Conflict

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Disputes on the Diggings.

The Battle of Eureka.

After Eureka.

The Chinese and Lambing Flat.

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Conflict - Disputes on the Diggings

The Victorian Government introduced a system of licences and commissioners in 1852. However, the richer and more populous fields in Victoria were more difficult to control, and the problems and conflicts which developed were more intense than those in New South Wales. Minor clashes and deaths were known to occur in the confusion and disorder that occasionally broke out on the goldfields.

G. HONEYBONE. Gold License (sic) issued in the Colony of Victoria, 25 sep. 1854.
(State Library of New South Wales ML Am42/31)

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Conflict - The Battle of Eureka

The diggers hated the harsh licence fee imposed whether gold was found or not, and they resented the brutal way it was enforced. Rumours circulated of corrupt goldfields officials and issues of political freedom inflamed the diggers' discontent. The tension came to a head on the Ballarat Diggings in 1854. When the publican, James Bentley, was acquitted of a murder charge, the diggers were convinced of corruption on behalf of the magistrate and Bentley's Eureka Hotel was burned to the ground. The posting of additional troops in Ballarat did not quell ill-feeling, but inflamed the growing tensions. The Ballarat Reform League was formed and monster meetings held. The governor was petitioned to change the laws, to no avail. The diggers' demands were encapsulated in Frederick Vern's motion at one of the meetings calling for : 
	1). The abolition of the license (sic) fee
	2). Disbanding of the Gold Commission
	3). Unlocking of the land (so diggers could buy it)
	4). Manhood suffrage (the right to vote)
	5). The commencement of a political organisation to effect these objects
(from Frederick Vern in Melbourne Monthly Magazine, November, 1855, p.10 State Library of New South Wales ML 059/M)

The diggers' demands fell on deaf ears, and at a monster meeting, late in November, Peter Lalor was elected Commander-in-Chief and an oath was sworn to the Eureka flag. Licences were burned, a flimsy stockade erected on the Eureka Diggings and the diggers began drilling in military fashion. Many of the assembled diggers went home on the Saturday evening of December 2, in the sure belief that the authorites would not fight on the Sabbath. On Sunday 3 December, 1854, troops attacked the poorly defended Eureka Stockade at dawn. The sun rose on the bodies of twenty-two diggers and four soldiers and heralded one of the most important turning points in Australia's short history.

JOHN BLACK HENDERSON Eureka Stockade Riot, Ballarat, 1854. Watercolour.
(State Library of New South Wales ML SSVB/BALL/7)
General Order by Edward Macarthur, 6 December, 1854.
'This order proclaims military law 3 days after the battle of Eureka.'
Gold Museum.
Gold License (sic). 7th Nov 1854.
'This licence was issued at Ballarat one month before the battle of the stockade.'
Gold Museum.
Eureka Flag.
Ballarat Fine Art Gallery.

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Conflict - After Eureka

Martial law was proclaimed but lifted three days later. Peter Lalor had his injured arm amputated while in hiding but eventually an amnesty was declared. Thirteen diggers were tried for treason and found not guilty in March, 1885.

Governor Hotham established a Gold Fields Commission which recommended the abolition of the licence fee and the introduction of the Miner's Right as the right to stake a claim at a cost of ú1 per year. Lands were eventually opened up and miners given the right to vote for the Legislative Assembly.

The concepts of freedom and democracy, embodied in the action of the miners at Eureka, have become part of Australia's heritage.

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Conflict - The Chinese and Lambing Flat

Many nationalities were represented on the diggings, but the Chinese were often treated with fear and hostility. They were accused by the diggers of acting provocatively by wasting water needed for mining, living in isolated communities and sending most of their gold back to China. In Victoria, the Chinese were forced to pay a 'landing tax' of ú10 and a fee of ú1 per annum under the Chinese Protectorate system which forced them to live in separate villages in an effort to stem potential violence.

In New South Wales, antagonism erupted into open conflict. At Lambing Flat, now Young, in 1860 and 1861, there were riots in which the Chinese became the target for the diggers' hostility. On both occasions, the Chinese were humiliated and forced from the goldfields. Those who were affected by the riots petitioned the Government for damages, but were unsuccessful.

The Miners' Protective League was formed in 1861 and their objectives included expulsion of the Chinese, the release of public lands and the spread of Christianity throughout the Colony. Also, as a result of the Lambing Flat Riots, the Chinese Immigration Act of 1861 was passed. This Act, later repealed, served to restrict the numbers of Chinese entering the Colony.

P. NUYTS. Camp Hill, Young - At time of riot. Watercolour.
(State Library of New South Wales DG SV1B/3)
SAMUEL THOMAS GILL. Might Versus Right, c.1854 - 1863. Watercolour.
(State Library of New South Wales ML PXA 1983, f.14)


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Project Coordinator UOB - Heather Mays [E-Mail : hjm@mfs1.ballarat.edu.au]
Australian National Maritime Museum - Paul Hundley [E-Mail : paulh@anmm.gov.au]
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