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Eureka, Democracy and Beyond

The Eureka Education staff at the Art Gallery of Ballarat can assist teachers and tour operators in the planning of student excursions to Ballarat which focus on life on the goldfields and the Eureka Rebellion. A range of services are available including the provision of pre-visit information and the delivery of special learning activities suitable for Primary, Secondary and Tertiary students. The Eureka Education staff can, in consultation with teachers, tailor programs that are relevant, focused and enjoyable.

Guided Tours
The Guided Tours are booked in advance and require between 90 to 120 minutes to complete depending on group numbers. Background notes are provided prior to the visit to assist teachers in preparing for the excursion and to enable students to collect information during their visit. In order to provide a quality visit experience that engages students, a maximum number of students per booking at any one time is sixty.

The Guided Tour is conducted by a Eureka Education Officer and includes a focused  tour of the  Gallery and participation in the a unique Eureka Enquiry role play activity.  Each student  adopts the role of an individual involved in the Eureka story and is questioned by the judge in a court room setting to determine how he/she was involved at the time. A jury is then required to determine who was responsible for the Eureka conflict. The activity allows students to empathise with their designated character and to gain a deeper understanding and appreciation of the complexity of issues surrounding Eureka.

The Art Gallery of Ballarat holds a significant collection of Goldfields and Eureka artworks and artefacts including the original Eureka flag which is presently absent from the gallery undergoing conservation works. The display presents aspects of the Eureka conflict including conditions on the goldfields, events leading to and including the conflict at the Stockade and the treason trials that followed.

The Significance of Eureka
This special information and discussion session presented by Eureka Education staff encourages students to examine conditions on the goldfields in the 1850s, the background to Eureka and its significance in Australia’s social and political history. The session must be booked in advance.

There is a focus on the Eureka flag and how Eureka has been presented and interpreted by historians, artists, politicians and commentators over the past 157 years. The impact of Eureka and the development of democracy is also covered.

The session seeks to promote discussion about Eureka and its length can be adjusted to suit your own requirements and timetable. Please discuss any specific requirements with the Education Coordinator prior to your visit. 

The Hall of Debate Activity (Booking essential)
During this exciting and popular role play session, each student adopts the identity and character of one of the people associated with the Eureka Rebellion representing both the government and the diggers. Each character is asked questions by the judge and explains his/her role in the uprising. At the conclusion of the activity the jury retire to consider their verdict and then return to the courtroom to deliver their findings.

The Hall of Debate activity requires pre-visit classroom preparation. Teachers will be sent a comprehensive preparation kit when they make a booking for this session. The kit will enable teachers to ensure that each student has a good understanding of his/her character and it also contains a copy of the script followed by the judge. Additional research conducted prior to the visit will enable students to participate in all aspects of the inquiry. The length of the activity can be adjusted to suit your requirements, is designed for presentation to a wide range of year levels and assists in the development of self confidence and public speaking skills. Please discuss any specific requirements with the Eureka Education Coordinator. 

Eureka Soundscape Activity (booking essential)
Students in small groups participate in an intensive workshop session to interpret a specific section of the Eureka story using a variety of sound making objects. Each group then presents their composition to the whole class. The Soundscape Activity has been described by one participating teacher as a “fantastic concept and a really worthwhile and fun learning experience”. Teachers may also consider presenting the completed Soundscape at a school assembly or as a school concert item.

Comments from visiting teachers:
These comments have been sourced from evaluation sheets completed by teachers after their students have participated in the Eureka Education Program.

“Whole experience enjoyed by all who attended”

“Excellent presentation”

"The information was relevant and informative”

“Education Officer was excellent, assisting students through displays”

“Overall a great way to begin the unit on Australian History. It got the children motivated for the unit ahead”

“Excellent preparation kit prior to debate”

“Our children really enjoyed the whole experience... The courtroom reenactment made events/things more realistic for them”

“We greatly enjoyed the mock ‘trial’ – students gained some valuable insights from this”

“All well organised, informative and interesting. Pre-sent information was excellent”

Additional Eureka activities

Ballarat's Eureka Trails
Completing one of the following trails, either before or after you visit the Eureka Centre may help your students identify more closely with the events of Eureka. Please refer to the Eureka Trails guide contained on this website.

1. The Troopers’ Trail - Camp Street to Eureka
This walk starts in Camp Street at the rear of the Art Gallery and follows the route taken by the Government forces on the 3rd December 1854. The easy 3.5km walk is marked with blue bollards and takes 45 to 60 minutes to complete.

2. The Diggers’ Trail - Bakery Hill to Eureka
The 45 minute walk from Bakery Hill to the Eureka Centre is the route that many of the diggers would have used when they returned to the Eureka area following the Monster Meetings. Information panels are adjacent to a number of significant sites that are located in this area including the Eureka Hotel and St Alipius Church.

Eureka Stockade gardens
School groups can visit the Eureka Stockade gardens on the corner of Rodier and Eureka Streets, at the site of the battle. They can inspect the Eureka Monument erected in the 1880s, explore the interpretive Eureka Circle from 2004 or lunch at the all abilities access Eureka theme playground. These historic gardens received National Heritage listing in 2004.

Other significant Eureka sites and activities

Sovereign Hill Historical Park

Blood on the Southern Cross (Sovereign Hill's sound and light show)

Eureka Graves at the Ballaarat Old Cemetery

Ballarat Gold Museum

Eureka Painting Challenge

 
This painting was produced between 1985 and 1989. It depicts the first stage of the attack by military forces on the Eureka Stockade at dawn on Sunday morning December 3, 1854. The depleted number of miners present in the Stockade are shown being overpowered by soldiers and troopers sent to Ballarat to maintain law and order and to overcome any resistance offered by the diggers. The battle at the Eureka Stockade followed weeks of protest by the diggers who strongly opposed the injustices of the goldfields administration and payment of the expensive gold licence.

George Browning was an Australian artist whose earliest arts training was undertaken at the National Gallery School in Melbourne. In 1942, during World War II he was appointed as a war artist working in Borneo and New Guinea.

George Browning continued to work as a visual artist throughout his life and completed a large number of public and private works. His paintings are represented in the Australian War Memorial collection, Canberra and in other institutions. 

Serious study of the events leading up to and during the Eureka Rebellion convinced George Browning that he must paint a narrative work of the uprising to put this event in its rightful place in history. The painting involved many hours of research concerning the conflict at the Eureka Stockade and a large number of preliminary sketches were made by the artist. The Victorian State Government under John Cain, formally accepted the painting on behalf of the people of Victoria June 21st 1989 and it was subsequently purchased by The Eureka Centre in 2002. The work is on permanent display at the Centre.

The interactive version of the painting presents an 'I spy' style quiz.

There are 21 clues to the painting to find.

Use your magnifying glass to find the clues requested in the question section at the base of the game.

A chime will sound when you have found the clue item.

Click at this point and you will be given your next clue.

Enjoy learning about the painting.

Take me to the interactive version.