3. Anti-Gold Licence
In 1853 there were about 60,000
diggers, plus their families, on the
Gold-fields. In June 1853 an Anti-Gold
Licence Association was formed at
Bendigo to give voice to the diggers'
many grievances about their
conditions.
4. A petition was drawn up articulating
grievances and the need for an
improved law and order, such as the
right to vote and the right to buy
land.
5. The petition was signed by over
30,000 diggers and was brought to
Melbourne and presented to
Governor C.J. La Trobe on Aug 1853.
After the failure to be heard
through peaceful means, diggers
elected a small group to lead them
into a fight. An Irish Gold digger by
the name of Peter Lalor was the
leader.
Peter Lalor
6. The Eureka Flag is Flown!
On 11th November
1854, about
10,000 diggers
met to demand
that miners be
released, to
demand the
licence system
be dropped and
that all males
should be
allowed to vote.
7. In those days the right to vote was
restricted: only licenced miners who
had lived in that location for six
months could vote. The Governor
refused to release them, and the
diggers' fury reached a peak.
8. How much licenses costed.
It costed miners 30
shillings per month to buy
a licence. It would never be
free. The commissioner
stationed that the
goldfield would not make
any money if the license
was free. The commissioner
usually gave less money
than what the gold was
worth. A license for three
months costed £2.
9. The Stockade was built!
On Dec 2nd 1854, Lalor ordered a stockade
to be built to serve as a fort for their
defence, and called for muskets, pistols
and any other weapons they could muster.
Once the Stockade was completed, the
rebel miners assembled inside.
10. The miners weren't trained for fighting.
Many miners left to go to church. The
English Government troops not only
struck, but at 3am, taking the 120 remaining
miners by surprise, killing 22 and
wounding 12 others - including Peter Lalor.
They took 100 prisoners and captured the
stockade in 20min's.
11. Although Lalor's miners lost the
battle, they eventually got the
reforms they fought for. Miners
were given licences for one pound a
year. They were also given the right
to vote, and finally miners who were
in prison for treason were freed.
12. At a second mass meeting, on 29th
November, they displayed their flag,
the Eureka flag, blue with a white
cross and 5 stars representing the
Southern Cross. They publicly burned
their licences and elected leaders.
13. The Southern Cross is
the brightest
constellation seen in
the Southern
Hemisphere. It is
currently on the
Australian, New
Zealand, Papua New
Guinean, Brazilian and
other flags.
14. The Eureka Stockade was a major
rebellion by miners in Ballarat
against the government of Victoria,
which suppressed the uprising with
military force.