Time To Remember

Noosa magazine (Noosa News) - November 26, 2004

In a dimly lit room in the Ballarat Fine Art Gallery, the original Eureka flag is displayed in an almost shrine-like setting. Gallery director Gordon Morrison thinks it is poetic justice that the flag resides here, for the gallery sits on the site of the Government Camp from which police and soldiers set out to march on the Eureka Stockade. The authorities might have won the battle on the day, but the diggers won a victory for democracy, giving birth to the Australian spirit of a fair go for all. Yet despite April 25 and January 26 being firmly imprinted on our national psyche, December 3, the date of the Eureka rebellion, passes largely unnoticed. Perhaps the 150th anniversary next month (Dec 2004) might inspire more people to remember the time when a group of diggers joined forces to demand the basic right of representation.

The blue silk flag with its white Southern Cross was first raised on Bakery Hill in Ballarat, Victoria, on November 29, 1854. Several thousand diggers had gathered in protest at their treatment by the colonial administration, angry at the steep licence fee they were being charged to prospect, and demanding justice, tolerance and the right to vote. Taken by surprise on a Sunday, when most of the diggers had been sent home, only 150 diggers were in the hastily built stockade when the battle flared. Up to 30 diggers and six troopers died, but within a year, the leader of the rebellion, Peter Lalor, was sitting in the Victorian Parliament, minus an arm he lost in the battle.

Among the events that will be held to mark the rebellion are a dawn commemoration, a Eureka musical, a touring exhibition of art and memorabilia, and an aerial circus program – not inappropriate, since an American circus was set up on the goldfields at the time of the stockade. Other events include a special dawn presentation of Sovereign Hill’s popular sound and light show, Blood on the Southern Cross, and a four-day music festival, Echoes of Freedom, featuring artists such as Yothu Yindi, Paul Kelly, Jimmy Little and Deborah Conway. Organisers of the Eureka 150 program say the activities, events and exhibitions will represent the “cultural diversity, hope, histories and dreams” that were embodied in Eureka.

The dawn commemoration on December 3 will be held at the Eureka Centre, an interpretive centre on the site of the rebellion, and a city icon thanks to its huge Eureka sail symbolizing the flag of the Southern Cross. It’s a moot point with some that you have to go to the Ballarat Fine Art Gallery to see the original flag, but what better way to entice people to see the gallery’s wonderful collection, spanning early colonial works right through to contemporary art. A grand building born out of the optimism of the 19th century goldrush, the gallery will host Eureka Revisited: The Contest of Memory exhibition from November 29. Morrison says the exhibition will tell the Eureka story through documents, paintings and objects, including Lalor’s revolver. “There’ll be objects that will really amaze people and there’ll be objects that really offend people too, because Eureka is nothing if not political.” The exhibition will run until February 13 before touring to Old Parliament House in Canberra and to the State Library of Victory later in 2005.

Ballarat’s greatest attraction is unquestionably Sovereign Hill which faithfully depicts Ballarat’s first 10 years after the discovery of gold in 1851. Step back in time as you explore the shops, hotels, schools and theatre in Main Street, try your luck panning for gold or do a fully-guided tour of an underground gold mine. More than 500,000 people visit Sovereign Hill each year, with about 100,000 also seeing the sound and light show. Set under the stars, with amazing special effects, Blood on the Southern Cross is normally presented in two evening shows. On December 4, however, it will be held at 3.30am, around the same time the troops prepared to leave Government Camp for their dawn raid on the stockade. Sovereign Hill Lodge, which provides accommodation literally at the door of this living museum, has been built to resemble the Government Camp.

Across the road, the Gold Museum has beautifully presented exhibits telling the story of Ballarat and the goldrush. The city acquired some really majestic buildings thanks to the goldrush, noticeable in places such as the Mining Exchange, Her Majesty’s Theatre with its elaborate interior, and Craig’s Royal Hotel, where the stables were once run by writer Adam Lindsay Gordon. Gordon’s former home is now in the Botanical Gardens, famous for its beautiful floral displays and avenue of bronze busts of Australian Prime Ministers. Some Eureka events will also take place in Melbourne, including Living Dissent, a contemporary performance in sound and image. It will be held in Federation Square and will be followed by a screening of the 1949 Chips Rafferty film, Eureka Stockade. Eureka The Musical is currently playing at Her Majesty’s Theatre with a stellar cast including Amanda Muggleton, Barry Crocker and Nancye Hayes. It’s a great introduction to the Eureka story.

FACT FILE

Ballarat Tourism: 1800 44 66 33 or www.visitballarat.com.au
Information on the 150th anniversary celebrations: www.eurekaballarat.com or www.eureka150.vic.gov.au
Sovereign Hill entry: Adults $29; family of 2 adults and up to 4 children $75.
Information on Sovereign Hill: (03) 5331 1944 or www.sovereignhill.com.au
Blood on the Southern Cross: Adults $35, children $19, family of four $97. Dinner, show and accommodation packages available.
Eureka Pass: Adults $35.50, family of six $92, gives unlimited entry to Sovereign Hill, the Gold Museum, the Eureka Centre and the Ballarat Fine Art Gallery. Phone 136100.
Eureka the Musical: www.eurekathemusical.com
Showbiz International packages to Eureka The Musical, with accommodation and tickets: prices start at $169pp. For information, phone 1300 658 009 or visit www.showbiz.com.au

© Christine Salins

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