Eureka, Victoria
Encyclopedia
Eureka is a small eastern suburb of Ballarat, Victoria
, Australia
. At the 2006 census
, Eureka had a population of 609.
Eureka is bordered by Specimen Creek to the north, Canadian Creek to the south, Queen and Joseph streets to the west and Kline and Stawell Street to the east. It is a small section of land within the larger suburb of Ballarat East
.
The suburb takes its name from the Eureka Lead the gold mining
lead of the Eureka Mining Company and is most notable as the site of the historic event of the Eureka Rebellion and the flag flown by the rebels known as the Eureka Flag
both of which have national significance to Australia. The site is marked by several monuments including the Eureka Centre, an interpretation centre and the Eureka monument.
For many years, Eureka was simply a locality in Ballarat East, however in 1946 it was officially gazetted as a suburb in its own right.
on a plinth
flanked by four cannon
s.
A purpose built interpretation centre
for the Eureka Rebellion site was erected in 1998 near the site of the stockade. Designed to be a new landmark for Ballarat, the building featured an enormous sail
emblazoned with the Eureka Flag. Before its development there was considerable debate over whether a replica or reconstruction of wooden stockade structures was appropriate, however it was eventually decided against and this is seen by many as a reason for the apparent failure of the centre to draw significant tourist numbers. Due primarily to falling visitor numbers the centre was redeveloped between 2009-11.
A Eureka Trail was devised which follows the movement of the soldiers from the barracks at Camp Street, Ballarat, across Black Hill to the battle site at Eureka.
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. At the 2006 census
Census in Australia
The Australian census is administered once every five years by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The most recent census was conducted on 9 August 2011; the next will be conducted in 2016. Prior to the introduction of regular censuses in 1961, they had also been run in 1901, 1911, 1921, 1933,...
, Eureka had a population of 609.
Eureka is bordered by Specimen Creek to the north, Canadian Creek to the south, Queen and Joseph streets to the west and Kline and Stawell Street to the east. It is a small section of land within the larger suburb of Ballarat East
Ballarat East, Victoria
Ballarat East, is a suburb of Ballarat in Victoria, Australia. Ballarat East covers a large area east of the CBD. It is the oldest area in Ballarat and was once also a municipality known as the Ballarat East Town Council between 1859 and 1921...
.
The suburb takes its name from the Eureka Lead the gold mining
Gold mining
Gold mining is the removal of gold from the ground. There are several techniques and processes by which gold may be extracted from the earth.-History:...
lead of the Eureka Mining Company and is most notable as the site of the historic event of the Eureka Rebellion and the flag flown by the rebels known as the Eureka Flag
Eureka Flag
The Eureka Flag is a design; a dark blue field with a central white symmetric cross consisting five eight-pointed stars, representing the Crux constellation....
both of which have national significance to Australia. The site is marked by several monuments including the Eureka Centre, an interpretation centre and the Eureka monument.
History
Civil disobedience in Eureka led to Australia's first and only armed civil uprising, the Eureka Rebellion (colloquially referred to as the Eureka Stockade) which took place on 3 December 1854. The event, in which 22 miners died, is considered to be a defining moment in Australian history.For many years, Eureka was simply a locality in Ballarat East, however in 1946 it was officially gazetted as a suburb in its own right.
Transport
Eureka does not have a main commercial area and is almost entirely residential. The Buninyong railway line bisects the suburb, however the line is disused and the station has been closed for nearly a century.Eureka Stockade Memorials
The Stockade gardens were set aside in 1864 to commemorate the Eureka Stockade event. The Eureka Stockade Monument was built in 1884 on a site selected by community vote. The monument itself is an obeliskObelisk
An obelisk is a tall, four-sided, narrow tapering monument which ends in a pyramid-like shape at the top, and is said to resemble a petrified ray of the sun-disk. A pair of obelisks usually stood in front of a pylon...
on a plinth
Plinth
In architecture, a plinth is the base or platform upon which a column, pedestal, statue, monument or structure rests. Gottfried Semper's The Four Elements of Architecture posited that the plinth, the hearth, the roof, and the wall make up all of architectural theory. The plinth usually rests...
flanked by four cannon
Cannon
A cannon is any piece of artillery that uses gunpowder or other usually explosive-based propellents to launch a projectile. Cannon vary in caliber, range, mobility, rate of fire, angle of fire, and firepower; different forms of cannon combine and balance these attributes in varying degrees,...
s.
A purpose built interpretation centre
Interpretation centre
An interpretation centre, or interpretive centre, is an institution for dissemination of knowledge of natural or cultural heritage. Interpretation centres are a kind of new-style museum, often associated with visitor centres or ecomuseums, and located in connection to cultural, historic or natural...
for the Eureka Rebellion site was erected in 1998 near the site of the stockade. Designed to be a new landmark for Ballarat, the building featured an enormous sail
Sail
A sail is any type of surface intended to move a vessel, vehicle or rotor by being placed in a wind—in essence a propulsion wing. Sails are used in sailing.-History of sails:...
emblazoned with the Eureka Flag. Before its development there was considerable debate over whether a replica or reconstruction of wooden stockade structures was appropriate, however it was eventually decided against and this is seen by many as a reason for the apparent failure of the centre to draw significant tourist numbers. Due primarily to falling visitor numbers the centre was redeveloped between 2009-11.
A Eureka Trail was devised which follows the movement of the soldiers from the barracks at Camp Street, Ballarat, across Black Hill to the battle site at Eureka.