On 3 December 1854 a bloody battle between gold miners, soldiers and police raged for fifteen minutes at the Eureka Lead in Ballarat. But this brief conflict, which had been brewing for years, would have momentous consequences – overturning the accepted social order and bringing democracy to Victoria. EUREKA introduces you to the people and events that shaped this key moment in Australia's history.

On 3 December 1854, a bloody battle between gold miners, soldiers and police raged at the Eureka Lead in Ballarat. This conflict, which had been brewing for years, had momentous effects – overturning the accepted social order, bringing democracy to Victoria and establishing some fundamental Australian social ethics. Eureka introduces you to the people and events that shaped this key moment in Australia's history and explains just what a difference it made.

It tells of corruption, racially-oriented violence, government disdain towards the diggers, murderous pub brawls, and a disinterested governor who had to be bribed to do the job. The many consequences of the gold rush included making Melbourne the world's most expensive city and began what became the Australian Labor Movement.

This book is part of Exisle Publishing's Little Red Books series.

Every title in the Little Red Books series provides an overview of key events, people or places in Australian history. They cover the essentials, bringing the reader up to speed on the most important, fascinating or intriguing facts. Appealing to everyone from students to pensioners who've always wanted to "know a bit about that", they're an essential part of every Australian bookshelf.