Gold was discovered near Ballarat in 1851, and the influx of over 10,000 miners in less than a year transformed it from a pastoral town into Victoria's largest settlement. The Victorian gold rush occurred throughout the 1850s and 1860s whilst gold could be readily extracted from the surface.
But it will chiefly be remembered for the most celebrated rebellion in Australian history. It involved the gold prospectors of Ballarat, Victoria, and was named for the rebels’ hastily constructed fortification in the Eureka goldfield. In the ensuing battle 22 'Diggers' were killed and it bacme a defing moment in Australian history. A short account of the Eureka Rebellion.
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