In 1854 the diggers in Ballarat rebelled against the excessive cost of claim licenses charged by the authorities. They were forced to pay 30 shillings a month (more than a working man’s weekly wage), and received next to nothing in return. They were given no protection by the police, who were brutal and corrupt, and often harassed them. There were no roads, no transport, and few civil amenities of any kind. Conditions were squalid beyond belief, and the diggers even have the right to vote.

Eventually 200 diggers, many of Irish descent, staged the only major ‘white revolt’ in Australia’s history. They burnt their licenses, armed themselves and built a makeshift stockade. After barricading themselves into the Eureka Stockade they ran up the Eureka Flag – five white stars and a white cross on a blue background. Armed troops were called in, and during the subsequent confrontation more than 30 men lost their lives. But in the end the diggers won the day. As a result of the Eureka Revolt, claim licenses were abolished, and the diggers also gained the right to vote. Their leader, Peter Lalor, even became an MP.

To this day the Eureka Flag holds a special place in Aussie hearts. It remains a symbol of protest against authority, and is frequently unfurled at demonstrations about almost anything from ecology and nuclear disarmament to pro-republicanism. Many claim that the Eureka Revolt was the start of Australia as an egalitarian society: the beginning of the end of old-style colonialism.