Archives of the Eureka Stockade

Image of VPRS 5527/P Unit 4 Poster for Meeting on Bakery Hill

The Eureka Stockade was an eruption of suppressed anger on the Ballarat goldfields in 1854, and remains an ongoing symbol of popular protest. Arising out of an unpopular licensing scheme, the rebellion resulted in a set of even more unpopular show trials that failed to convict any of those charged. The records that the government kept of its dealings with the mining community of Ballarat are focused around attempts to impose order through fines, arrests and trials. However, the widespread unrest turned into a test of the government's aims and methods. Indeed, Eureka in many ways shaped the governance and character of the new colony of Victoria.

How to use this site
This site presents around ninety documents that trace not only the events of late December 1854, but also the lead-up to and the aftermath of the battle at Eureka.

The documents have been organised into 9 'focuses', which concentrate on different aspects of the Eureka story in detail: Hotham's Narrative, State of the Goldfields, Murder of James Scobie, Burning of Bentley's Hotel, Escalating Tensions, Eureka Stockade, Perspectives, The State Trials, and Aftermath.

Each of these can be viewed by clicking on the link in the Focus toolbar, located above. This toolbar is viewable at the top of each Focus page and is a good navigating tool should you 'get lost' in other links. State of the Goldfields is a good place to begin your exploration of this website.

An alternative place to start exploring is the various despatches Lieutenant Governor Charles Hotham wrote to the Home Secretary, Sir George Grey, in England. These provide not only a good overview of the Eureka story, but an insight into the Victorian Government's view of events at Eureka. Hotham's Narrative can be accessed by clicking on Hotham's portrait at the top right of the screen (or through the Focus toolbar).  Peter Lalor's Letter provides a good contrast, for an understanding of the miners' view.

It is also possible to look at various events by going to the Timeline page and linking to related documents and focuses.

Other features:
An interactive Map shows the location of the main events in Ballarat.

You can search for the names of those involved, or conduct a keyword search of the documents, using the Library.

You may also wish to know more about the Series displayed on this site.

The top right hand-side of the toolbar (above the picture of Hotham) contains links to the following:

Glossary of terminology

Biographies of the major participants in the Eureka story

Education Kit including useful activities and questions for teachers and students

Links to other online resources

Site Map provides a visual guide to navigating the site

Acknowledgements