Eureka Rebellion Facts & Worksheets | Background, Events (2024)

On December 3, 1854, around 150 armed gold diggers—who demanded labour reforms, particularly the abolition of mining licenses—clashed with government troops. Eventually known as the Eureka Stockade due to the miners’ swiftly established fortification in the Eureka goldfield, this rebellion was considered the most significant uprising in the history of Australia.

See the fact file below for more information on the Eureka Rebellion or alternatively, you can download our 22-page The Eureka Rebellion worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

BACKGROUND

• In early 1851, Edward Hargreaves, John Lister, and brothers, William, James, and Henry Tom discovered gold in Australia near Bathurst, New South Wales. The discovery was announced by the government. In June of the same year, gold had also been discovered in the colonial town of Victoria.
• Between the years 1851 and 1860, the population in Victoria gradually increased from 76,000 people to a whopping 540,000 people. This massive influx became a challenge to the government, especially due to their limited colonial budget to provide the needs and to meet the demands of the growing population.
• In an attempt to collect more funds, but at the same time, to limit the number of people shifting to gold-digging as their source of income, New South Wales Governor Charles Fitzroy and Victorian Lieutenant-Governor Charles La Trobe implemented a 30-shilling license fee for miners in the town, which should be paid every month.
• At first, the imposed fee was manageable for most miners. However, as the easily obtainable surface gold started to run out in the year 1852, the income of the diggers also began to decrease, which caused them to question the license fee.
• In the same year, about five ounces of gold per head were produced by the 35,000 diggers working in the Victorian goldfields.
• In 1854, Victoria’s population massively increased three-fold, while the production of gold notably decreased to 1.5 ounces per head, thus bringing more conflict between the mineworkers and the government.

CONFLICT

• Beginning in 1853, Victorian gold miners held big meetings to voice their demands and contentions about the unfair labour policies imposed by the government. Their concerns had been presented to Governor La Trobe, but he remained unresponsive and uncooperative to the workers’ complaints.
• Most of the miners were also engaged in other political actions. Some of them joined the Chartist movement campaigning for political reform in Britain which took place in the 1830s and 1840s. Other diggers likewise participated in many anti-authoritarian uprisings across Europe in 1848.
• Consequently, the tension in the goldfields grew even further. Police forces began to hunt miners who were indebted to them, but the diggers said that the police were involved in corrupt acts, such as extortion and bribery. Due process was also neglected.
• The situation was worsened by the death of James Scobie on October 6, 1854. Scobie was a Scottish miner who was killed during a heated argument at the Eureka Hotel in Ballarat. The owner of the business, JF Bentley, was the suspect for the killing. However, Bentley was quickly acquitted. The miners claimed that there was an injustice because John D’Ewes, one of the court members, had been receiving bribes from Bentley.
• Following this, on October 17, 1854, a group composed of 5,000 people held a meeting to discuss the killing of Scobie. They filed an appeal to the court’s decision. However, during the dispersal of the crowd, a fire was set at the Eureka Hotel by a small group, which caused them to be arrested by the police.
• In the succeeding weeks, the diggers gathered and elected delegates. On November 27, 1854, these delegates talked to Charles Hotham, the new Victorian governor at the time. They voiced the demands of the miners—the immediate release of those involved in the fire incident at the Eureka Hotel—but the governor took offence on their calls and eventually neglected them.
• For this reason, the miners held another large meeting on November 29, 1854 at Bakery Hill, where the newly designed Eureka flag had been unfolded.

THE REBELLION

• After the meeting at Bakery Hill, the miners from the new colony of Victoria swore allegiance to the Southern Cross flag. Charismatic Irishman Peter Lalor served as the leader of the uprising and led them to the Eureka diggings. Using timber, they quickly established a stockade in the area around Eureka.
• For the next two days, diggers guarded the stockade, preparing for a possible encounter that may arise.
• Meanwhile, Robert Rede, who served as the commissioner of the Ballarat goldfields, could not handle the situation at the stockade. He asked for help from government forces to destroy the Eureka fortification.
• On December 3, 1854, around 300 military troops and police forces attacked the stockade. The encounter lasted for 15 minutes. At least 22 miners were killed. The dead diggers came from Ireland, England, Scotland, Canada, Prussia, and other places. The government forces, meanwhile, lost six soldiers.
• After this, police forces arrested 113 miners. Thirteen leaders of the stockade were brought to Melbourne to face trial. This immediately created social unrest among the people of Victoria, so the 13 leaders were eventually released.
• In March of the following year, the license fee was finally removed. Corrupt police officers were dismissed and a single warden was appointed to replace the many corrupt gold commissioners who issued the licenses.
• Furthermore, eight leaders elected by the diggers were also added to the Victorian Legislative Council. One of them was the stockade leader, Peter Lalor.
• The Eureka rebellion was the most-celebrated uprising in Australian history, a significant event that led to the establishment of male and female suffrage in 1857 and 1908, respectively.

Eureka Rebellion Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle which includes everything you need to know about the Eureka Rebellion across 22 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use The Eureka Rebellion worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about the Eureka Rebellion. On December 3, 1854, around 150 armed gold diggers—who demanded labour reforms, particularly the abolition of mining licenses—clashed with government troops. Eventually known as the Eureka Stockade due to the miners’ swiftly established fortification in the Eureka goldfield, this rebellion was considered the most significant uprising in the history of Australia.

Complete List of Included Worksheets

• The Eureka Rebellion Facts
• Locating Eureka
• Find the Words
• Fact or Bluff
• The Eureka Rebellion: The Factors
• Rebellion Leaders
• Quote Analysis
• Primary Source Analysis
• Significance of the Rebellion
• Eureka: Then and Now
• In a Nutshell

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