When miners in the Victorian goldfields rebelled against local officialdom and harassment by the police in 1854, they built a stockade in the goldfields as a symbol of their defiance and — for the first time — flew the Eureka flag, also known as the Flag of the Southern Cross.
The flag itself is believed to be the handiwork of a Canadian. The five white stars on the flag are said to represent the Southern Cross constellation visible in the skies of the southern hemisphere.
The white cross joining the stars are said to represent unity in defiance, with the blue background representing the blue shirts of the diggers.
The original flag
While a number of variants seem to have existed, the design of the Eureka flag is generally accepted as being that of the actual flag the miners hoisted during the 1854 miners' uprising.
The original torn and tattered Eureka flag is preserved at the Ballarat Fine Art Museum on Lydiard St in the heart of Ballarat.
Symbol of rebellion
While the Eureka flag has no legal status, it has become part of Australian tradition as a symbol of rebellion against authority.
