Victoria (Australia) in the area occurred in 1803 at Sullivan Bay, and much of what is now Victoria was included in 1836 in the Port Phillip District, an administrative division of New South Wales. Named in honour of Queen Victoria, who signed the division's separation from New South Wales, the colony was officially established in 1851 and achieved self government in 1855. The Victorian gold rush in the 1850s and 1860s significantly increased both the population and wealth of the colony, and by the time of the Federation of Australia in 1901, Melbourne had become the largest city and leading financial centre
Geography of Victoria The high plains are dominated by grasslands, herbfields, and heath communities which are widespread in areas where cold air drainage limits woody plant growth, with sphagnum bogs and fens in permanently wet areas. Snow Gum woodlands occupy the rocky knolls and ridges above approximately 1400–1500 m. Geography of Victoria Victoria is the southernmost mainland state of Australia. With an area of 227,594 km² (87,874.5 sq mi), it is Australia's sixth largest state or territory. The State is comparable in size to the US state of Utah or the island of Great Britain. It is bound to the northwest by South