Victoria is the southern most state on the east coast of
Australia and has a rich and varied history. Victoria was a bit
of a late bloomer on the development front compared with NSW. By
the late 1700's it was pretty clear that the Great South Land
was a bit bigger than might have been thought and therefore of
great value to the British with their enthusiasm for expanding
the Empire. The possibilities were endless and once the first
settlement in NSW started to get a bit better established the
Brits decided it was a good idea to set up another colony a
little further south. This was assisted by news of the French in
the area and fears that they would set up a settlement of their
own giving them a basis for challenging the Brits for ownership
of the continent. So a further fleet of ships were sent from
Britain, again largely made up of convicts, arriving in Port
Phillip Bay in1803. They had the usual issues of creating a
settlement in the middle of nowhere and the Victorian beginning
had a few false starts but