Setting the Scene
The story of the Eureka Stockade begins with gold. In the 1800s, gold was the poor person’s hope for a better life. When gold was discovered in New South Wales and Victoria in 1851, the news spread like wildfire. Locals left their jobs for the diggings, and people from all over the world rushed to Australia.
Huge ‘tent cities’ full of gold-seekers sprang up everywhere, with more diggers pouring in every week. Everyone was so mad for gold that people called it ‘gold fever’. The Victorian goldfields were the richest in the world at the time, and the richest goldfield of all was in Ballarat. |
|
Where did it happen???
- Locate Ballarat on a map of Australia.
- How far is it from Melbourne?
Image 1
Look at image one below and answer the following questions;
Activity 1Trouble on the Goldfields
|
Activity 2Significant People from the Ballarat Goldfields
|
Activity 3Facts and Events of the Eureka Rebellion
|
Activity 4Changes for the Better
|
Summary Activity |
The Eureka rebellion is considered by some historians to be the birthplace of Australian democracy. It is the only Australian example of armed rebellion leading to reform of unfair laws.
|