The regions of Victoria vary according to the different ways that the
Australian
state
State may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Literature
* ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State
* ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States
* '' Our ...
of
Victoria is divided into distinct geographic
region
In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and the interaction of humanity and t ...
s. The most commonly used regions are those created by the state government for the purposes of
economic development
In the economics study of the public sector, economic and social development is the process by which the economic well-being and quality of life of a nation, region, local community, or an individual are improved according to targeted goals a ...
.
Others regions include those made for land management, such as agriculture or conservation, and for the gathering of information, such as statistical or meteorological. Although most regional systems were defined for specific purposes and given specific boundaries, many regions have similar names and extents according to the different regionalisations. As a result, the names and boundaries of regions can vary and overlap even in popular usage.
Economic regions
In addition to
Greater Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a metr ...
, the
Victoria State Government
The Victoria State Government, also referred to as just the Victorian Government, is the state-level authority for Victoria, Australia. Like all state governments, it is formed by three independent branches: the executive, the judicial, and t ...
has divided Victoria into five regions covering all parts of the state. The five regions are:
# Barwon South West region
# Gippsland region
# Grampians region
# Hume region
# Loddon Mallee region
Barwon South West region
The Barwon South West region stretches from the tip of the Queenscliff Heads to the border of
South Australia
South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...
. It is home to Victoria’s largest provincial centre,
Geelong
Geelong ( ) ( Wathawurrung: ''Djilang''/''Djalang'') is a port city in the south eastern Australian state of Victoria, located at the eastern end of Corio Bay (the smaller western portion of Port Phillip Bay) and the left bank of Barwon ...
. The region includes the
local government areas of
Colac Otway,
Corangamite,
Glenelg,
Greater Geelong,
Moyne,
Queenscliffe,
Southern Grampians,
Surf Coast and
Warrnambool City
The City of Warrnambool is a local government area in the Barwon South West region of Victoria, Australia, located in the south-western part of the state. It covers an area of and in June 2018 had a population of 34,862. It is entirely surro ...
.
Gippsland region
The
Gippsland
Gippsland is a rural region that makes up the southeastern part of Victoria, Australia, mostly comprising the coastal plains to the rainward (southern) side of the Victorian Alps (the southernmost section of the Great Dividing Range). It cove ...
region stretches from the eastern outskirts of Melbourne to the southeastern tip of Victoria and north to the
Black-Allan Line denoting the border with
New South Wales
)
, nickname =
, image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, es ...
. Its western boundary is defined by the
Great Dividing Range and the
Tasman Sea
The Tasman Sea ( Māori: ''Te Tai-o-Rēhua'', ) is a marginal sea of the South Pacific Ocean, situated between Australia and New Zealand. It measures about across and about from north to south. The sea was named after the Dutch explorer ...
forms its eastern boundary. The region includes the local government areas of
Bass Coast,
Baw Baw,
East Gippsland
East Gippsland is the eastern region of Gippsland, Victoria, Australia covering 31,740 square kilometres (14%) of Victoria. It has a population of 80,114.
Australian Bureau of Statistics2006 Census Community Profile Series: East Gippsland (S ...
,
Latrobe City,
South Gippsland
South Gippsland, a region of Gippsland in Victoria, Australia, is a well-watered region consisting of low, rolling hills descending to the coast in the south and the Latrobe Valley in the north. Low granite hills continue into Wilsons Prom ...
and
Wellington
Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by m ...
.
Grampians region
The
Grampians
The Grampian Mountains (''Am Monadh'' in Gaelic) is one of the three major mountain ranges in Scotland, that together occupy about half of Scotland. The other two ranges are the Northwest Highlands and the Southern Uplands. The Grampian r ...
region stretches from the western edge of Melbourne to the South Australian border and includes the
Grampians National Park
The Grampians National Park commonly referred to as The Grampians, is a national park located in the Grampians region of Victoria, Australia. The Jardwadjali name for the mountain range itself is Gariwerd.
The national park is situated bet ...
and significant gold mining heritage assets. The region includes the local government areas of
Ararat City,
Ballarat City,
Golden Plains,
Hepburn,
Hindmarsh
Hindmarsh is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Alfred Hindmarsh, MP for Wellington South (New Zealand electorate) and first leader of the New Zealand Labour Party
*Ian Hindmarsh, Australian rugby league player
* Jean Hindm ...
