Editing History of Victoria (section)

== Separation from New South Wales ==
The first petition for the separation of the Port Phillip District (or '[[Australia Felix]]') from [[New South Wales]] was drafted in 1840 by [[Henry Fyshe Gisborne]] and presented by him to [[George Gipps|Governor Gipps]]. Gipps, who had previously been in favour of separation, rejected the petition.

Agitation of the Port Phillip settlers continued and led to the establishment of Port Phillip District as a separate colony on 1 July 1851. The British Act of Parliament separating Port Phillip District from New South Wales, and naming the new colony "Victoria" (after Queen Victoria) and providing it with a Constitution, was signed by [[Queen Victoria]] on 5 August 1850. Enabling legislation was passed by the [[New South Wales Legislative Council]] to take effect on 1 July 1851. This was formally the founding moment of the Colony of Victoria, with separation from New South Wales established by section 1 of the 1851 Act.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.foundingdocs.gov.au/item.asp?sdID=17 |title=Documenting Democracy |access-date=3 October 2005 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050716075533/http://www.foundingdocs.gov.au/item.asp?sdID=17 |archive-date=16 July 2005 |url-status=dead }}</ref> La Trobe became the new colony's first Lieutenant-Governor.

In 1851, the white population of the new colony was still only 77,000, and only 23,000 people lived in Melbourne. Melbourne had already become a centre of Australia's wool export trade.