won the last three encounters, including the final of the Interstate Carnival the year before, the game had the build-up of a grand final with high anticipation. After the game, famous former Victorian player Bob Skilton said: "Victoria can be proud it put football in this state back where it belongs". Neil Kerley has stated that beating Victoria
3913-529: The Melbourne metropolitan area) and Vic Country (representing players from regional Victoria). These teams compete in competitions such as the AFL Under-18 Championships for boys and the AFL Women's Under-18 Championships for girls. Victoria, Australia Victoria , commonly abbreviated as Vic , is a state in southeastern Australia. It is the second-smallest state (after Tasmania ), with
4004-635: The South Australians are every bit as good". Ben Hart has talked about South Australia playing Victoria, saying: "the games against Victoria have always been such huge occasions for South Australians". Brett Chalmers was quoted saying before South Australia played Victoria in 1992, "I'd love to beat the Victorians, every South Australian doesn't like the Victorians, it'll be great to beat them". Ted Whitten has stated about playing against South Australia that "we hate to be beaten". He also stated, after
4095-450: The VFA side wore a sash whereas the VFL side wore predominantly navy. In 1908, the first composite VFL/VFA side competed in interstate matches, dominated by VFL players it wore the Big V guernsey for the first time. Interstate matches came to be viewed as the highest tier of Australian football, with each state's ultimate goal being that of beating Victoria. The most important of these games were
4186-411: The Victorian jumper". Many players have spoken about the honour of playing for Victoria. Matthew Lloyd once said that it was "immense pride – you feel like you walk a bit taller when you pull on the Big V". Paul Roos has stated "there seemed to be an aura about that navy blue jumper with the big white V". Gary Ablett Sr has said, "I've always found it a tremendous honour to represent your state, in
4277-419: The best in the history of Australian football were played between Victoria and Western Australia in the 1980s. Leigh Matthews in a game against Western Australia knocked out Barry Cable with a high hit, at Subiaco Oval. The incident caused an enormous amount of angst in Western Australia. Shane Parker , a former Western Australia player, has stated about his memories of State of Origin growing up: "When I
4368-414: 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 ), 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. Victoria's next settlement was at Portland , on
4459-479: The centre of Victoria. Average temperatures are less than 9 °C (48 °F) in winter and below 0 °C (32 °F) in the highest parts of the ranges. The state's lowest minimum temperature of −11.7 °C (10.9 °F) was recorded at Omeo on 15 June 1965, and again at Falls Creek on 3 July 1970. Temperature extremes for the state are listed in the table below: Rainfall in Victoria increases from south to
4550-604: The coach of South Australia, commented on Victoria after they had some injuries, saying: "they make excuses and they're quick to rubbish people"; he also claimed that the Victorians were "loud mouths and very dishonest". Before the game, a newspaper in Adelaide had printed a headline "SA will smash these pansies". After Victoria won Ted Whitten , a Victorian selector showed the paper to the camera. Garry Lyon has commented on games in South Australia against Victoria, saying that fans in Adelaide absolutely loved those games. He added that
4641-677: The colony was established in 1851. 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 , under the 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 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
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#17328920543234732-521: The contribution of State of Origin and interstate matches to the history of the code. The match was played on 10 May 2008 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne , Australia , between Victoria (the " Big V ") and the " Dream Team ", with a crowd of 69,294 in attendance. Victoria won the match by 17 points: 21.11 (137) to 18.12 (120). In 2007, the AFL announced that it would support
4823-584: The country's first federal capital. 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 Justice Ninian Stephen of the High Court of Australia settled
4914-408: The dying stages. Gary Buckenara kicked five goals, Brian Peake kicked seven, Dale Weightman kicked five, and Brian Taylor kicked four. The game featured Greg Williams , Paul Salmon, and Maurice Rioli . 1989 (Game 2) : Victoria 22.7 (149) d. South Australia 9.9 (63). Although Victoria had won Game 1 handily earlier that year by 54 points against Western Australia, South Australia were seen as
5005-570: The east coast of the Australian continent for the Kingdom of Great Britain . The first European settlement in the area occurred in 1803 at 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. The Victorian gold rush in
5096-462: The fans in attendance were "hostile and maniacal", noting that "by the time the games came around they were whipped into a frenzy". Paul Roos has described the first state game he played in South Australia, remarking: "when walking up the entrance and onto Football Park was an experience in itself. I quickly realised how much hatered [ sic ] existed towards Victorians and their football." The 1989 Victoria versus South Australia game at
5187-422: The format, saying that it deprived non-Victorian players of the honour of wearing a state guernsey. He felt that each state should have been given the opportunity to field their own team. Amid concerns over player participation, the AFL considered introducing penalties for selected players who refused to participate. Instead, players were paid A$ 5,000 each to compete in the match, and the players agreed to donate
