Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales to the north, South Australia to the west, and Tasmania to the south, on Boundary Islet.

Victoria is Australia's most densely populated state, and has a highly centralised population, with almost 75% of Victorians living in Melbourne, the state capital and largest city.

Etymology

Victoria, like Queensland, was named after Queen Victoria, the monarch at the time.

History

After the founding of the colony of New South Wales in 1788, Australia was divided into an eastern half named New South Wales and a western half named New Holland, under the administration of the colonial government in Sydney. The first European settlement in the area later known as Victoria was established in October 1803 under Lieutenant-Governor David Collins at Sullivan Bay, Victoria on Port Phillip. It consisted of 308 convicts, 51 marines, 17 free settlers, 12 civil officers, a missionary and his wife. They had been sent from England in HMS ''Calcutta'' under the command of Captain Daniel Woodriff, principally out of fear that the French, who had been exploring the area, might establish their own settlement and thereby challenge British rights to the continent.

Victoria's next settlement was at Portland, on the west coast of what is now Victoria. Melbourne was founded in 1835 by John Batman. From settlement the region around Melbourne was known as the Port Phillip District, a separately administered part of New South Wales. In 1851, the British Government separated the area from New South Wales, proclaiming a new Colony of Victoria.

In 1851 gold was discovered near Ballarat, and subsequently at Bendigo. Later discoveries occurred at many sites across Victoria. This triggered one of the largest gold rushes the world has ever seen. The colony grew rapidly in both population and economic power. In ten years the population of Victoria increased sevenfold from 76,000 to 540,000. All sorts of gold records were produced including the "richest shallow alluvial goldfield in the world" and the largest gold nugget. Victoria produced in the decade 1851–1860 20 million ounces of gold, one third of the world's output.

Immigrants arrived from all over the world to search for gold, especially from Ireland and China. Many Chinese miners worked in Victoria, and their legacy is particularly strong in Bendigo and its environs. Although there was some racism directed at them, there was not the level of anti-Chinese violence that was seen at the Lambing Flat riots in New South Wales. However, there was a riot at Buckland Valley near Bright in 1857. Conditions on the gold fields were cramped and unsanitary; an outbreak of typhoid at Buckland Valley in 1854 killed over 1,000 miners.

In 1854 at Ballarat there was an armed rebellion against the government of Victoria by miners protesting against mining taxes (the "Eureka Stockade"). This was crushed by British troops, but the discontents prompted colonial authorities to reform the administration (particularly reducing the hated mining licence fees) and extend the franchise. Within a short time, the Imperial Parliament granted Victoria responsible government with the passage of the Colony of Victoria Act 1855. Some of the leaders of the Eureka rebellion went on to became members of the Victorian Parliament.

The first foreign military action by the colony of Victoria was to send troops and a warship to New Zealand as part of the Māori Wars. Troops from New South Wales had previously participated in the Crimean War.

In 1901 Victoria became a state in the Commonwealth of Australia. As a result of the gold rush, Melbourne had by then become the financial centre of Australia and New Zealand. Between 1901 and 1927, Melbourne was the capital of Australia while Canberra was under construction. It was also the largest city in Australia at the time. Whilst Melbourne remains an important and influential financial centre, home to many national and international companies, it was slowly overtaken by Sydney in business importance around the 1970s and 1980s.

On Saturday 7 February 2009 ("Black Saturday"), the state was affected by the 2009 Victorian bushfires, resulting in 173 deaths.

Government

Parliament

Victoria has a parliamentary form of government based on the Westminster System. Legislative power resides in the Parliament consisting of the Governor (the representative of the Queen), the executive (the Government), and two legislative chambers. The Parliament of Victoria consists of the lower house Legislative Assembly, the upper house Legislative Council and the Queen of Australia.

Eighty-eight members of the Legislative Assembly are elected to four-year terms from single-member electorates.

In November 2006, the Victorian Legislative Council elections were held under a new multi-proportional representation system. The State of Victoria was divided into eight electorates with each electorate represented by five representatives elected by Single Transferable Vote proportional representation. The total number of upper house members was reduced from 44 to 40 and their term of office is now the same as the lower house members – four years. Elections for the Victorian Parliament are now fixed and occur in November every four years. Prior to the 2006 election, the Legislative Council consisted of 44 members elected to eight-year terms from 22 two-member electorates.

Premier and cabinet

The Premier of Victoria is the leader of the political party or coalition with the most seats in the Legislative Assembly. The Premier is the public face of government and, with cabinet, sets the legislative and political agenda. Cabinet consists of representatives elected to either house of parliament. It is responsible for managing areas of government that are not exclusively the Commonwealth's, by the Australian Constitution, such as education, health and law enforcement. The current Premier of Victoria is Ted Baillieu.

Governor

Executive authority is vested in the Governor of Victoria who represents and is appointed by Queen Elizabeth II. The post is usually filled by a retired prominent Victorian. The governor acts on the advice of the premier and cabinet. The current Governor of Victoria is Alex Chernov.

Constitution

Victoria has a written constitution. Enacted in 1975, but based on the 1855 colonial constitution, it establishes the parliament as the state's law-making body for matters coming under state responsibility. The Victorian Constitution can be amended by the parliament of Victoria. Under new provisions to be enacted, changes to the Victorian Constitution will be subjected to a plebiscite of votes, voting in a referendum.

Politics

Premier Ted Baillieu leads a Liberal/National Coalition that won the November 2010 Victorian state election.

The centre-left Australian Labor Party (ALP), the centre-right Liberal Party of Australia and the rural-based National Party of Australia are Victoria's major political parties. Traditionally, Labor is strongest in Melbourne's inner, working class and western and northern suburbs, Morwell, Ballarat, Bendigo and Geelong. The Liberals' main support lies in Melbourne's more affluent eastern and outer suburbs, and some rural and regional centres. The Nationals are strongest in Victoria's North Western and Eastern rural regional areas.

Federal government

Victorian voters elect 49 representatives to the Parliament of Australia, including 37 members of the House of Representatives and 12 members of the Senate. Since 2010, the ALP has held 22 Victorian house seats, the Liberals 12, the Nationals two and the Greens one. As of 1 July 2008, the Liberals have held six senate seats, the ALP five and the Family First Party one.

Local government

Victoria is incorporated into 79 municipalities for the purposes of local government, including 39 shires, 32 cities, seven rural cities and one borough. Shire and city councils are responsible for functions delegated by the Victorian parliament, such as city planning, road infrastructure and waste management. Council revenue comes mostly from property taxes and government grants.

{|- | style="font-size:90%;" margin- left="5em"| Source: Victorian Parliamentary Library, Department of Victorian Communities, Australian Electoral Commission |}

Demographics

The 2006 Australian census reported that Victoria had 4,932,422 people resident at the time of the census, an increase of 6.2% on the 1996 figure. The Australian Bureau of Statistics estimates that in June 2010 the state's population reached 5,547,500, an increase of 1.8% from the previous year and may well reach 7.2 million by 2050.

Victoria's founding Anglo-Celtic population has been supplemented by successive waves of migrants from southern and eastern Europe, Southeast Asia and, most recently, the Horn of Africa and the Middle East. Victoria's population is ageing in proportion with the average of the remainder of the Australian population.

About 72% of Victorians are Australian-born. This figure falls to around 66% in Melbourne but rises to higher than 95% in some rural areas in the north west of the state. Around two-thirds of Victorians claim Australian, Scottish, English or Irish ancestry. Less than 1% of Victorians identify themselves as Aboriginal. The largest groups of people born outside Australia came from the British Isles, China, Italy, Vietnam, Greece and New Zealand.

