The history of 8/7 RVR has its roots as far back as the Ballarat Volunteer Rifle Regiment and the Bendigo Rifle Regiment, both formed in August 1858. 

    In the following 150 years, the citizen forces of both cities have seen numerous name changes and, in the case of Bendigo, changes in Army Corps. Through the years, Ballarat has maintained an infantry presence.

     Country Victoria’s Own traces the history of the Ballarat infantry and the units in major cities and towns that form the ‘predecessors’ in the sub-title: 150 years of 8/7 RVR and its Predecessors.

      Over the years, Ballarat has been linked with major Victorian military centres such as Geelong, Mildura, Bendigo, Shepparton and Warrnambool, along with smaller towns such as Ararat, Hamilton, Portland, Swan Hill, Echuca and Cobram, and southern New South Wales towns including Wentworth and Deniliquin. This book reveals the interconnection between those towns and the military history of northern and western Victoria.