,
Horsham City,
Moorabool,
Northern Grampians,
Pyrenees
The Pyrenees (; es, Pirineos ; french: Pyrénées ; ca, Pirineu ; eu, Pirinioak ; oc, Pirenèus ; an, Pirineus) is a mountain range straddling the border of France and Spain. It extends nearly from its union with the Cantabrian Mountains to ...
,
West Wimmera and
Yarriambiack. The Grampians region has two sub-regions, Grampians
Central Highlands and
Wimmera
The Wimmera is a region of the Australian state of Victoria. The district is located within parts of the Loddon Mallee and the Grampians regions; and covers the dryland farming area south of the range of Mallee scrub, east of the South Aust ...
Southern
Mallee.
Hume region
The
Hume
Hume most commonly refers to:
* David Hume (1711–1776), Scottish philosopher
Hume may also refer to:
People
* Hume (surname)
* Hume (given name)
* James Hume Nisbet (1849–1923), Scottish-born novelist and artist
In fiction
* Hume, the ...
region stretches south from the
Murray River
The Murray River (in South Australia: River Murray) ( Ngarrindjeri: ''Millewa'', Yorta Yorta: ''Tongala'') is a river in Southeastern Australia. It is Australia's longest river at extent. Its tributaries include five of the next six longe ...
with its eastern boundary defined by the Great Dividing Range and the Victorian Alps, its southern boundary defined by Greater Melbourne and its western boundary characterised by the
Goulburn
Goulburn ( ) is a regional city in the Southern Tablelands of the Australian state of New South Wales, approximately south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Canberra. It was proclaimed as Australia's first inland city through letters pate ...
and
Broken river catchments and food bowl. The region includes the local government areas of
Alpine,
Benalla City,
Indigo
Indigo is a deep color close to the color wheel blue (a primary color in the RGB color space), as well as to some variants of ultramarine, based on the ancient dye of the same name. The word "indigo" comes from the Latin word ''indicum'', ...
,
Mansfield
Mansfield is a market town and the administrative centre of Mansfield District in Nottinghamshire, England. It is the largest town in the wider Mansfield Urban Area (followed by Sutton-in-Ashfield). It gained the Royal Charter of a market t ...
,
Mitchell,
Moira,
Murrindindi
Murrindindi is a locality along the valley of the Murrindindi River in Victoria, in eastern Australia in the Murrindindi local government area. The nearest town is Yea. At the 2016 census, the suburb of Murrindindi had a population of 107.
...
,
Greater Shepparton,
Strathbogie,
Towong,
Wangaratta City, and
Wodonga City.
Loddon Mallee region
The
Loddon Mallee
The Loddon Mallee is an economic rural region located in the north-western part of Victoria, Australia. Occupying more than a quarter of the state, it stretches from Greater Melbourne to the northernmost point of Victoria, sharing a border ...
region occupies more than a quarter of Victoria and stretches from Greater Melbourne to the northwest corner of the state that marks the boundaries with South Australia and New South Wales. The region includes the local government areas of
Greater Bendigo City,
Buloke,
Campaspe,
Central Goldfields,
Gannawarra,
Loddon,
Macedon Ranges,
Mildura City,
Mount Alexander, and
Swan Hill City.
Other regional terms used in Victoria
Local government regions / statistical areas level 4
The approximately 80 local government areas of Victoria are grouped into 17 regions also known by the ABS as "statistical areas level 4". The non-Melbourne areas are: North West, Warrnambool and South West, Bendigo, Ballarat, Geelong, Shepparton, Hume, Latrobe - Gippsland, Mornington Peninsula. Melbourne is divided into: Melbourne - Inner, Melbourne - Inner East, Melbourne - Inner South, Melbourne - North East, Melbourne - North West, Melbourne - Outer East, Melbourne - South East, Melbourne - West.
Electoral regions
There are 8 electoral regions, which are used to form the
Victorian Legislative Council
The Victorian Legislative Council (VLC) is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of Victoria, Australia, the lower house being the Legislative Assembly. Both houses sit at Parliament House in Spring Street, Melbourne. The Legislative C ...
. They are:
*
Eastern Metropolitan Region
*
Eastern Victoria Region
Eastern Victoria Region is one of the eight electoral regions of Victoria, Australia, which elects five members to the Victorian Legislative Council (also referred to as the upper house) by proportional representation. The region was created in 2 ...