More than 70% of Victorians live in Melbourne, located in the state's south. The greater Melbourne metropolitan area is home to an estimated 3.9 million people. Leading urban centres include Geelong, Ballarat, Bendigo, Shepparton, Mildura, Warrnambool, Wodonga and the Latrobe Valley.

Victoria is Australia's most urbanised state: nearly 90% of residents living in cities and towns. State Government efforts to decentralise population have included an official campaign run since 2003 to encourage Victorians to settle in regional areas, however Melbourne continues to rapidly outpace these areas in terms of population growth.

Age structure and fertility

The government predicts that nearly a quarter of Victorians will be aged over 60 by 2021. The 2006 census reveals that Australian average age has crept upward from 35 to 37 since 2001, which reflects the population growth peak of 1969–72. In 2007, Victoria recorded a TFR of 1.87, the highest after 1978.

Crime

The state of Victoria is divided into four geographical regions; North-West Metropolitan Region, Southern Metropolitan Region, Eastern Region, Western Region. In 2010-2011 there were 152 homicides within the state of Victoria.

Religion

About 60.5% of Victorians describe themselves as Christian. Roman Catholics form the single largest religious group in the state with 27.5% of Victorian population, followed by Anglicans and members of the Uniting Church. Catholics and Protestants (including Anglicans) in Victoria each form around 30% of the population. Buddhism, the state's largest non-Christian religion, is also the fastest growing with 132,634. Victoria is also home of 109,370 Muslims and 41,105 Jews. Around 20% of Victorians claim no religion, and even amongst those who declare a religious affiliation, church attendance is low.

In 2008, the levels of couples choosing to marry in a church had dropped to 36%; the other 64% chose to register their marriage with a civil celebrant.

Education

Primary and secondary

Victoria's state school system dates back to 1872, when the colonial government legislated to make schooling both free and compulsory. The state's public secondary school system began in 1905. Before then, only private secondary schooling was available. Today, a Victorian school education consists of seven years of primary schooling (including one preparatory year) and six years of secondary schooling.

The final years of secondary school are optional for children aged over 17. Victorian children generally begin school at age five or six. On completing secondary school, students earn the Victorian Certificate of Education. Students who successfully complete their secondary education also receive a tertiary entrance ranking, or ATAR score, to determine university admittance.

Victorian schools are either publicly or privately funded. Public schools, also known as state or government schools, are funded and run directly by the Victoria Department of Education . Students do not pay tuition fees, but some extra costs are levied. Private fee-paying schools include parish schools run by the Roman Catholic Church and independent schools similar to English public schools. Independent schools are usually affiliated with Protestant churches. Victoria also has several private Jewish and Islamic primary and secondary schools. Private schools also receive some public funding. All schools must comply with government-set curriculum standards. In addition, Victoria has four government selective schools, Melbourne High School for boys, MacRobertson Girls' High School for girls, the coeducational schools John Monash Science School, Nossal High School and Suzanne Cory High School, and The Victorian College of the Arts Secondary School. Students at these schools are exclusively admitted on the basis of a selective entry test.

As of August 2005, Victoria had 1,613 public schools, 484 Catholic schools and 208 independent schools. Just under 537,000 students were enrolled in public schools, and 289,000 in private schools. Nearly two-thirds of private students attend Catholic schools. More than 455,000 students were enrolled in primary schools and more than 371,000 in secondary schools. Retention rates for the final two years of secondary school were 77% for public school students and 90% for private school students. Victoria has about 60,200 full-time teachers.

Tertiary education

Victoria has nine universities. The first to offer degrees, the University of Melbourne, enrolled its first student in 1855. The largest, Monash University, has an enrolment of nearly 56,000 students—more than any other Australian university. Both the University of Melbourne and Monash University are purportedly ranked highly among the world's best universities requiring a fairly high entry score, passing of mature age entrance exams or direct payment for student admission into their courses.

The number of students enrolled in Victorian universities was 241,755 at 2004, an increase of 2% on the previous year. International students made up 30% of enrolments and account for the highest percentage of pre-paid university tuition fees. The largest number of enrolments were recorded in the fields of business, administration and economics, with nearly a third of all students, followed by arts, humanities, and social science, with 20% of enrolments.

Victoria has 18 government-run institutions of “technical and further education” (TAFE). The first vocational institution in the state was the Melbourne Mechanics' Institute (established in 1839), which is now the Melbourne Athenaeum. More than 1,000 adult education organisations are registered to provide recognised TAFE programs. In 2004, there were about 480,700 students enrolled in vocational education programs in the state.

{|- | style="font-size:90%;" margin- left="5em"| Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Department of Education and Training (Victoria), Department of Education, Science and Training (Commonwealth), National Centre for Vocational Education Research |}

Libraries

The State Library of Victoria is the State's research and reference library. It is responsible for collecting and preserving Victoria's documentary heritage and making it available through a range of services and programs. Material in the collection includes books, newspapers, magazines, journals, manuscripts, maps, pictures, objects, sound and video recordings and databases.

In addition, local governments maintain local lending libraries, typically with multiple branches in their respective municipal areas.

Economy

Victorian production andworkers by economic activities
!Economicsector	!GSPproduced	!Number ofworkers	!Percentageof workers
	30.5%	319,109	15.3%
	16.6%	562,783	27.4%
	15.4%	318,218	15.3%
	12.1%	423,328	20.3%
	10.6%	133,752	6.4%
	6.2%	136,454	6.6%
	4%	62,253	3%
	3.3%	72,639	3.5%
	1.3%	4,472	0.2%
	–	49,208	2%

The state of Victoria is the second largest economy in Australia after New South Wales, accounting for a quarter of the nation's gross domestic product. The total gross state product (GSP) 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. As a result of job losses in declining sectors such as manufacturing, Victoria has the highest unemployment rate in Australia as of September 2009.

Agriculture

During 2003–04, the gross value of Victorian agricultural production increased by 17% to $8.7 billion. This represented 24% of national agricultural production total gross value. As of 2004, an estimated 32,463 farms occupied around 136,000 square kilometres (52,500 sq mi) of Victorian land. This comprises more than 60% of the state's total land surface. Victorian farms range from small horticultural outfits to large-scale livestock and grain productions. A quarter of farmland is used to grow consumable crops.

More than 26,000 square kilometres (10,000 sq mi) of Victorian farmland are sown for grain, mostly in the state's west. More than 50% of this area is sown for wheat, 33% for barley and 7% for oats. A further 6,000 square kilometres (2,300 sq mi) is sown for hay. In 2003–04, Victorian farmers produced more than 3 million tonnes of wheat and 2 million tonnes of barley. Victorian farms produce nearly 90% of Australian pears and third of apples. It is also a leader in stone fruit production. The main vegetable crops include asparagus, broccoli, carrots, potatoes and tomatoes. Last year, 121,200 tonnes of pears and 270,000 tonnes of tomatoes were produced.

More than 14 million sheep and 5 million lambs graze over 10% of Victorian farms, mostly in the state's north and west. In 2004, nearly 10 million lambs and sheep were slaughtered for local consumption and export. Victoria also exports live sheep to the Middle East for meat and to the rest of the world for breeding. More than 108,000 tonnes of wool clip was also produced—one-fifth of the Australian total.

