Flag of Victoria
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The current state flag of Victoria in Australia is a British Blue Ensign defaced by the state badge of Victoria in the fly. The badge is the Southern Cross imperially crowned. The stars of the Southern Cross are white and range from five to eight points with each star having one point pointing to the top of the flag. The flag dates from 1877, with minor variations, the last of which was in 1953.
[edit] Previous flags
The first flag of Victoria was adopted in 1870. It too was a defaced British Blue Ensign with the Southern Cross located in the fly. The stars of the Southern Cross are white and range from five to eight points with each star having one point pointing to the bottom of the flag. The adoption of the flag came about when Victoria became the first Australian colony to acquire a warship, and thus under the British Colonial Naval Defence Act of 1865 Victoria needed a flag to distinguish its ships from other British ships.
Victoria then adopted the current flag in 1877. The depictions of the imperial crown have varied in accordance with heraldic fashion and the wishes of the monarch of the time. During Queen Victoria's reign, the imperial crown had slightly dipped arches. From c. 1901-1952, during the reigns of Kings Edward VII, George V, Edward VIII and George VI the depiction of the imperial crown known as the "Tudor crown", with domed arches, was used. Within this period the stars were modified so that one point of each star pointed to the top of the flag.
The current depiction of the imperial crown in the state badge is based on the St. Edward's Crown, and was changed in 1953 along with imperial crowns in flags and coats of arms across the Commonwealth of Nations in accordance with the wishes of Queen Elizabeth II.
[edit] External links
 Australian Flags |
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| Commonwealth: | National flag | Red Ensign | White Ensign | Air Force Ensign | Defence Force Ensign | Queen's Personal Australian Flag | Governor-General | Aboriginal | Torres Strait Islander | Civil Aviation Ensign | Customs Flag | |
|---|---|---|
| States and territories: | Australian Capital Territory | Christmas Island | New South Wales | Norfolk Island | Northern Territory | Queensland | South Australia | Tasmania | Victoria | Western Australia | Governors of the States | |
| Historic: | Anti-Transportation League Flag | Australian Federation Flag | Bowman Flag | Eureka Flag | National Colonial Flag | |