5278-447: The formation of a Victorian state of origin team for the best female players in the AFL Women's league. The team has played a match against Allies . The Victorian Football League has a representative state team that plays annually against the other state league teams. The Victorian Amateur Football Association also has a representative team that plays annually against the other state amateur leagues and local Victorian leagues. There
5369-413: The former State of Origin series. It promoted the event by announcing two captains would be Jonathon Brown (Victoria) and Andrew McLeod (Dream Team). Victoria wore its traditional navy blue guernsey with a white V. The Dream Team wore a predominantly white guernsey, with beige cuffs and collars, and blue numbers and side panels; the names of 1246 community and grass-roots football clubs competing within
5460-409: The front representing the initial of Victoria. The team has not always worn the Big V. The first time this symbol appeared was the 1908 Melbourne carnival (other states also had their first initial on their guernsey). Since the advent of the symbol, the word "Big V" has become synonymous with the team. For a period in the 1920s, the guernsey design featured a white chevron across the chest in place of
5551-401: The history of Australian football. In a close game, Darren Jarman kicked six goals, and Gary Ablett Sr scored four. There was a song created about Victoria by Greg Champion , called "Don't Let The Big V Down", which describes a young man about to play his first state game. While he is sitting in the change rooms, a man approaches him and tells him not to let the Big V down. The Victorian side
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#17328920543235642-487: The inland monthly temperatures are 2–7 °C (4–13 °F) warmer than around Melbourne (see chart). Victoria's highest maximum temperature of 48.8 °C (119.8 °F) was recorded in Hopetoun on 7 February 2009, during the 2009 southeastern Australia heat wave . 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
5733-537: The introduction of the VFL in 1897, the VFA would continue to be the premier Victorian team. Though the VFL became active in interstate football following the Federation of Australia and eventually became the premier Victorian side, the VFA was the only league interested in regular competition with other representative sides prior to Federation. The Victorian Association played numerous matches against South Australia during this era which were evenly contested. During this era
5824-463: The letter V; however, this only lasted a few years. Prior to the advent of the iconic Big V guernsey, the team wore various designs. Early in the 20th century, the kit was a white guernsey with a sash. Later, it wore a plain navy guernsey with white-and-silver pin stripes along the sleeves. There is great pride in wearing the Victorian jumper. Ted Whitten , a former Victorian selector and coach, said that "the players would walk on broken glass to wear
5915-576: The money to the AFL Players Association to be to distributed to three charities, a special past players fund, the Ladder program to combat homelessness and RecLink , which funds football leagues in remote communities in the Northern Territory. In early 2008 the AFL announced the full details of the match and branded it as the "AFL Hall of Fame Tribute Match", deliberately distancing it from
6006-865: The most notable interstate games in the history of Australian football. These include: 1984: Victoria 16.12 (108) d. South Australia 16.8 (104). A packed house at Football Park set the stage for a thriller. Stephen Kernahan (S.A.) kicked 10 goals, Paul Salmon (Vic.) scored 5, and Peter Daicos (Vic.) scored . 1986 (Game 1): South Australia 18.17 (125) d. Victoria 17.13 (115): A high-scoring game, where Stephen Kernahan, Grenville Dietrich , and Victoria's Paul Salmon all kick 4 goals. The game also features John Platten , Tony McGuiness , Greg Williams , Dale Weightman , Chris McDermott and Dermott Brereton . 1986 (Game 2): Western Australia 21.11 (137) d. Victoria 20.14 (134). This game has been described as "the greatest State of Origin game of all time". A high-scoring and close game which saw Western Australia win in
6097-647: 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 Great Australian Bight portion of 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 coastal and central regions to
6188-461: The northeast, with higher averages in areas of high altitude. Mean annual rainfall exceeds 1,800 millimetres (71 inches) in some parts of the northeast but is less than 280 mm (11 in) 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
6279-490: 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. 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
6370-414: The reason he believed he could succeed in the AFL. In a high-scoring game, Stephen Kernahan (SA) kicked six goals, Paul Salmon (Vic) kicked five, and Paul Roos (Vic) kicked three. Wayne Carey dominated at centre half-forward and kicked two goals. South Australia won the game in the final moments. 1994: South Australia 11.9 (75) d. Victoria 10.13 (73). Another game regarded as one of the greatest games in
6461-481: The representative of the monarch in the state, is currently Margaret Gardner . Victoria is divided into 79 local government areas , as well as several unincorporated areas which the state administers directly. 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 . According to Gary Presland , Aboriginal people have lived in Victoria for about 40,000 years, living
6552-606: The south west coast of what is now Victoria. Edward Henty settled Portland Bay in 1834. 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
6643-419: The sport. The game was a high-scoring one with 39 goals scored, Victoria winning 21.11 (137) to the Dream Team 18.12 (120). In 2020, the side again appeared in a special match, the State of Origin for Bushfire Relief Match . Both matches were well attended. The Victorian state football team wears a navy blue guernsey (State colours are Navy Blue, White and Silver) along with a stylistic white "Big V" insignia on
