The discovery of gold in the Australian state of Victoria in 1851 led to a large influx of miners from around the world. Tensions emerged between the ‘diggers’ and the local government over heavy licence fees and aggressive police tactics. The outbreak of riots and the arrival of British troops led the diggers to organise into a military force under Irish-born Peter Lalor, head of the Miners’ Reform League. At the start of December, the diggers built a stockade of wooden slabs, carts, and wagons on the Eureka plateau overlooking the road to Melbourne.
At dawn on 3rd December, local police and British troops from the 12th and 40th Regiments formed up to attack the 150-200 diggers inside the stockade. After an initial volley of fire from the diggers, the troops broke through the stockade. Depicted above is the brief melee that followed; the diggers, many of them wearing a ‘uniform’ of chequered shirts and moleskin trousers, were equipped with civilian firearms and bladed weapons such as pikes.
Most of the diggers were forced to flee or surrender. Although they had lost, reforms were soon passed and the survivors were acquitted in trial; Peter Lalor, who was wounded during the battle, was later elected into state parliament.
By Ibrahim Zamir
Empire of History 