Eureka

Travel the world and eventually return to visit Ballarat Victoria.

The Eureka Rebellion in Australia occurred in 1854. It was a rebellion of gold miners in a town called Ballarat, Victoria, Australia.  The miners revolted against the colonial authority of the United Kingdom. The Battle of the Eureka Stockade, by which the rebellion is popularly known, was fought between miners and the Colonial forces of Australia on 3 December 1854 at Eureka Lead and named for the stockade structure erected by miners during the conflict. The rebellion resulted in the deaths of at least 27 people, the majority of whom were rebels.
The event was the culmination of a period of civil disobedience in the Ballarat region during the Victorian gold rush with miners objecting to the expense of a Miner's Licence, taxation via the license without representation and the actions of the government, the police and military. The local rebellion grew from a Ballarat Reform League movement and culminated in the erection by the rebels of a crude battlement.
The Eureka Rebellion is controversially identified with the birth of democracy in Australia and interpreted by some as a political revolt. The rising tide of anger and resentment amongst the miners, resulted in a meeting where at the Australian flag of independence was solemnly consecrated and vows proffered for its defense, "with the 'Eureka oath' being sworn by Peter Lalor to the affirmation of his fellow demonstrators, who encamped themselves around the flag to resist further license hunts and harassment by the authorities:
 "We swear by the Southern Cross to stand truly by each other and fight to defend our rights and liberties.”
The white and blue Eureka Flag, said to be designed by a Canadian miner, "Captain" Henry Ross, and bearing nothing but the Southern Cross, was then flown for the first (recorded) occasion; according to the Ballarat Times. At "about eleven o'clock the 'Southern Cross' was hoisted, and its maiden appearance was a fascinating object to behold." The flag was believed to have been sewn by Anastasia Hayes. The flag deliberately excluded the British Union Flag, which is included in the official flag of Australia. The Eureka flag was commonly referred to at the time as the Australian flag, and as the Southern Cross. The Eureka flag was also known as the "digger's flag".
Nowadays it is common to see the noble Eureka flag and the rebellion of 1854 as the symbol of Australian independence, of freedom from foreign domination; but many saw the rebellion in 1854 as an uprising by outsiders who were exploiting the country's resources and refusing to pay their fair share of taxes.
The Eureka Flag is historically significant as evidence of the growing movement agitating for fairness and universal democracy in 19th century Australia. The flag represents the Australian notion of getting a ‘fair go’