6734-659: The state's south. The greater Melbourne metropolitan area is home to an estimated 5,207,145 people. 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, however Melbourne continues to rapidly outpace these areas in terms of population growth. At
6825-451: The stronger states and the weaker states, and there were also suggestions for Victoria to be divided into separate Metro and Country, both of which are features of the annual AFL Under-18 Championships . Many of the options that the AFL considered featured composite teams of weaker states, similar to the Allies team which represented Tasmania, Queensland, New South Wales and the Northern Territory collectively during State of Origin series in
6916-523: The survey, 31.7% of Victorians stated they had no religion, Roman Catholics were 23.2%, 9.4% did not answer the question, 9% were Anglican and 3.5% were Eastern Orthodox . 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. 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
7007-556: 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. 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. Days later, still in 1851 gold
7098-517: 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 , Patterson River , King River , Campaspe River , Loddon River , Wimmera River , Elgin River, Barwon River , Thomson River , Snowy River , Latrobe River , Yarra River , Maribyrnong River , Mitta River , Hopkins River , Merri River and Kiewa River . The state symbols include
7189-488: The world" and the largest gold nugget . In the decade 1851–1860 Victoria produced 20 million ounces of gold, one-third of the world's output. In 1855 the Geological Survey collected and determined the major ion chemistry for groundwater in Victoria. Immigrants arrived from all over the world to search for gold, especially from Ireland and China. By 1857, 26,000 Chinese miners worked in Victoria, and their legacy
7280-512: Was a kid the State of Origin games were the greatest ever. It was a really big thing to see the WA side play, particularly against Victoria". The entire Western Australian team that won the 1961 Interstate Carnival was inducted into the Western Australian Hall of Champions , because they won a breakthrough carnival, which had been dominated by Victoria. Victoria has been involved in some of
7371-406: Was also a women's Victorian representative team that played annually in the defunct AFL Women's National Championships and which was the most successful team. A Victorian team also competes in an annual veterans game, called the E. J. Whitten Legends Game . Many past AFL greats participate in the game. In under-16 to -19 pathway football, Victoria is split into Vic Metro (representing players from
7462-491: 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
7553-515: 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
7644-434: Was discovered near Ballarat , and subsequently at Bendigo . Later discoveries occurred at many sites across Victoria. This triggered one of the 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
7735-523: Was ill-prepared "to countenance so startling a novelty". In 1858–59, Melbourne Punch cartoons linked Duffy and O'Shanassy to the terrors of the French Revolution . 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 "squatter" class . In 1871, having led, on behalf of small farmers, opposition to Premier Sir James McCulloch 's land tax , Duffy, himself,
7826-561: Was in 1999 when it defeated South Australia. Since the AFL Commission ended representative football in 1999, the Big V has seldom appeared at senior level. In 1989, the AFL split Victoria into two representative teams for junior matches: Vic Metro and Vic Country (Vic Metro being the strongest of the two). The team has been reassembled for special occasions, including the AFL Hall of Fame Tribute Match in 2008 and special charity events such as
7917-643: 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 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
8008-451: Was played under State of Origin rules. Victoria's final senior level State of Origin game against another state, participated in by AFL , players was played in 1999 with Victoria beating South Australia by 54 points. Since the discontinuation of regular interstate competition, the senior Big V has only appeared on two occasions. A Victorian senior team was assembled in 2008 for the AFL Hall of Fame Tribute Match to celebrate 150 years of
8099-485: Was the first to use the "Big V" motif, which was later used by other codes; for example, the shirt of the Melbourne Victory soccer team and the Big V basketball league. Ted Whitten , nicknamed "Mr Football", was one of the most famous Victorian players of all time. He represented the state 29 times and was the most influential figure for the Big V. He was known for his passionate support for interstate football and
8190-423: Was the strongest in interstate football. Although there is a bitter rivalry on both sides, the make-up of the rivalry is slightly different. Victoria being the most successful state in interstate football, meant protecting that reputation was of prominent importance. For South Australia, the rivalry stemmed from dislike, and the feeling that Victoria don't give them the credit they deserve. In 1991, John Cahill ,
8281-403: Was the ultimate in football in South Australia. After stating that, the interviewer said, "you've got premierships as a player and coach", but Kerley followed up with "they were great", but he continued to emphasise that it, according to him, was the ultimate achievement. Neil Kerley has also stated before an Interstate Carnival grand final with Victoria that "I don't like the Victorians and I think
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