Eureka Flag
Encyclopedia
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.
The design was first used for the war flag
of the Eureka Rebellion of 1854 at Ballarat
in Victoria, Australia
. Rebels swore an oath to the flag as a symbol of defiance at its first flying at Bakery Hill
and 22 were killed at the Eureka Stockade defending the original flag (now held at the Ballarat Fine Art Gallery
).
The flag design has gained wider notability due to its adoption in Australian culture as a symbol
of democracy
, protest
and a wide variety of other causes. It is listed as an object of state heritage significance on the Victorian Heritage Register
and was named as a Victorian Icon by the National Trust in 2006.
, a member of the Ballarat Reform League
, with the central feature being the Southern Cross
. According to some historians, Ross was inspired by the design of the Australian Federation Flag
and incorporated the eight star cross which was a symbol of the Reform League.
According to Frank Cayley's book, Flag of Stars, the flag's five stars represent the Southern Cross, and the white cross joining the stars represents unity in defiance. Professor Geoffrey Blainey
has advanced the view, though, that the white cross behind the stars "really [is] an Irish cross rather than being [a] configuration of the Southern Cross". The design of the flag
was taken by Captain Henry Ross
, one of Eureka's miners and a Canadian expatriate, to three women, Anastasia Withers, Anne Duke and Anastasia Hayes, to sew up in time for a large rally at Bakery Hill, at 2.00 pm on 29 November 1854. There is no evidence on who exactly designed the flag, although Ross was known on the diggings as the 'bridegroom' of the miners flag. The flag looks similar to the Federation Flag, on which it was based according to some historians.
"The flag is silk, blue ground with large silver cross; no device or arms, but all exceedingly chaste and natural."
It flew for the first time on Bakery Hill
as a symbol of the resistance of the gold miners during the Eureka Stockade rebellion in the year 1854. Beneath this flag, Peter Lalor
, leader of the Ballarat Reform League
, swore this oath to the affirmation of his fellow demonstrators: "We swear by the Southern Cross
to stand truly by each other and fight to defend our rights and liberties." According to the Ballarat Times, at "about eleven o'clock the 'Southern Cross' was hoisted, and its maiden appearance was a fascinating object to behold."
fortification at the battle of the Eureka Stockade on 3 December 1854. During the battle Henry Ross was mortally wounded near the flagpole. Following the battle, the flag was torn down, trampled, hacked with swords and peppered with bullets by colonial troops.
According to the Argus newspaper of 4 December 1854, the Union Jack was hoisted beneath the Eureka flag.
retained the flag and it was held by his family for forty years, until it was loaned to the Ballarat Art Gallery in 1895, where it remained in continued obscurity "under a cloud of skepticism and conservative disapproval"; bits of the flag were cut off and given to visiting dignitaries. Approximately 31% of the original specimen is missing.
The flag was "re-discovered" by Len Fox during the 1930s, however it took decades to convince authorities to properly authenticate the flag. it was found after World War II in a drawer, discovered by members of the Australian Communist Party. The final irrefutable validation of its authentication occurred when sketchbooks of Canadian Charles Doudiet
were put up for sale at a Christies auction in 1996. Two sketches in particular show the flag design as contained in the tattered remains of the flag at the Ballarat Fine Art Gallery
. The remnant of the original Eureka Flag remains today, preserved for public display in Ballarat Fine Art Gallery, along with Doudiet's sketches.
In 2001, legal ownership of the flag was transferred to the Ballarat Fine Art Gallery who expect the King family and the gallery to be acknowledged every time a replica of the original flag is displayed. It is listed as an object of state heritage significance on the Victorian Heritage Register
and was named as an icon by the National Trust in 2006.
Some Australian republicans have suggested the Eureka Flag design be among the options for an official redesign of the Flag of Australia
to the electorate in a plebiscite.
Whilst some Australians view the Eureka Flag as a symbol of nationality (see Australian flag debate
), it is more often employed by historical societies and re-enactors and by political radicals as a general purpose symbol of protest for a wide variety of anti-establishment non-conformist causes. The flag has been used as a symbol of rebellion by groups on both sides of the political spectrum, such as noted nationalistic group National Action
, communists and neo-Nazis, who see it as representative of the efforts of the miners to free themselves from what they view, depending on their political persuasion, as either political or economic oppression, and by white supremacists at flashpoints for racial confrontation. Along these lines, some also believe that the flag used during the Lambing Flat riots
was a derivative of the Eureka Flag and thus the flag has developed a somewhat unsavoury reputation with mainstream Australia.
World War 2 when, for mainly political reasons it was re-discovered
and promoted as a ‘rebel’ symbol; in the 1949 movie Eureka Stockade
starring Chips Rafferty
, the flag featured was, in technical terms, the fly half
of the Australian National Flag.
A similar flag was flown prominently above the Barcaldine
strike camp of the 1891 Australian shearers' strike
, and thus has had a strong association with the Australian labour movement
from this time. Construction unions such as the Builders Labourers' Federation in particular adopted the Eureka flag, and it is one of the flags that flies permanently over the Melbourne Trades Hall.