Victoria is the centre of dairy farming in Australia. It is home to 60% of Australia's 3 million dairy cattle and produces nearly two-thirds of the nation's milk, almost 6.4 million litres. The state also has 2.4 million beef cattle, with more than 2.2 million cattle and calves slaughtered each year. In 2003–04, Victorian commercial fishing crews and aquaculture industry produced 11,634 tonnes of seafood valued at nearly A$109 million. Blacklipped abalone is the mainstay of the catch, bringing in A$46 million, followed by southern rock lobster worth A$13.7 million. Most abalone and rock lobster is exported to Asia.

Manufacturing

Machinery and equipment manufacturing is the state's most valuable manufacturing activity, followed by food and beverage manufacturing and petroleum, coal and chemical manufacturing. More than 15% Victorian workers are employed in manufacturing industries. Victoria has 318,000 manufacturing workers. The state is marginally behind New South Wales in the value of manufacturing output.

Major industrial plants belong to the car manufacturers Ford, Toyota and Holden; Alcoa's Portland and Point Henry aluminium smelters; oil refineries at Geelong and Altona; and a major petrochemical facility at Laverton.

Victoria also plays an important role in providing goods for the defence industry. Melbourne is the centre of manufacturing in Victoria, followed by Geelong. Energy production has aided industrial growth in the Latrobe Valley.

Mining

Mining in Victoria contributes around A$3 billion to the gross state product (~1%) but employs less than 1% of workers. The Victorian mining industry is concentrated on energy producing minerals, with brown coal, petroleum and gas accounting for nearly 90% of local production. The oil and gas industries are centred off the coast of Gippsland in the state's east, while brown coal mining and power generation is based in the Latrobe Valley.

In the 2005/2006 fiscal year, the average gas production was over per day (M cuft/d) and represented 18% of the total national gas sales, with demand growing at 2% per year.

In 1985, oil production from the offshore Gippsland Basin peaked to an annual average of 450,000 barrels per day. In 2005–2006, the average daily oil production declined to 83,000 bbls/d, but despite the decline Victoria still produces almost 19.5% of crude oil in Australia.

Brown coal is Victoria's leading mineral, with 66 million tonnes mined each year for electricity generation in the Latrobe Valley, Gippsland. The region is home to the world's largest known reserves of brown coal.

Despite being the historic centre of Australia's gold rush, Victoria today contributes a mere 1% of national gold production. Victoria also produces limited amounts of gypsum and kaolin.

Service industry

The service industries sector is the fastest growing component of the Victorian economy. It includes the wide range of activities generally classified as community, social and personal services; finances, insurance and property services, government services, transportation and communication, and wholesale and retail trade. Most service industries are located in Melbourne and the state's larger regional centres.

As of 2004–05, service industries employed nearly three-quarters of Victorian workers and generated three-quarters of the state's GSP. Finance, insurance and property services, as a group, provide a larger share of GSP than any other economic activity in Victoria. More than a quarter of Victorian workers are employed by the community, social and personal services sector.

Geology and geography

Victoria's northern border is the southern bank of the Murray River. It also rests at the southern end of the Great Dividing Range, which stretches along the east coast and terminates west of Ballarat. It is bordered by South Australia to the west and shares Australian's shortest land border with Tasmania. The official border between Victoria and Tasmania is at 39°12' S, which passes through Boundary Islet in the Bass Strait for 85 metres. Victoria contains many topographically, geologically and climatically diverse areas, ranging from the wet, temperate climate of Gippsland in the southeast to the snow-covered Victorian alpine areas which rise to almost 2,000 metres (6,500 ft), with Mount Bogong the highest peak at 1,986 m; (6,516 ft). There are extensive semi-arid plains to the west and northwest.

There is an extensive series of river systems in Victoria. Most notable is the Murray River system. Other rivers include: Ovens River, Goulburn River, Patterson River, King River, Campaspe River, Loddon River, Wimmera River, Elgin River, Barwon River, Thomson River, Snowy River, Latrobe River, Yarra River, Maribyrnong River, Mitta River, Hopkins River, Merri River and Kiewa River.

The state symbols include the Pink Heath (state flower), Leadbeater's Possum (state animal) and the Helmeted Honeyeater (state bird).

The state's capital, Melbourne, contains approximately 70% of the state's population and dominates its economy, media, and culture. For other cities and towns, see List of localities (Victoria) and Local Government Areas of Victoria.

Transport

Victoria has the highest population density in any state in Australia, with population centres spread out over most of the state; only the far northwest and the Victorian Alps lack permanent settlement.

The Victorian road network services the population centres, with highways generally radiating from Melbourne and other major cities and rural centres with secondary roads interconnecting the highways to each other. Many of the highways are built to freeway standard ("M" freeways), while most are generally sealed and of reasonable quality.

Rail transport in Victoria is provided by several private and public railway operators who operate over government-owned lines. Major operators include: Metro Trains Melbourne which runs an extensive, electrified, passenger system throughout Melbourne and suburbs; V/Line which is now owned by the Victorian Government, operates a concentrated service to major regional centres, as well as long distance services on other lines; Pacific National, CFCLA, El Zorro which operate freight services; Great Southern Railway which operates The Overland Melbourne—Adelaide; and CountryLink which operates XPTs Melbourne—Sydney.

There are also several smaller freight operators and numerous tourist railways operating over lines which were once parts of a state-owned system. Victorian lines mainly use the broad gauge. However, the interstate trunk routes, as well as a number of branch lines in the west of the state have been converted to standard gauge. Two tourist railways operate over narrow gauge lines, which are the remnants of five formerly government-owned lines which were built in mountainous areas.

Melbourne has the world's largest tram network, currently operated by Yarra Trams. As well as being a popular form of public transport, over the last few decades trams have become one of Melbourne's major tourist attractions. There are also tourist trams operating over portions of the former Ballarat and Bendigo systems. There are also tramway museums at Bylands and Haddon.

Melbourne Airport is the major domestic and international gateway for the state. Avalon Airport is the state's second busiest airport, which is complements Essendon and Moorabbin Airports to see the remainder of Melbourne's air traffic. Hamilton Airport, Mildura Airport, Mount Hotham and Portland Airport are the remaining airports with scheduled domestic flights. There are no fewer than 27 other airports in the state with no scheduled flights.

The Port of Melbourne is the largest port for containerised and general cargo in Australia, and is located in Melbourne on the mouth of the Yarra River, which is at the head of Port Phillip. Additional seaports are at Westernport, Geelong, and Portland.

Utilities

Energy

Victoria's major utilities include a collection of brown-coal-fired power stations, particularly in the LaTrobe Valley. One of these is Hazelwood Power Station, which is number 1 in the worldwide List of least carbon efficient power stations.

Water

Victoria's water infrastructure includes a series of dams and reservoirs, predominantly in Central Victoria, that hold and collect water for much of the state. The water collected is of a very high quality and requires little chlorination treatment, giving the water a taste more like water collected in a rainwater tank. In regional areas however, such as in the west of the state, chlorination levels are much higher.

The Victorian Water Grid consists of a number of new connections and pipelines being built across the State. This allows water to be moved around Victoria to where it is needed most and reduces the impact of localised droughts in an era thought to be influenced by climate change. Major projects already completed as part of the Grid include the Wimmera Mallee Pipeline and the Goldfields Superpipe.

Climate

Victoria has a varied climate despite its small size. It ranges from semi-arid and hot in the north-west, to temperate and cool along the coast. Victoria's main land feature, the Great Dividing Range, produces a cooler, mountain climate in the centre of the state.

