Ballarat, VIC
1.0 km (0.5 hrs )
★★★☆☆

The Eureka Stockade Memorial Park was established in 1869 to commemorate the site of the Eureka Stockade, as hastily erected fortification during the 1854 protests by miners over their rights on the goldfields of Victoria. A short battle on the morning of 3 December 1854 resulted in the deaths of 6 soldiers and 22 miners. An enquiry following the battle recommended the abolition of the much despised monthly miners’ licence (the initial trigger for the miners' protests). In 1855 the miners won the right to vote and further democratic reforms followed, leading many to herald the battle of the Eureka Stockade as the birth of democracy in Australia.

The memorial park features a number of memorials, both old and new, as well as the Eureka Centre, a museum of the events. It was an interesting place to visit, with my only regret being that the Eureka Centre was closed at the time of my visit.