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EUREKA FLAG
M.A.D.E - MUSEUM OF AUSTRALIAN DEMOCRACY AT EUREKA, 102 STAWELL STREET SOUTH BALLARAT CENTRAL, BALLARAT CITY

All information on this page is maintained by Heritage Victoria. Click below for their website and contact details.
Victorian Heritage Register
H2097 eureka flag
H2097 eureka flag
H2097 eureka flag
On this page:

Statement of Significance

What is significant?

The Eureka Flag, made in 1854, is a rectangular piece of woollen cloth measuring 260 cm by 400 cm with appliqued cotton motifs. It features an off-white cross with an eight-pointed star cross at each extremity on a dark blue ground. The design is based on the constellation of the Southern Cross and it is sometimes referred to as the 'Southern Cross' flag. Just over 69% of the original flag survives and is held in the Ballarat Fine Art Gallery. It is displayed with a number of fragments torn off during the flag's long history and now returned to the collection of the Gallery.

The flag is an important historical relic, symbolising Australia's only armed rebellion against the government which took place in 1854 on the Victorian goldfields and lasted just six days. The flag has been used as a symbol of protest by diverse organisations and individuals.

The makers of the flag are unknown but it is believed to have been sewn by a group of women on the diggings shortly before it was raised for the first time on 29th November 1854 at a "monster" protest meeting of miners held on Bakery Hill which was organised by the Ballarat Reform League. It later flew over the diggers' stockade during the Eureka rebellion. This confrontation between soldiers and miners occurred as a result of the injustices of the gold licence fees and the administration system imposed on the goldfields population by the government. The ensuing battle became legendary as a defining moment that shaped Australia's history. It had a profound impact on society at the time, encouraging drives for constitutional reform, and has become a legendary and heroic Australian symbol for democracy.

A Canadian gold miner Captain Ross is believed to have suggested the design of the stars of the Southern Cross.Various early forms of the flag had been used in Australia prior to Eureka, notably by the anti-Transportation League of the 1840s.

After the rebellion on 3 December 1854, the flag was captured and taken to the Government Camp, where it was trampled on and pieces were removed as souvenirs. The flag appeared as part of the Crown evidence at the Eureka treason trials in early 1855. It was retained after the trial by John King, the policemen who had captured it, as his personal trophy. King later settled as a farmer near Minyip and occasionally showed the flag at country bazaars in the area. In 1895, James Oddie, President of the Ballarat Fine Art Gallery, obtained the Eureka flag on loan from the King family. The flag underwent conservation in 1971-72 and was placed on display in its own space within the Gallery. It was unveiled by the Prime Minister the Hon. Gough Whitlam, M.P. on 3 December 1973. In September 2001, the King family presented the flag to the people of Ballarat on condition that it be kept at the Ballarat Fine Art Gallery.

How is it significant?

The Eureka Flag is of historical and social significance to the State of Victoria.

Why is it significant?

The Eureka Flag is of outstanding historical significance for its association with the Eureka Stockade, the armed rebellion in Ballarat on 3 December 1854.

The Eureka Flag is of social significance as a symbol of the Eureka rebellion, providing the community with a relic of this significant national event and a symbol of Australian democracy.

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    • Permit Exemptions

      EUREKA FLAG - Permit Exemptions

      General Exemptions:

      General exemptions apply to all places and objects included in the Victorian Heritage Register (VHR). General exemptions have been designed to allow everyday activities, maintenance and changes to your property, which don’t harm its cultural heritage significance, to proceed without the need to obtain approvals under the Heritage Act 2017.

      Places of worship: In some circumstances, you can alter a place of worship to accommodate religious practices without a permit, but you must notify the Executive Director of Heritage Victoria before you start the works or activities at least 20 business days before the works or activities are to commence.

      Subdivision/consolidation: Permit exemptions exist for some subdivisions and consolidations. If the subdivision or consolidation is in accordance with a planning permit granted under Part 4 of the Planning and Environment Act 1987 and the application for the planning permit was referred to the Executive Director of Heritage Victoria as a determining referral authority, a permit is not required.