Victoria's southernmost position on the Australian mainland means it is cooler and wetter than other mainland states and territories. The coastal plain south of the Great Dividing Range has Victoria's mildest climate. Air from the Southern Ocean helps reduce the heat of summer and the cold of winter. Melbourne and other large cities are located in this temperate region.

The Mallee and upper Wimmera are Victoria's warmest regions with hot winds blowing from nearby deserts. Average temperatures top 30 °C (86 °F) during summer and 15 °C (59 °F) in winter. Victoria's highest maximum temperature of 48.8 °C (119.9 °F) was recorded in Hopetoun on 7 February 2009, during the 2009 southeastern Australia heat wave.

The Victorian Alps in the northeast are the coldest part of Victoria. The Alps are part of the Great Dividing Range mountain system extending east-west through the centre of Victoria. Average temperatures are less than 9 °C (48 °F) in winter and below 0 °C (32 °F) in the highest parts of the ranges. The state's lowest minimum temperature of −11.7 °C (10.9 °F) was recorded at Omeo on 13 June 1965, and again at Falls Creek on 3 July 1970.

Rainfall

Victoria is the wettest Australian state after Tasmania. Rainfall in Victoria increases from north to south, with higher averages in areas of high altitude. Median annual rainfall exceeds 1,800 millimetres (71 in) in some parts of the northeast but is less than 250 millimetres (10 in) in the Mallee.

Rain is heaviest in the Otway Ranges and Gippsland in southern Victoria and in the mountainous northeast. Snow generally falls only in the mountains and hills in the centre of the state. Rain falls most frequently in winter, but summer precipitation is heavier. Rainfall is most reliable in Gippsland and the Western District, making them both leading farming areas. Victoria's highest recorded daily rainfall was 375 millimetres (14.7 in) at Tanybryn in the Otway Ranges on 22 March 1983.

{|- | style="font-size:90%;" margin- left="5em"| Source: Bureau of Meteorology, Department of Primary Industries, Australian Natural Resources Atlas |}

Tourism

Some major tourist destinations in Victoria are:

The metropolis of Melbourne, particular its inner city suburbs (known also for shopping tourism) and the attractions of the city centre such as Crown Casino, Melbourne Zoo, Melbourne Museum, the Melbourne Aquarium, ScienceWorks, Healesville Sanctuary, Werribee Open Range Zoo, tourism precincts such as Melbourne Docklands, Southbank and St Kilda as well as cultural and sporting tourist icons such as The Arts Centre, National Gallery of Victoria, the Melbourne Cricket Ground, also known as the MCG, and the Eureka Tower, tallest building in the Southern Hemisphere, with its Skydeck 88.

Victoria has more than 2000 kilometres of coastline with hundreds of beaches.

The Goldfields region featuring the historic cities of Ballarat, Beechworth, Bendigo, Castlemaine, Maldon and Daylesford.

Natural attractions, such as The Twelve Apostles, Wilsons Promontory, The Grampians, the Fairy Penguins (particularly at Phillip Island and St Kilda), the Buchan Caves and the Gippsland Lakes.

The Dandenong Ranges (in particular the Puffing Billy Railway).

Towns along the Murray River and Riverina including Echuca and Mildura including waterskiing.

Geelong and the Australian International Airshow

The Bellarine Peninsula which features historic resort towns such as Queenscliff.

The Surf Coast which features famous beaches such as Bells Beach, Torquay and Lorne

Mornington Peninsula, particularly for its wineries and secluded beaches, Arthur's Seat and the coastal attractions of Portsea and Sorrento.

Yarra Valley (in particular Healesville Sanctuary and wineries).

Great Ocean Road, which features The Twelve Apostles, historic towns of Port Fairy and Portland, cliffs and whale watching and resort towns such as Lorne.

The Victorian Alpine Region, part of the Australian Alps, particularly for skiing

The Central Victorian Highlands, 'Highcountry' are very well known for winter sports and bushwalking

Wine regions across the entire state.

Other popular tourism activities are gliding, hang-gliding, hot air ballooning and scuba diving.

Major events also play a big part in tourism in Victoria, particularly cultural tourism and sports tourism. Most of these events are centred around Melbourne, but others occur in regional cities, such as the V8 Supercars and Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix at Phillip Island, the Grand Annual Steeplechase at Warrnambool and the Australian International Airshow at Geelong and numerous local festivals such as the popular Port Fairy Folk Festival, Queenscliff Music Festival, Bells Beach SurfClassic and the Bright Autumn Festival.

Sport

Victoria is the home of Australian rules football, with ten of the seventeen clubs of the Australian Football League based in Victoria, and the traditional Grand Final held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground usually on the last Saturday in September.

Victoria's cricket team, the Victorian Bushrangers play in the national Sheffield Shield cricket competition. Victoria is represented in the National Rugby League by the Melbourne Storm and in Super Rugby by the Melbourne Rebels. It is also represented in Football (soccer) by Melbourne Victory and Melbourne Heart in the A-League.

Melbourne has held the 1956 Summer Olympics, 2006 Commonwealth Games, FINA World Swimming Championship, and is home to the Australian Open tennis tournament in January each year, the first of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments, and the Australian Formula One Grand Prix.

Victoria is also home to Bells Beach, which is the home of the world's longest-running surfing competition, the Bells Beach SurfClassic, which is part of The ASP World Tour.

Netball is a big part of sport in Victoria. The Melbourne Vixens represent Victoria in the ANZ Championship. Some of the worlds best netballers such as Sharelle McMahon, Renae Hallinan, Madison Browne, Julie Corletto and Bianca Chatfield come from Victoria.

Possibly Victoria's most famous island, Phillip Island, is home of the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit which hosts the Australian motorcycle Grand Prix which features MotoGP (the world's premier motorcycling class), as well as the Australian round of the World Superbike Championship and the domestic V8 Supercar racing, which also visits Sandown Raceway and the rural Winton Motor Raceway circuit.

Australia's most prestigious footrace, the Stawell Gift, is an annual event.

Victoria is also home to the Aussie Millions poker tournament, the richest in the Southern hemisphere.

The Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival is one of the biggest horse racing events in the world and is one of the world's largest sporting events. The main race is for the $6 million Melbourne Cup, and crowds for the carnival exceed 700,000.

See also

2003 Melbourne thunderstorm

Atlas of Victorian Birds

Geography:

Goombala Road

Victorian Alps

Vicmap Topographic Map Series

Lists:

List of highways in Victoria

List of localities (Victoria)

Protected areas of Victoria (Australia)

References

External links

State Government of Victoria website

Official Government tourism website

Tourism Victoria's Online Image Library

Category:Former British colonies Category:States and territories of Australia Category:States and territories established in 1851

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Coordinates	45°02′″N38°58′″N
Name	Victor Smolski
Background	non_vocal_instrumentalist
Birth name	Виктор Дмитриевич Смольский
Born	January 02, 1969 Minsk, BSSR
Occupation	Musician, songwriter
Genre	Heavy metal, power metal, progressive metal, speed metal, classical music
Instrument	Guitar, bass, keyboard, piano, cello, sitar
Years active	1983–present
Label	Nuclear Blast
Associated acts	Pesniary, Inspector, Mind Odyssey, Rage, Kipelov }}

Victor Dmitrievich Smolski (, ; born 2 January 1969, Minsk, Belarus) is a Belarusian musician, composer and multi-instrumentalist. He is a constant member of the German heavy metal band Rage.

Biography

Son of professor Dmitry Smolski, a symphonic music composer. Victor was six years old when he began studying the piano, cello and later guitar. Smolski was awarded diplomas on playing rock and jazz guitar as well as on composing and arranging music. His first professional work was playing with the famous Belarusian folk band Pesniary when he was 14 years old.

