1854day.year
Battle of the Eureka Stockade: More than 20 gold miners at Ballarat, Victoria, are killed by state troopers in an uprising over mining licences.
On December 3, 1854, the Battle of the Eureka Stockade culminated in a violent clash between gold miners and government troops at Ballarat, Victoria.
Sparked by oppressive mining licence fees and heavy-handed policing, miners erected a makeshift stockade near Ballarat. Tensions escalated when colonial authorities moved to suppress the uprising on December 3, resulting in a brief but deadly confrontation. More than twenty miners were killed, along with several soldiers, in a surprise dawn attack. The harsh response ignited public outrage and fueled calls for political reform. Subsequent trials and inquiries led to the reduction of licence fees and the introduction of miners' rights to vote. The Eureka Stockade is now celebrated as a symbol of democratic struggle and is considered a foundational moment in Australia's political development.
1854
Battle of the Eureka Stockade
Ballarat, Victoria