*
Northern Metropolitan Region
Northern Metropolitan Region is one of the eight electoral regions of Victoria, Australia, which elects five members to the Victorian Legislative Council (also referred to as the upper house) by proportional representation. The region was crea ...
*
Northern Victoria Region
Northern Victoria Region is one of the eight electoral regions of Victoria, Australia, which elects five members to the Victorian Legislative Council (also referred to as the upper house) by proportional representation. The region was created ...
*
South Eastern Metropolitan Region
South-Eastern Metropolitan Region is one of the eight electoral regions of Victoria, Australia, which elects five members to the Victorian Legislative Council (also referred to as the upper house) by proportional representation. The region was ...
*
Southern Metropolitan Region
Southern Metropolitan Region is one of the eight electoral regions of Victoria, Australia, which elects five members to the Victorian Legislative Council (also referred to as the upper house) by proportional representation. The region was crea ...
*
Western Metropolitan Region
Western Metropolitan Region is one of the eight electoral regions of Victoria, Australia, which elects five members to the Victorian Legislative Council (also referred to as the upper house) by proportional representation. The region was created ...
*
Western Victoria Region
Western Victoria Region is one of the eight electoral regions of Victoria, Australia, which elects five members to the Victorian Legislative Council (also referred to as the upper house) by proportional representation. The region was created i ...
Meteorological regions
The
Australian Bureau of Meteorology
Australian(s) may refer to:
Australia
* Australia, a country
* Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia
** European Australians
** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists
** Aboriginal Au ...
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: Mallee, Wimmera, Northern Country, North East, East Gippsland, West & South Gippsland, Central, North Central, South West, Alpine and Melbourne.
Wine producing regions
Viticulture
Viticulture (from the Latin word for ''vine'') or winegrowing (wine growing) is the cultivation and harvesting of grapes. It is a branch of the science of horticulture. While the native territory of ''Vitis vinifera'', the common grape vine, ran ...
has a long history since colonisation of Victoria. Wine production is concentrated around the Central Highlands and its associated tablelands and includes the
Grampians wine region
The Grampians is an Australian wine region located in the state of Victoria, west of Melbourne. It is located near the Grampians National Park and the Pyrenees hills. The area is dominated by red wine production, particularly Shiraz and Cabernet ...
, the
Pyrenees
The Pyrenees (; es, Pirineos ; french: Pyrénées ; ca, Pirineu ; eu, Pirinioak ; oc, Pirenèus ; an, Pirineus) is a mountain range straddling the border of France and Spain. It extends nearly from its union with the Cantabrian Mountains to ...
, the
Yarra Valley
The Yarra Valley is the region surrounding the Yarra River in Victoria, Australia. The river originates approximately east of the Melbourne central business district and flows towards it and out into Port Phillip Bay. The name Yarra Valley ...
, and the
Ovens and Murray
The Ovens Murray subregion is part of the Hume region in north eastern Victoria.
It includes the municipalities of Alpine Shire, City of Wodonga, Rural City of Benalla, Rural City of Wangaratta, Shire of Indigo, Shire of Mansfield, Shire of To ...
region. In the state's north-west, the
Murray Darling and
Swan Hill
Swan Hill is a city in the northwest of Victoria, Australia on the Murray Valley Highway and on the south bank of the Murray River, downstream from the junction of the Loddon River. At , Swan Hill had a population of 11,508.
Indigenous Peop ...
regions also produce wine.
Bioregions
The
Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia
The Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia (IBRA) is a biogeographic regionalisation of Australia developed by the Australian government's Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population, and Communities. It was deve ...
places parts of Victoria in the following
bioregion
A bioregion is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than a biogeographic realm, but larger than an ecoregion or an ecosystem, in the World Wide Fund for Nature classification scheme. There is also an attempt to use th ...
s, some of which are wholly contained with the state, and others that cover two or more states and territories.
*
Australian Alps
The Australian Alps is a mountain range in southeast Australia. It comprises an interim Australian bioregion,0042-5184 However, the moth has also been a biovector of arsenic, transporting it from lowland feeding sites over long distances in ...
bioregion most notably the
Victorian Alps
The Victorian Alps, also known locally as the High Country, is a large mountain system in the southeastern Australian state of Victoria. Occupying the majority of eastern Victoria, it is the southwestern half of the Australian Alps (the othe ...
sub-bioregion
*
Furneaux bioregion most notably the
Wilsons Promontory
Wilsons Promontory, is a peninsula that forms the southernmost part of the Australian mainland, located in the state of Victoria.