In 1988 he founded the band ''Inspector'' and they toured over Germany for the first time. Frank Bornemann was very interested in the band and offered a contract to ''Inspector''. Due to visa problems, the tour became complicated, but even then ''Inspector'' played many shows in Germany. In 1993 they released their CD, ''Russian Prayer'' (ARIS / ARIOLA).

Years spent in Germany

In 1993, Smolski decided to stay in Germany. He worked as a studio musician and produced his EP ''Destiny'' in 1996.

In 1995, Smolski joined the progmetal band Mind Odyssey, who were soon successful. They went on various European tours with Vicious Rumors and Savatage and their video for ''Schizophrenia'' was regularly shown on MTV and VIVA. On the successful Mind Odyssey albums, ''Nailed To The Shade'' and ''Signs'', most of the songs were composed by Smolski. He played all the guitar, sitar and keyboard tracks. During the arrangement of both CDs, he also worked together with the Symphonic Orchestra Belarus.

Smolski also works as a record producer. He works for the Label B. Mind Records he discovered and produced bands like GB Arts and Delirious and also international musicians like the American vocalist DC Cooper. He has worked for labels like BMG, GUN Records, Drakkar and Ariola Victor.

His father, Dmitry, was convinced of his son's work. Together, they composed symphonies for electric guitar and classical orchestra, which they presented live during a European tour in 1999.

Rage

In June 1999, Smolski became the new guitarist of Rage, performing with their new line up at Wacken Open Air 1999 for the first time. European and Russian tours followed.

From August to November 2000, the "Rage" album ''Welcome To The Other Side'' was recorded in the VPS Studios in Hamm. Half of the songs were composed by Victor, who was also responsible for the production.

Victor's greatest success was registered in 2001, as the song "Straight To Hell", composed by Victor for the Rage Album ''Welcome To The Other Side'' was used for the soundtrack of the very successful German movie production Der Schuh des Manitu. About 15 million spectators have so far seen this movie. In 2004 the same song was again used for another movie by Michael Bully Herbig called Traumschiff Surprise - Periode 1.

In 2002, Rage produced their next album called ''Unity''. ''Unity'', a first-rate metal firecracker, is an impressive document of the high technical level Victor (guitars, keyboards) and his two colleagues have achieved in their work with Rage, while embedding their virtuoso instrumental abilities cleverly into a homogeneous corset of songs. A video clip of the song "Down", was produced by director Yankovsky in the Belarus capital of Minsk, and was shown on music channels like VIVA regularly.

In October 2003, the Rage album ''Soundchaser'' was released. A guest appearance by Andi Deris (Helloween) on "Falling From Grace" lent particular appeal to this song. Beside the many concerts and festivals all around the world that Rage played, they were also touring for months together with Helloween at the end of 2003.

At the beginning of 2005, Rage got permission to use a scene out of the successful German movie production ''Der Schuh des Manitu'', and Matthias Knézy-Bohm produced a video clip to the song "Straight To Hell", which was composed by Smolski.

Victor later appeared on the 2006 album ''Speak of the Dead'', the 2008 album ''Carved in Stone'' and the 2010 album ''Strings To A Web''

Solo albums and side projects

At the beginning of 2000, Smolski composed and produced his first solo CD, which was recorded in co-operation with the Belarusian Orchestra and his colleagues from Rage. This Symphonic work, entitled ''The Heretic'' deals with the time witches were burnt at the stake. ''The Heretic'' was released on 19 June 2000. Noticed by the international press, parts of this exceptional "Metal meets Classic" album ''The Heretic'' were presented live during a few concerts together with the Belorussian Orchestra in the same year.

Due to his many-sided engagements, renowned companies like Yamaha, Siggi Guitars, Peavey, Thomastik-Infeld and Cordial became attentive, and sundry contracts were signed. At the Winter NAMM Show; the largest music fair in America, the Music Expo in Dubai and at many other international music fairs, Victor showed his ability as a soloist and also represented the companies mentioned earlier.

In November 2004, Smolski's latest solo CD, ''Majesty & Passion'', was released by Drakkar Classic. Smolski has arranged songs of the "Old Master" Johann Sebastian Bach into some heavier versions. Together with his bandmates from Rage, Peavy Wagner and Mike Terrana, several notable international musicians and the Inspector Symphony Orchestra Victor recorded these songs (so the album is subcredited as Friends & Symphonic Orchestra). Twice, songs from this album were presented live. First at the International Bach Festival in Leipzig and also at the Rock Meets Renaissance festival at Schloss Beck in Bottrop, organized by Uli Jon Roth.

In August 2005, Smolski presented the Symphony Nr. 9 for orchestra and electric guitar together with the Symphonic Orchestra Young Belarus at the concert house at the Gendarmenmarkt in Berlin, which was composed by Victor and his father.

In 2007 Victor remade the song "In the Picture" from the Mind Odyssey album ''Signs'' together with Tarja Turunen (ex-Nightwish) on the ''Nuclear Blast All-Stars: Into the Light'' album. The same album includes the song "Inner Sanctuary", performed with bassist and vocalist Marco Hietala (Nightwish, Tarot).

Works with Kipelov

In 2004, after Sergey Mavrin, another famous guitarist left Valery Kipelov's project Kipelov, Smolski was invited to replace him. From 2004 to 2006 Victor played in Kipelov, though wasn't officially included in its lineup and was referred to as a "special guest". Smolski participated in the ''Reki Vremeon'' (''Rivers Of Time'', 2005) album and its supporting tour of Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and Israel. Victor also appeared in the main role in Kipelov's video for "Ya Zdes" ("I Am Here") by Director Yankovsky (Irreal Pictures), that was frequently aired on MTV Russia. On May 25, 2006 Kipelov and Rage gave a show together in Moscow, and Smolski played live for both bands. In the fall of 2006 Victor left Kipelov and concentrated on his work in Rage. He was replaced by Vecheslav Molchanov.

Motorsport

Smolski is also a race car driver and has been on various race teams through the years.

Victor has got his first professional contract for a complete race season on the Russian Sport Garage Team, and will take part at the RTCC (Russian Touring Car Championship) with a VW GTI (Start Nr. 17)

Discography

1993 - Inspector - "Russian Prayer"

1996 - Victor Smolski - "Destiny"

1998 - Mind Odyssey - "Nailed To The Shade"

1999 - Mind Odyssey - "Signs"

1999 - Rage - "Ghosts"

2000 - Victor Smolski - "The Heretic"

2001 - Rage - "Welcome To The Other Side"

2001 - Der Schuh des Manitu (Movie) - "Soundtrack"

2002 - Rage - "Unity"

2003 - Rage - "Soundchaser"

2004 - Siggi Braun Fine Young Guitars - "Perfect Passion"

2004 - Traumschiff Surprise (Movie) - "Soundtrack"

2004 - Rage - "From The Cradle To The Stage" - CD/DVD

2004 - Victor Smolski - "Majesty & Passion"

2005 - Vindex - "Power Forge"

2005 - Kipelov - "Reki Vremeon"

2005 - Kipelov - "Live in Moskau" - DVD

2006 - Rage - "Speak Of The Dead"

2007 - Rage - "Full Moon in St. Petersburg" - CD/DVD

2007 - Nuclear Blast Allstars - "Into The Light"

2008 - Rage - "Carved In Stone"

2008 - Rage - "Rage & Lingua Mortis Orchestra - Live at Wacken" - DVD

2009 - Mind Odyssey - "Time To Change It"

