The Eureka Stockade

[Eureka is pronounced yoo-reek-uh]

In 1851 there were less than 50 soldiers and a few police in Victoria. The gold rush meant that more police had to be quickly recruited. Most were unsatisfactory, many being ex convicts or guards.

Each goldfield was run by a Commissioner (paid 500 pounds a year) and his assistant, a police inspector, troopers (mounted police paid 3 shillings a day), police on foot (called traps, paid 2 shillings and ninepence per day) and Aboriginal police (paid 1 shilling and a halfpenny per day).

The system of licences caused great trouble at all the goldfields. Miners had to pay the fee of 30 shillings each month, whether or not they had found gold. They had to renew the licence each month. They had to carry their licence at all times. Police were kept so busy checking licences and collecting fees that they had little time to fight crime and keep order. Bushrangers roamed the countryside, holding up travellers and robbing them, and at the diggings there was burglary, claim-jumping (taking someone's claim), and violence.

The miners were angry about the licence system and the police brutality. They held meetings and protests, publicly burning their licences, but the system did not change. Their anger grew.

In Ballarat the miners' anger was increased when a man known to be friendly with police was charged with the murder of a miner. However, the charges were dropped. The anger of the miners erupted, and they burned down the Eureka Hotel where the murder had taken place. Three arrests were made and extra soldiers sent for.

The diggers demanded the three be pardoned. On 1st December 1854, about 10,000 diggers met to hear the Governor's answer. He refused to pardon the three, and the diggers' fury reached a peak.

They burned their licences, elected leaders, and built a fort, which they called the Eureka (say yoo-reek-uh) Stockade.
They flew the Eureka flag: blue with a white cross and 5 stars representing the Southern Cross.

In the early hours of Sunday, 3rd December , 400 soldiers and police attacked the stockade. About 150 miners were asleep inside, and were quickly defeated. One of their leaders, Peter Lalor, was badly wounded and went into hiding. Thirteen miners were charged with treason (a crime against a monarch or a government), for which they could be hanged if found guilty. However, they were all acquitted at their trial and set free. Later, the licence system was changed.

If you use any part of this in your own work, acknowledge this source in your bibliography like this:
Sydenham, S. & Thomas, R.Gold! [Online] www.kidcyber.com.au (2000)

Updated September ©kidcyber [2008]