Brooke

= = =__Victoria__=

=History= = =

[[image:victoria-regional.jpg width="141" height="115" align="right"]]Aboriginal History
Aboriginal HistoryAboriginal HistoryAboriginal HistoryLong ago, there were only aboriginals in Victoria. But they weren’t as lucky as me or you. The aboriginals depended on the environment for food like, kangaroos, emus, wallabies, reptiles, birds and possums. The aboriginals believed that the land was very sacred and they had to look after it with great care. The elders in the aboriginal family were responsible the young laws, tradition, hunting skills, fire making, dancing and weapon making. The aboriginals made laws, and if they were broken you would get punished, hurt or killed.

European History
When Europeans first arrived in Australia in 1788 they decided that because the aboriginals didn’t use the land in the same way as they did, the land could be taken from them. The Europeans believed that Australia was an unoccupied land. In October 1803 David Collins had landed with convicts because Charles Grimes had suggested a good place for settlement. That settlement only lasted a year because the soil wasn’t good enough and there was no water supply. In 1834 Edward Henty landed at Portland to start a farm and catch whales. And one year after that John Batman bought land off the aboriginals but yes, the deal was illegal. =Government and laws= In Victoria there are three levels of Government, the state, the federal, and the local. All of the laws are made by the state Government but it is the Victorian police’s job to enforce the laws of the state. There are 148 members of the House of Representatives and 38 members are from Victoria. The lowest court is the Magistrate court which deals with minor or civil matters The Victorian Parliament has two houses, the legislative assembly [lower house] and the legislative council [upper house]. There are 88 members in the legislative assembly and 44 members in the legislative council. To vote in the state election you have to be over the age of 18. =Facts = Victoria is the second smallest state in Australia and covers 227.600 square kms, which is roughly the size of the British Isles. The capital city of Victoria is Melbourne and Melbourne is the biggest city in Victoria. Melbourne’s population is 3,080,800. Forests are getting destroyed but about 36 % of Victoria is covered by forest. Temperatures vary widely but most of the state falls within the warm. The population of Victoria is around 5,022,000. Victoria was the first colony to get its own flag. Victoria’s floral emblem is the common heath; the faunal emblem is the Leadbeater Possum and Victoria also has a bird emblem and that is the helmeted honey eater.

=Mapping and directions = Melbourne is the biggest city in Victoria. The Murray River is the biggest river and stretches 2,700 kms. The latitude of Victoria is 37°S and the longitude is 144°E. Victoria covers 227.600 square kms. = Landmarks and tourist attractions = One of the best tourist attractions in Victoria is the Great Ocean Road.It is 420 kms long and runs from Geelong to South Australia. Another great one is Sovereign Hill in Ballarat. It is all about the 1854 gold rush. Phillip island is also very good. At night the penguins come to shore. There are more, such as the Melbourne zoo, the Melbourne Aquarium, the MCG, Swan Hill {Pioneer Settlement}, Luna Park and the Paddle steamers in Echuca. =Native Plants And Animals= The Pink Heath is the native plant of Victoria. It normally grows to 1 metre in height although some may grow higher. The flowers on the Pink Heath are red and white or pink and white. The native animal of Victoria is the Leadbeaters Possum. The Leadbeaters Possum is endangered and before 1961 was thought to be extinct.Now there are only 500 left in the wild. =References= [|www.maps.google.com.au/] [|www.wikipeadia.org/wiki/Murray_river] Gott,R 1997,Victoria,Reed Library