2010 - Rage - "Strings To A Web"

Producer and guest musician for

Lacrimosa, Mike Terrana, Der Bote, Vindex, Black Hole, Silent Force, Perzonal War, GB Arts, Seventh Avenue, Delirious, Avanitas, The Stokes, Point Whitmark

See also

Mike Terrana

External links

Video from Kipelov "Ya Zdes" starring Smolski

References

Category:Belarusian composers Category:1969 births Category:Living people Category:Russian rock guitarists Category:Heavy metal guitarists

de:Victor Smolski es:Victor Smolski it:Viktor Dmitrievič Smol'skij hu:Victor Smolski ru:Смольский, Виктор Дмитриевич

Coordinates	45°02′″N38°58′″N
name	Melody Thomas Scott
birth date	April 18, 1956
birth name	Melody Ann Thomas
birth place	Los Angeles, California, U.S.
occupation	Actress
years active	1959 – present
spouse	Edward J. Scott (m. 1985-present) }}

Melody Thomas Scott (born April 18, 1956) is an American actress best known for playing Nikki Newman on the soap opera ''The Young and the Restless''.

Early Training

Melody Thomas Scott has been a working actress since the age of three. Under the tutelage of Ethel Meglin, who was instrumental in starting Shirley Temple’s career, Melody was chosen to be the youngest member of what ultimately became Mrs. Meglin’s last professional group, known then as The Meglin Kiddies. Acting, singing, tap dancing, ballet, jazz were but a few of the skills that the performing troupe was highly trained in. She also was part of the Hollywood Children’s Theater and the Three Arts Studio for many years. Through both the Meglin Kiddies and the Three Arts Studio, Melody performed in countless stage productions for the U.S.O. and many other charities and venues including the historical Orpheum Theater in downtown Los Angeles. Local Los Angeles television shows, professional modeling, (She was a student of the Caroline Leonetti Modeling Academy on Sunset Blvd. in Hollywood,) theater productions, etc. kept this youngster quite busy. Early theater productions include “Heidi,” “The Bad Seed,” “Bye Bye Birdie,” and as the young Alma in “Summer and Smoke.” Having shot many commercials (Plochman’s mustard, Clorox Bleach, Scott Tissue, etc.) by the age of six, Melody landed her first national commercial, as the sleepy breakfaster at the table for Kellogg’s Rice Krispies.

The 1960s

The early sixties found Melody doing frequent appearances in numerous television shows of that era, such as “My Three Sons”, “Wagon Train,” to mention just a few. Her childhood idols included Shirley Temple, Margaret O’Brien and Hayley Mills, with whom she shares her birthday of April 18. She was cast in her first feature film in 1964 by Alfred Hitchcock as the Younger Marnie to Tippi Hedren’s title role in “Marnie.” (Costarring Sean Connery and Bruce Dern.) Screen tested for the part of Marta for “The Sound of Music”, directed by Robert Wise, Melody continued to work consistently through the sixties, doing guest shots on numerous television shows of that era such as “Ironside” and had a regular role on a very short-lived series, “The Tammy Grimes Show,”-ABC. In 1970, the thirteen year old was cast as Abigail in the Clint Eastwood gothic thriller, “The Beguiled.” (Universal.) She shared costar billing with Geraldine Page, the late Elizabeth Hartman, and the five other young ladies that resided in the Civil War tale of a girl’s boarding school. Don Siegel, director of “The Beguiled,” cast her again in the role of the kidnapped girl in “Dirty Harry,” again with Eastwood.

The 1970s

From age 14-18 Melody focused more on her piano abilities, being groomed by her family and professors at USC to be a concert pianist. After just one year, she realized she did not have the discipline required to perform at that level. Her acting career resumed with an out-of-the-blue phone call from her childhood agent, Lola Moore, who had set up a meeting for Melody for a Western feature, “Posse,” for which she won the role and was directed by Kirk Douglas. This vaulted her back to the acting world with more films, such as “The Fury,”(Twentieth Century Fox) playing the role of LaRue, Amy Irving’s character’s best friend, directed by Brian DePalma, and “The Shootist,” her only scene being with the late John Wayne, in what became his final film, again directed by Siegel. “The Car,” Universal’s tongue-in-cheek thriller about a possessed Lincoln Continental was followed by “Piranha,” Roger Corman’s wink at “Jaws,”(directed by Joe Dante) while she picked up great momentum doing miniseries,(“Studs Lonigan,” ” The Scarlett O’Hara Wars,”etc.) television episodics, such as “Charlie’s Angels, ”The Rockford Files,” “Fish,” “Movin’ On,"Billy,” and a host of other shows and MOW’s (“Secrets”.) In 1977, Melody was cast as Darlene Jarvis in a recurring role on “The Waltons” as Ben’s girlfriend, then fiancee, then wife. When "The Young and the Restless" cast her in February 1979 as Nikki Reed, Melody had to give up her recurring status on "The Waltons" but was thrilled that her replacement turned out to be her good pal, Lesile Winston.

Other Projects

While the #1 daytime drama keeps her busy, she has enjoyed continuing working on feature films, television and theater productions (e.g.“The Vagina Monologues”) when her work schedule permits. For instance, Melody played a pill-popping, sexy alcoholic Mom in an episode of “My Name is Earl” in 2009. In January 2011, she costarred in an episode of ABC’s “Castle” as a wealthy socialite caught up in a murder mystery. Past cameos have included appearing as herself in CBS’ “The Nanny,” “Diagnosis: Murder,” with Dick Van Dyke and several appearances as her “Y and R” character, Nikki Newman in the feature, “Mr. Mom,” “Criminal Minds,” among others. She also starred in the feature length “Paradise Virus,” as the female lead as a Doctor of Biology opposite Lorenzo Lamas in 2002. Along with her longtime costar Eric Braeden, she was featured in a series of Zeller’s commercials for a nationwide campaign in Canada. Playing the role of an Oscar-winning actress, Scott appears in the feature, “Freezerburn,” which is awaiting its release date.

Travels

The worldwide popularity of “The Young and the Restless” (airing in 55 countries) has taken her to many destinations throughout the world, including several parts of Italy, France, Monaco, Turkey and Australia, most often in demand in Canada, where her show is extremely popular. She has also traveled to most of the United States for personal appearances promoting "The Young and the Restless."

Other venues

Scott has also enjoyed participating in the game show genre, having won record high winnings for her contestants on ''The 25,000 Pyramid''. When appearing on celebrity episodes of game shows, she would frequently donate her winnings to the "Save the Earth Foundation." In 1996 she hosted the Daytime Emmys live from Radio City Music Hall in 1996 with costar Eric Braeden. In 1999, she was honored with a Best Actress Emmy nomination.

Additional Endeavors

Ms. Scott has also produced her own clothing line for HSN, hair and skin products for Canadian Home Shopping and enjoys traveling the world with her husband and family. She is currently working on her autobiography, which will at long last reveal the details of her troubled, untraditional upbringing.

Charity Participation

She flew to several disaster sites in the U.S. after the tragedies of “Hurricane Katrina,” “Mississippi Rising,” and visited hospitalized victims from the devastating Oklahoma City bombings. Ms. Scott served as a founding Board Member of the Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz Center when it was conceived in 2001. She enjoyed being involved in the Center’s activities, enhancing and celebrating the genius and legacy of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. Located in Jamestown, New York, Lucy’s hometown, the Center is still active, though Ms. Scott resigned from her position in 2008. She hopes to resume her seat on the Board when infrastructural conditions improve. She was also a founding Board Member of the ATAS (Academy of Television Arts and Sciences) “TV Cares”, an AIDS awareness campaign, for several years. She recently posed for the NOH8 Campaign .

