The Eureka Stockade

Wednesday 26th June 2013

What Does Eureka Mean?

• I found it!!

• You-ree-ka

• Used when gold has been found

What Was The Eureka Stockade?

• A symbol of Australians’ unwillingness to bow to injustice

• Unwillingness

• Bow

• Injustice

What Is The Eureka Story?

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kry-xiVYMJc

The Eureka Story

• In the 1850s there were lots of miners trying to find gold in Australia

• There were not many police officers to govern what was happening on the goldfields

• Many ex-convicts and guards became police officers

The Eureka Story

• The government decided that all miners required a licence to mine for gold

• Licences were expensive and had to be paid every month – even if the miners had not found any gold yet

• Police were so busy checking mining licences they didn’t have time to fight real criminals

The Eureka Story

• Many miners did not like the licencing system or how unfair it was

• The miners tried to express their unhappiness but nothing changed in the system

• In Ballarat the miners became very angry when a criminal who was friendly with the police was not charged with his crimes

The Eureka Story

• On December 3rd 1854, the miners’ anger reached its highest

• A group of miners burnt down a hotel – The Bentley’s Hotel

• These men were charged with arson

What Caused The Eureka Stockade?

• Mining licences

• Low wages

• Unfair police

• Injustice

Focus Questions

1. What does Eureka mean?

2. In what year did the Eureka Stockade happen?

3. Where did the Eureka Stockade happen?

4. In what state is Ballarat?

5. What hotel was damaged and what happened to it?

6. What caused The Eureka Stockade?