South Point at is the southernmost tip of Wilsons Promontory and hence of mainland Australia. Located at nea ...
sub-bioregion
*
Murray Darling Depression bioregion including parts of the
Murray Mallee
The Murray Mallee is the grain-growing and sheep-farming area of South Australia bounded to the north and west by the Murray River (in South Australia, "River Murray"), to the east by the Victorian border, and extending about 50 km south ...
,
Lowan Mallee, and
Wimmera
The Wimmera is a region of the Australian state of Victoria. The district is located within parts of the Loddon Mallee and the Grampians regions; and covers the dryland farming area south of the range of Mallee scrub, east of the South Aust ...
sub-bioregions
*
Naracoorte Coastal Plain bioregion including parts of the
Glenelg Plain sub-bioregion
*
NSW South Western Slopes bioregion including parts of the
Lower Slopes sub-bioregion
*
Riverina
The Riverina
is an agricultural region of south-western New South Wales, Australia. The Riverina is distinguished from other Australian regions by the combination of flat plains, warm to hot climate and an ample supply of water for irrigation ...
bioregion most notably the
Victorian Riverina and parts of the
Robinvale Plains sub-bioregions
*
South East Coastal Plain
The South East Coastal Plain is an interim Australian bioregion located in coastal southern Victoria. It has an area of . The South East Coastal Plain bioregion is part of the Southeast Australia temperate forests ecoregion and also features t ...
bioregion
*
South East Corner bioregion including parts of the
East Gippsland Lowlands and
Bateman Bateman may refer to:
Places
*Bateman, Western Australia, a suburb of Perth, Australia
**Electoral district of Bateman, an electorate of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly, centred on the suburb
*Batemans Bay, a town and bay in New South W ...
sub-bioregions
*
South Eastern Highlands
The South Eastern Highlands is an interim Australian bioregion in eastern Australia, that spans parts of the states and territories of New South Wales, the Australian Capital Territory, and Victoria. The bioregion comprises and is approx ...
bioregion most notably the
Otway Ranges
The Great Otway National Park is a national park located in the Barwon South West region of Victoria, Australia. The national park is situated approximately southwest of Melbourne, in the Otway Ranges, a low coastal mountain range. It con ...
,
Strzelecki Ranges
The Strzelecki Ranges (pronounced STREHZ leckee) is a set of low mountain ridges located in the West Gippsland and South Gippsland regions of the Australian state of Victoria.
The Ranges are named after Paweł Edmund Strzelecki, a Polish exp ...
, and parts of the
Highlands-Southern Fall sub-bioregions
*
Southern Volcanic Plain
The Southern Volcanic Plain is an interim Australian bioregion located in western Victoria and south-eastern South Australia. It has an area of . The Southern Volcanic Plain bioregion is part of the Southeast Australia temperate forests ecoreg ...
bioregion most notably the
Victorian Volcanic Plain sub-bioregion
*
Victorian Midlands
The Victorian Midlands is an interim Australian bioregion located in central Victoria. It has an area of . The Victorian Midlands bioregion is part of the Southeast Australia temperate forests ecoregion.
Subregions
The Victorian Midlands bior ...
bioregion
Fire districts
The
Country Fire Authority
The Country Fire Authority (CFA) is a volunteer fire service responsible for fire suppression, rescues, and response to other accidents and hazards across most of the state Victoria, Australia. CFA comprises over 1,200 brigades organised in 2 ...
(CFA) divides Victoria into nine fire districts. From west to east, and north to south: Mallee, Wimmera, South West, Northern Country, North Central, Central, North East, East Gippsland, West & South Gippsland.
Other regional terms
A number of other regional terms are used to define certain areas, although their exact boundaries are unclear. For example:
* The area that embraces Greater Melbourne is sometimes referred to as
Central Victoria
North Central Victoria is a rural region in the Australian state of Victoria. The region lies to the south of the Victorian/New South Wales border as defined by the Murray River, to the southwest of the Hume region, to the west of the Great D ...
and may include the Yarra Valley, the Upper Yarra, The Bays that include
Port Phillip
Port Phillip (Kulin: ''Narm-Narm'') or Port Phillip Bay is a horsehead-shaped enclosed bay on the central coast of southern Victoria, Australia. The bay opens into the Bass Strait via a short, narrow channel known as The Rip, and is completel ...