Personal

Thomas has been married two times. Her first marriage was to Michael Altman in January 1979 but they divorced after only six months.

It was on the set of "Young and the Restless" that she met her second husband, the show's executive producer Edward J. Scott. They married in 1985 and have three daughters, Jennifer, Alexandra and Elizabeth. Aside from her immediate family, she dotes on her two dachshunds, Luca and Lola. The family resides in Beverly Hills, California. Her oldest daughter, Jennifer, gave birth to twins on May 25, 2011, a boy named James and a girl named Charlotte. James and Charlotte are Melody and Edward's first and second grandchild, respectively.

Her union affiliations include joining AFTRA in 1959, SAG in 1960, and Equity in 1962.

Over the last twenty years, Ms. Scott has hosted several celebrity events on both coasts, raising money for the Save the Earth Foundation, of which she was the National Spokesperson, dedicated to environmental research at the university level. Over one million dollars has been raised to date.

Filmography

''Marnie'' - Young Marnie (1964)

''Dirty Harry'' - Ann Mary Deacon [photographs] (uncredited) (1971)

''The Beguiled'' - Abigail (1971)

''Posse'' - Laurie (1975)

''The Shootist'' - Girl on streetcar (1976)

''The Car'' - Suzie (1977)

''The Fury'' - LaRue (1978)

''Piranha'' - Laura Dickinson (1978)

''The Young and the Restless'' - Nikki Reed Newman (February 1979 - Present)

''The Nanny''- Herself (1997)

''The Paradise Virus'' - Linda Flemming (2003), written by Peter Layton, co-starring Lorenzo Lamas, and directed and produced by Brian Trenchard-Smith

Awards and nominations

Daytime Emmys Nomination, Outstanding Lead Actress (1999)

Daytime Emmys Pre-Nomination, Outstanding Lead Actress (2005, 2008)

1991 Telegato Best Actress (Italy)

Soap Opera Digest Best Actress 2001

Soap Opera Update Best Actress Several back-to-back wins

American Heart Association

Mothers Against Drunk Driving

Save the Earth Foundation award

See also

Victor Newman and Nikki Reed

Supercouple

References

External links

Melody's official page

Category:1956 births Category:American soap opera actors Category:Living people

de:Melody Thomas Scott es:Melody Thomas Scott fr:Melody Thomas Scott nl:Melody Thomas Scott

Coordinates	45°02′″N38°58′″N
name	Eric Braeden
birth name	Hans Jörg Gudegast
birth date	April 03, 1941
birth place	Bredenbek, Germany
occupation	Actor
years active	1960–present
spouse	Dale Russell Gudegast (1966–present); 1 child
website	http://www.ericbraeden.com }}

Eric Braeden (born Hans Jörg Gudegast on April 3, 1941) is a German-American film and television actor, best known for his role as Victor Newman on the soap opera ''The Young and the Restless'' and as John Jacob Astor IV in the 1997 film ''Titanic''. Braeden won a Daytime Emmy Award in 1998 for Lead Actor in a Drama Series for the role.

Early life

Braeden was born Hans Jörg Gudegast in Bredenbek, Germany (near Kiel), where his father was once mayor. He immigrated to the USA in 1959. In the United States, Braeden attended The University of Montana in Missoula.

Career

Braeden accumulated many TV and film credits during his first two decades in America. In 1966 he guest-starred (credited as Hans Gudegast) as Luftwaffe Major Bentz in the second season episode 28, "Day of Reckoning" of ''12 O-Clock High (TV series)''. He is most notably known for his role as the German Hauptmann (Captain) Hans Dietrich on the TV series ''The Rat Patrol'' (1966–1968), as well as a starring role in the movie ''Colossus: The Forbin Project'' (1970), in which he first took the stage name of Eric Braeden. Lew Wasserman of Universal Pictures told him that no one would be allowed to star in an American film if they had a German name. After much thought he took the name Braeden from his hometown of Bredenbek.

In the 1970s he took a supporting role in the 1971 film ''Escape from the Planet of the Apes''. Throughout the 1970s, he guest-starred in a variety of television shows including ''The Six Million Dollar Man'', ''Wonder Woman'', and ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'' and also appeared in several episodes of the long-running CBS western series ''Gunsmoke''. In 1977 he appeared in Walt Disney's ''Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo'' as the arrogant but formidable race car driver, Bruno von Stickle. He also appeared, uncredited, as Bradford Dillman's ''de facto'' stunt double in the 1978 film ''Piranha''--Braeden had originally been cast to play Dillman's character, Paul Grogan, and had shot some underwater swimming footage before the role was recast; Braeden's stunt footage ended up in the finished film anyway.

In 1980, he was offered the role of self-made magnate Victor Newman on the daytime soap opera ''The Young and the Restless'' for a 26-week run. His character imprisoned his wife's lover, and became so popular the character became a ''love-to-hate'' villain, and his contract was renewed. Still on the show today, Braeden won a Daytime Emmy for his work in 1998.

In late December 1991, Braeden and actor Peter Bergman had a physical altercation backstage. According to press reports, after exchanging bitter words on the set, Braeden showed up at Bergman's dressing room door to further discuss the matter and violence ensued. Y&R;'s creator and senior executive producer William J. Bell threatened to fire them both if it ever happened again. Since then, the actors have resolved their differences and now have a cordial relationship.

In 1997, he played Colonel John Jacob Astor IV in the blockbuster film ''Titanic'', cast because he strongly resembled the powerful millionaire.

In 2008, Braeden starred in "The Man Who Came Back", an independent Western film, which was written and directed by Louisiana's Glen Pitre.

Also in 2008, Braeden guest-starred in an episode of ''How I Met Your Mother'' as Robin Sr., Robin's father, trying to make his daughter act like the son he never had.

Braeden announced on October 18, 2009, in an article by Dan J. Kroll that after almost 30 years on ''The Young and the Restless'', he was leaving the show. "We reached an impasse in the negotiations", Braeden said in an exclusive interview with celebrity news website EW.com. Braeden's last airdate was scheduled to be November 2; however, on October 23, 2009, CBS announced that Braeden had inked a new three-year deal and would remain with the soap, even agreeing to take a pay cut, which was the original issue.

On December 17, 2010, Neil Patrick Harris announced via Twitter that Braeden would not be reprising his role on ''How I Met Your Mother.'' In his tweet, Harris called Braeden a "D-Bag" for deciding on very short notice not to film a scheduled cameo for the program. Harris claimed that Braeden said the role was not substantial enough for Braeden to appear. According to Harris, the part has been recast with Ray Wise.

Personal life

Braeden is regarded as a very good tennis player. He and his wife, Dale Gudegast, were witnesses at the wedding of Bob Crane and Sigrid Valdis while on the set of '' Hogan's Heroes''. Their son, Christian Gudegast, is a screenwriter who co-wrote the film ''A Man Apart'', which starred Vin Diesel and was nominated for a ''Teen Choice Award'' in 2003.

Actor Clarence Williams III and former boxer Ken Norton are two of his best friends.

Awards, honors and nominations

Braeden won a Daytime Emmy Award in 1998 for Lead Actor in a Drama Series for his work on ''The Young and the Restless''.

On July 20, 2007, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Braeden received the Gilmore Award from the Pacific Pioneers, a radio and television industry group, in 2007.

