Portal:Victoria

The VICTORIA PORTAL

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Introduction

Victoria is a state located in the south-eastern corner of Australia. It is the smallest mainland state in area, but the most densely populated and urbanised. Victoria shares borders with New South Wales to the north, South Australia to the west, over the Tasman Sea towards the east, New Zealand, and across Bass Strait to the south, Tasmania

Victoria began in the 1830s as a farming community when the Hentys settled at Portland, Melbourne being founded soon after. With the discovery of gold in 1851 and Victorian independence fron New South Wales, it was transformed into a leading industrial and commercial centre of the nation. In 1901, it became a part of the Commonwealth of Australia. Melbourne became the economic centre of both Australia and neighbour New Zealand at the time.

The Victorian economy is the second largest in Australia, accounting for a quarter of the nation's gross domestic product. The total gross state product at current prices for Victoria was at just over A$222 billion, with a GSP per capita of A$44,443. The economy grew by 3.4% in 2004, less than the Australian average of 5.2%. Finance, insurance and property services form Victoria's largest income producing sector, while the community, social and personal services sector is the state's biggest employer. Despite the shift towards service industries, the troubled manufacturing sector remains Victoria's single largest employer and income producer.

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The University of Melbourne, is a public university located in Melbourne, Victoria. The second oldest university in Australia, and the oldest in Victoria, its main campus is in Parkville, an inner suburb just north of the Melbourne CBD. Other campuses across Melbourne and rural Victoria have been acquired through amalgamation with smaller colleges of advanced education. It is a member of Australia's "Group of Eight" lobby group, and the Sandstone universities.

Melbourne University is ranked amongst the top universities both in Australia and the world. The University is highly regarded in the fields of the arts, humanities, and biomedicine.

The University has almost 40,000 students, who are supported by nearly 6,000 staff members (full or part-time). On November 15, 2005, Vice-Chancellor Glyn Davis announced a reform programme entitled "Growing Esteem". The University will aim to consolidate its three core activities - Research, Learning and Knowledge transfer - in order to become one of the world's finest institutions. The University's degree structure will be changed to the 'Melbourne Model', a combination of various practices from American and European Universities, which administrators claim will make the university consistent with the Bologna Accord, ensuring its degrees have international relevance.

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Credit: David Iliff

Beech Forest is a town in Victoria, Australia. The area of Beech Forest is largely used for potato farming. The town was named after the many Beech (myrtle) trees of the area.

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Things you can do

Create: Kangaroo Flat, Tyntynder, Fernbank
Expand: Bass, Mount Elephant, Yarriambiack Creek
Images: Ararat, Lakeside Mental Hospital, University of Ballarat
Polish: Melbourne Storm, Crowded House, Caufield Grammar School

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In the news

Portal:Victoria/News

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Did you know...

...that the Capitol Theatre in Melbourne (pictured) was once described as "the best cinema that was ever built or is ever likely to be built"?
...that the Port of Geelong, located on the shores of Corio Bay in Geelong, Victoria, Australia, is the sixth largest in Australia by tonnage?
...that Victorian winemakers sought to capitalize on the French phylloxera epidemic by making enough wine to satisfy the entire British market, but were thwarted when the insect infected their own vineyards?
...that more than 13.5 tonnes of gold was extracted in 13 months at Poverty Reef, near the town of Tarnagulla from an area only 3 metres wide and 120 metres deep? Archive • Read more...