Eureka

The story of the Eureka Stockade, Australia’s first and only armed rebellion for democratic rights.

Before dawn on 3 December 1854, colonial troopers at Ballarat attacked a group of gold miners who had thrown up a stockade in defiance and defence. Some diggers had guns, but many were unarmed; some twenty of them were killed, along with four troopers. ;In the decades that followed, the truth of what happened that morning became obscured by partisans on both sides. For many years the Eureka Stockade was regarded as a shameful event and almost forgotten; more recently, it has been celebrated as a righteous stand against injustice.
;John Molony’s Eureka vividly recreates the story of Eureka and unravels the myths that have come to surround it. ;This new edition of Molony’s classic work, now beautifully illustrated with historic Eureka images, will be welcomed by everyone with an interest in the history of Australian democracy.