Daytime Emmys -Winner, Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series (1998)

Daytime Emmys Nomination, Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series (1987, 1990, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2004)

Daytime Emmys Pre-Nomination, Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series (2004, 2005, 2008)

18th Annual People's Choice Award for Most Popular Daytime Actor

Distinguished German-American of the Year 1990

He received the 2009 Friend of German Award from the American Association of Teachers of German.

Roles

Year			! Role
1963	''Combat!''	Hans Gruber
1965?	''Combat!''
1966–1967	''Mission: Impossible''
1966–1968	''The Rat Patrol''
rowspan="2">1969	''Hawaii Five-O''
''100 Rifles''	Lt. Franz Von Klemme
rowspan="3"	1970	''Hawaii Five-O''
''Colossus: The Forbin Project''	Dr. Charles A. Forbin
''The Mask of Sheba''	Dr. Morgan
1970	''The Young Rebels''
1971	''Escape from the Planet of the Apes''
1971	''Gunsmoke's episode Jaekel''
1971	''Bearcats	''
1972	''The Judge and Jake Wyler''
1972	''Hawaii Five-O''
rowspan="2">1973	The Adulteress (1973 film)>The Adulteress''
''The Six Million Dollar Man''	Findletter
rowspan="3"	1974	''Kolchak: The Night Stalker''
''Banacek''	Paul Bolitho
''The Ultimate Thrill''	Roland
1975	Wonder Woman (TV series)>Wonder Woman''
rowspan="3"	1977	''The Mary Tyler Moore Show''
''Kojak''	Kenneth Krug
''Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo''	Bruno von Stickle
1979	''CHiPs''
1980-present	''The Young and the Restless''
1981	''Charlie's Angels''
1990	''Lucky/Chances''
1990	''The Ambulance''
1994	The Nanny (TV series)>The Nanny''
1995	''Diagnosis: Murder''
1997	Titanic (1997 film)>Titanic ''
1998	''Meet the Deedles''
1999	''The Bold and the Beautiful''
2008	''The Man Who Came Back''
2008	''How I Met Your Mother''

See also

Victor Newman and Nikki Reed

Supercouple

Distinguished German-American of the Year

References

External links

Eric Braeden's Official Website

Category:1941 births Category:Living people Category:German film actors Category:German soap opera actors Category:German television actors Category:German emigrants to the United States Category:American people of German descent Category:Naturalized citizens of the United States Category:People from the Province of Schleswig-Holstein Category:People from Rendsburg-Eckernförde Category:Daytime Emmy Award winners Category:University of Montana alumni Category:Commanders Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany

de:Eric Braeden fr:Eric Braeden it:Eric Braeden la:Ericus Braeden nl:Eric Braeden ro:Eric Braeden fi:Eric Braeden

Coordinates	45°02′″N38°58′″N
name	Victor Wooten
landscape	Yes
background	non_vocal_instrumentalist
birth name	Victor Lemonte Wooten
born	September 11, 1964Mountain Home, Idaho, U.S.
instrument	Electric Bass, Upright bass, fiddle, cello, banjo
genre	Jazz, jazz fusion, funk
occupation	Musician, songwriter, producer, author
years active	1980–present
associated acts	Béla Fleck and the Flecktones, Steve Bailey, Vital Tech Tones, SMV, Greg Howe, Dave Matthews Band, Chick Corea Elektric Band
website	www.victorwooten.com
notable instruments	Fodera MonarchFodera Monarch Yin-Yang (4 string)Steinberger bass guitars }}

Victor Lemonte Wooten (born September 11, 1964) is an American bass player, composer, author, and producer, and has been the recipient of five Grammy Awards.

Wooten has won the "Bass Player of the Year" award from ''Bass Player'' magazine three times in a row, and was the first person to win the award more than once.

Wooten was also a judge for the 4th annual Independent Music Awards to support independent artists' careers.

Early life

Born to Dorothy and Pete Wooten, Victor is the youngest of the five Wooten Brothers, the other four being Regi, Roy, Rudy and Joseph Wooten, all of whom are musicians. At age two, brother Regi began to teach Victor to play bass, and by the age of six, Victor was playing in front of crowds with his brothers in their family band, The Wooten Brothers Band, and toured supporting Curtis Mayfield, among others. His most famous Fodera, a 1983 Monarch Deluxe which he refers to as "number 1", sports a Kahler Tremolo System model 2400 bridge. Fodera's "Yin Yang" basses (designed/created for Wooten) incorporate the Yin Yang symbol - which Wooten often uses in various media - as a main focal point of the top's design and construction. It is often mistakenly thought that the Yin Yang symbol is painted onto the bass, but in reality, the symbol is created from two pieces of naturally finished wood (Ebony and Holly, for example), fitted together to create the Yin-Yang pattern.

Though Wooten's basses receive much attention, his most frequent and consistent response when asked by his fans about his equipment (or equipment in general) is that "the instrument doesn't make the music ... you do". He'll often go on to state that the most important features to look for in a bass are comfort and playability. During a question and answer session at a 1998 concert, Wooten stated that "If you take a newborn baby and put them on the instrument, they're going to get sounds out of it that I can't get out of it, so we're all the best." This philosophy seems closely related to Wooten's approach to music in general, which is that music is a language. According to Wooten, while speaking or listening, one doesn't focus on the mouth as it is forming words; similarly, when a musician is playing or performing the focus shouldn't be on the instrument.

As well as playing electric bass (both fretted and fretless) and the double bass, Victor also played the cello in high school. He still plays cello occasionally with the Flecktones. This is the instrument to which he attributes his musical training.

Discography

;Solo

''A Show of Hands'' (1996)

''What Did He Say?'' (1997)

''Yin-Yang'' (1999)

''Live in America'' (2001)

''Soul Circus'' (2005)

''Palmystery'' (2008)

''A Show of Hands - 15'' (2011)

;With Bass Extremes

''Cookbook'' (1998)

''Just Add Water'' (2000)

;With Vital Tech Tones

''Vital Tech Tones'' (1998)

''Vital Tech Tones 2'' (2000)

;With The Wootens

''The Wootens'' (1985)

;With Greg Howe

''Extraction'' (2003)

;With SMV

''Thunder'' (2008) (with Stanley Clarke and Marcus Miller, as SMV)

;With Béla Fleck and the Flecktones

''Béla Fleck and the Flecktones'' (1990)

''Flight of the Cosmic Hippo'' (1991)

''UFO Tofu'' (1992)

''Three Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest'' (1993)

''Live Art'' (1996)

''Left of Cool'' (1998)

''Greatest Hits of the 20th Century'' (1999)

''Outbound'' (2000)

''Live at the Quick (2002)

''Little Worlds'' (2003)

''Ten From Little Worlds'' (2003)

''The Hidden Land'' (2006)

''Jingle All the Way'' (2008)

''Rocket Science'' (2011)

Religious Beliefs

While Wooten considers himself to be a spiritual individual, he is not a part of any particular religion. He believes that, "God is too big for any one religion."

Bibliography

''The Music Lesson: A Spiritual Search for Growth Through Music'', ISBN 978-0-425-22093-1, Penguin Group, 2008

References

External links

Victor Lemonte Wooten - official website

Victor Lemonte Wooten Intervew with Anil Prasad of Innerviews

Live performance photographs

Interview from honesttune.com

The Music Lesson website

The Bass Vault

Bass/Nature Camp

Victor Wooten artist page at Guitar Video Channel

Category:1964 births Category:American bass guitarists Category:American jazz bass guitarists Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Living people Category:Jazz fusion bass guitarists

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