      Specific exemptions may also apply to your registered place or object. If applicable, these are listed below. Specific exemptions are tailored to the conservation and management needs of an individual registered place or object and set out works and activities that are exempt from the requirements of a permit. Specific exemptions prevail if they conflict with general exemptions.

      Find out more about heritage permit exemptions here.

      Specific Exemptions:

      General Conditions: 1. All exempted alterations are to be planned and carried out in a manner which prevents damage to the fabric of the registered place or object. General Conditions: 2. Should it become apparent during further inspection or the carrying out of works that original or previously hidden or inaccessible details of the place or object are revealed which relate to the significance of the place or object, then the exemption covering such works shall cease and Heritage Victoria shall be notified as soon as possible. General Conditions: 3. If there is a conservation policy and plan endorsed by the Executive Director, all works shall be in accordance with it. Note: The existence of a Conservation Management Plan or a Heritage Action Plan endorsed by the Executive Director, Heritage Victoria provides guidance for the management of the heritage values associated with the site. It may not be necessary to obtain a heritage permit for certain works specified in the management plan. General Conditions: 4. Nothing in this determination prevents the Executive Director from amending or rescinding all or any of the permit exemptions.

      STANDARD EXEMPTION :CONSERVATION

      The conservation, research or analysis of a registered heritage object does not require approval by the Executive Director pursuant to the Heritage Act 1995, where the activity is performed in accordance with the accepted standards, policies and procedures of the Ballarat Fine Art Gallery

      Permit Exemption Policy

      EUREKA FLAG - Permit Exemption Policy

      The permit policy requires that the object be housed and conserved so as to maintain its cultural heritage significance. Exemptions will usually be granted for movement, relocation, loan and conservation activities, as specified below.

      The original material is stored in a secure repository and appropriate climatic conditions. It can be viewed by the public at the Ballarat Fine Art Gallery. The Eureka Flag is subject to the restrictions that apply within the Gallery. The Flag is exceptionally fragile and its movements are kept to an absolute minimum. It is not available for loan.

  • Notes See all notes

    Eureka Flag

    17/11/14

    The eureka flag is not located at the art gallery anymore, it is now at the museum of australian democracy at eureka

    Tours involving this place See all tours

    Lydiard St Ballarat Tour

    21/12/11

    Regent Picture Theatre - Eureka Flag - School Of Mines - Ballarat Post Office - Gas Lamps - Ballarat Railway Complex - Fine Art Gallery - Her Majesty's Theatre - Former Reids Coffee Palace - Provincial Hotel - Alexandria Tea Rooms - Craig's Royal Hotel - Former Anz Bank - Former Union Bank Building

    Old, Cold And Gold, Ballarat

    15/01/14

    Ballarat Railway Complex - Fine Art Gallery - Alexandria Tea Rooms - Eureka Flag - Former Mining Exchange - Ballarat Trades Hall - Titanic Memorial Bandstand - Ballaarat Mechanics Institute - Her Majesty's Theatre - Craig's Royal Hotel - Ballarat Town Hall - St Patricks Cathedral And Hall - St Andrews Uniting Church

Public contributions

Notes See all notes

Eureka Flag

17/11/14

The eureka flag is not located at the art gallery anymore, it is now at the museum of australian democracy at eureka

Tours involving this place See all tours

Lydiard St Ballarat Tour

21/12/11

Regent Picture Theatre - Eureka Flag - School Of Mines - Ballarat Post Office - Gas Lamps - Ballarat Railway Complex - Fine Art Gallery - Her Majesty's Theatre - Former Reids Coffee Palace - Provincial Hotel - Alexandria Tea Rooms - Craig's Royal Hotel - Former Anz Bank - Former Union Bank Building

Old, Cold And Gold, Ballarat

15/01/14

Ballarat Railway Complex - Fine Art Gallery - Alexandria Tea Rooms - Eureka Flag - Former Mining Exchange - Ballarat Trades Hall - Titanic Memorial Bandstand - Ballaarat Mechanics Institute - Her Majesty's Theatre - Craig's Royal Hotel - Ballarat Town Hall - St Patricks Cathedral And Hall - St Andrews Uniting Church

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