, the
Mornington Peninsula
The Mornington Peninsula is a peninsula located south of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is surrounded by Port Phillip to the west, Western Port to the east and Bass Strait to the south, and is connected to the mainland in the north. Ge ...
, the
Bellarine, and the
Western Port
Western Port, ( Boonwurrung: ''Warn Marin'') commonly but unofficially known as Western Port Bay, is a large tidal bay in southern Victoria, Australia, opening into Bass Strait. It is the second largest bay in the state. Geographically, it ...
, the
Goldfields, the Spa Country, the Central Coast, and the Bass Coast.
* In the Northern Country/North Central region, the terms Central Murray, Lower Goulburn,
Goulburn Valley
The Goulburn Valley is a sub-region, part of the Hume region of the Australian state of Victoria. The sub-region consists of those areas in the catchment of the Goulburn River and other nearby streams, and is part of the Murray-Darling Basin. ...
, Upper Goulburn and Southern Riverina are sometimes used.
* In the Northeast region, the terms Victorian Alps, Upper Murray, Victorian High Country, Alpine region, Victorian Snowfields, Australian Alps, and
Bogong High Plains
The Bogong High Plains (), part of the Victorian Alps of the Great Dividing Range, are a section of plains located in the Alpine National Park in the Australian state of Victoria and are situated south of Mount Bogong.
In winter this area ...
are sometimes used.
* Within the Gippsland region, the terms
East Gippsland
East Gippsland is the eastern region of Gippsland, Victoria, Australia covering 31,740 square kilometres (14%) of Victoria. It has a population of 80,114.
Australian Bureau of Statistics2006 Census Community Profile Series: East Gippsland (S ...
,
West Gippsland,
South Gippsland
South Gippsland, a region of Gippsland in Victoria, Australia, is a well-watered region consisting of low, rolling hills descending to the coast in the south and the Latrobe Valley in the north. Low granite hills continue into Wilsons Prom ...
,
Central Gippsland
The area known as Central Gippsland, also termed North Gippsland, is a region of Gippsland in Victoria, Australia, roughly corresponding to Shire of Wellington. Often this region is considered part of a larger "East Gippsland".
Central Gippsla ...
,
Gippsland Lakes
The Gippsland Lakes are a network of coastal lakes, marshes and lagoons in East Gippsland, Victoria, Australia covering an overall area of about between the rural towns of Lakes Entrance, Bairnsdale and Sale. The largest of the lakes ar ...
, Central Gippsland Coast, East Gippsland Coast, and the Victorian Alps (overlapped with the Northeast region) are sometimes used.
* In the
Western District of Victoria, the terms Central Highlands/Tablelands, the Pyrenees, The Grampians, and the Goldfields and the Spa Country (both overlapped with Central Victoria) are sometimes used.
* In the Southwest region, the terms
The Otways, West Coast, Shipwreck Coast,
Great Ocean Road
The Great Ocean Road is an Australian National Heritage listed stretch of road along the south-eastern coast of Australia between the Victorian cities of Torquay and Allansford. Built by returned soldiers between 1919 and 1932 and dedicated ...
, and the Surf Coast are sometimes used.
* In the Northwest region, the terms
The Mallee
The Mallee covers the most northwesterly part of Victoria, bounded by the South Australian and New South Wales borders. Definitions of the south-eastern boundary vary, however, all are based on the historic Victorian distribution of mallee ...
,
Millewa
The Millewa is a region of north western Victoria in Australia.
History
The County of Millewa was proclaimed in the area in the nineteenth century. In the 1960s the then dryland farming areas of Nangiloc and Colignan were irrigated. Subsequently, ...
,
Sunraysia
Sunraysia is an illdefined district, sometimes incorrectly referred to as an economic region, located in northwestern Victoria and southwestern New South Wales in Australia. The region is renowned for its sunshine, intensive horticulture inc ...
, and
The Wimmera are sometimes used.
See also
*
Cadastral divisions of Victoria
Cadastral divisions in Victoria are called counties, which are further subdivided into parishes and townships, for cadastral or land administration purposes. Cadastral divisions of county, parish and township form the basis for formal identific ...
*
Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia
The Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia (IBRA) is a biogeographic regionalisation of Australia developed by the Australian government's Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population, and Communities. It was deve ...
References
{{Victoria
Geography of Victoria (Australia)