Lost Australian history: Eureka stockade's rebels

When a gold miner was murdered on the Victorian goldfields in 1854, open rebellion broke out against British soldiers and Australia's first ragtag bunch of agitators swore allegiance to the Eureka Flag and paved the way for universal male suffrage.

Australia's eureka moment protesting against the British

It’s considered the founding event of Australia’s naughty rebellious streak, but the Eureka Stockade was a killing field, as well as a gold field.

The protests, riots and violence began on 30 November 1854 when gold-hungry miners swore allegiance to the Southern Cross flag and built a ‘stockade’ at their diggings to protest the way the government was taxing and administering the goldfields.

The ragtag bunch called themselves “diggers’ angry at paying for mining licences which they claimed was taxation without representation, and a tax upon their labour.

These diggers were rebels from 23 countries like America, Europe and even Mauritius who banded together to protest the colonial government, making an oath to: “swear by the Southern Cross, to stand truly by each other, and fight to defend our rights and liberties”.  

The stockade was more a makeshift fortification the miners erected — a collection of wooden slats and discarded materials – than a formidable fortress. Yet, it became the stage for a pivotal moment in Australian history.

On December 3, 1854, the diggers’ tensions erupted into open conflict.

In the early hours of that December morning, British forces and the rebelling miners clashed in what would become one of the most significant uprisings in Australia’s history.

Though the rebellion was swiftly crushed, the subsequent trials of the captured rebels showed Australia’s growing desire for fairness and justice.

The Eureka Stockade etched itself into the Australian psyche as a symbol of the struggle for democratic rights and the pursuit of a fair go for all. The phrase "Eureka" itself, derived from the ancient Greek meaning "I have found it.

The makeshift Eureka southern cross flag, the ramshackle stockade, and the unexpected outcome of the trials all contribute to Australia’s rebellious streak to protest against British authority.

It’s said the Eureka Stockade led to male suffrage - the ability for working men to vote in political leaders - though not for the Wadawurrung People, the Traditional Owners of the land on which the Eureka Rebellion took place.

It wasn’t until more than 100 years later that Australia’s First Nations People were able to exercise the right to vote.