The sesquicentenary of the Eureka Stockade occurred in December 2004, and the Eureka Flag was used extensively during the events that were organised to promote awareness of the occasion. It was flown within each State Parliament building in Australia, the Federal Senate, and most prominently atop the Sydney Harbour Bridge
.
Deputy Prime Minister
John Anderson
made the Eureka flag a federal election campaign issue in 2004 saying "I think people have tried to make too much of the Eureka Stockade...trying to give it a credibility and standing that it probably doesn't enjoy."
The men and women of HMAS Ballarat, the second Royal Australian Navy ship to bear the name, wear Eureka Flag insignia on their uniforms.
The modern design of the Eureka flag is an enhanced and different version from the 1854 original with blue key lines around each of five equal stars. It is frequently made in the proportions of 20:13. Although the flag is designed as a representation of the Southern Cross
, a constellation
located in southern skies and thus only visible to viewers in the southern hemisphere
, the stars are arranged differently to the arrangement of stars in the constellation itself. The "middle" star (Epsilon Crucis) in the constellation is off-centre, and near to the edge of the "diamond", while the Eureka flag shows it in the centre. The Eureka flag is only a stylised version of the more widely known pattern
.
and University of Ballarat
, for instance have used stylised versions of the 'Southern Cross' in their official logo along with several trade unions and other associated groups.
Sporting clubs have also used the flag as a symbol including the Melbourne Victory
and Melbourne Rebels
. Melbourne Victory supporters adopted it as a club flag for its foundation year in 2004, however it was subsequently briefly banned at A-League games by the Football Federation of Australia, but rescinded in the face of criticism from the Victorian general public. The Football Federation of Australia claimed that the ban was 'unintentional'.
The design was first used for the war flag
War flag
A war flag is a variant of a national flag for use by the nation's military forces on land. The nautical equivalent is a naval ensign — the battle ensign...
of the Eureka Rebellion of 1854 at Ballarat
Ballarat, Victoria
Ballarat is a city in the state of Victoria, Australia, approximately west-north-west of the state capital Melbourne situated on the lower plains of the Great Dividing Range and the Yarrowee River catchment. It is the largest inland centre and third most populous city in the state and the fifth...
in Victoria, 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...
. Rebels swore an oath to the flag as a symbol of defiance at its first flying at Bakery Hill
Bakery Hill, Victoria
Bakery Hill is an inner city suburb of Ballarat in Victoria, Australia. It is the smallest suburb in the city of Ballarat in terms of both area and population, which at the 2006 census was just 191 people....
and 22 were killed at the Eureka Stockade defending the original flag (now held at the Ballarat Fine Art Gallery
Ballarat Fine Art Gallery
Art Gallery of Ballarat is the oldest and largest regional art gallery in Australia. Established in 1884 as the Ballarat Fine Art Gallery by the citizens of Ballarat both the building and part of its collection is listed on the Victorian Heritage Registerand by the National Trust of Victoria.The...
).
The flag design has gained wider notability due to its adoption in Australian culture as a symbol
Symbol
A symbol is something which represents an idea, a physical entity or a process but is distinct from it. The purpose of a symbol is to communicate meaning. For example, a red octagon may be a symbol for "STOP". On a map, a picture of a tent might represent a campsite. Numerals are symbols for...
of democracy
Democracy
Democracy is generally defined as a form of government in which all adult citizens have an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives. Ideally, this includes equal participation in the proposal, development and passage of legislation into law...
, protest
Protest
A protest is an expression of objection, by words or by actions, to particular events, policies or situations. Protests can take many different forms, from individual statements to mass demonstrations...
and a wide variety of other causes. It is listed as an object of state heritage significance on the Victorian Heritage Register
Victorian Heritage Register
The Victorian Heritage Register lists places of cultural heritage significance to the State of Victoria, Australia. It has statutory weight under the Heritage Act 1995 which establishes Heritage Victoria as the permit authority...
and was named as a Victorian Icon by the National Trust in 2006.
Design and composition
It was designed by Canadian miner "Captain" Henry RossHenry Ross
Captain Henry Ross was a Canadian gold miner at Ballarat, Victoria, Australia, and was known on the goldfields as the 'bridegroom' of the miners flag, the Southern Cross, the Eureka Flag...
, a member of the Ballarat Reform League
Ballarat Reform League
The Ballarat Reform League was formed in November 11 1854 at Ballarat as a protest against the regulation of the gold diggings, specifically the League was formed with the view of abolishing the Miner's Licence and having the miners connected with the death of "John Martin", arrested...
, with the central feature being the Southern Cross
Crux
Crux is the smallest of the 88 modern constellations, but is one of the most distinctive. Its name is Latin for cross, and it is dominated by a cross-shaped asterism that is commonly known as the Southern Cross.-Visibility:...
. According to some historians, Ross was inspired by the design of the Australian Federation Flag
Australian Federation Flag
The Australian Federation Flag, also known as the New South Wales Ensign, was the result of an attempt in the 1830s to create a national flag for Australia, which was divided at the time into several British colonies....
and incorporated the eight star cross which was a symbol of the Reform League.
According to Frank Cayley's book, Flag of Stars, the flag's five stars represent the Southern Cross, and the white cross joining the stars represents unity in defiance. Professor Geoffrey Blainey
Geoffrey Blainey
Geoffrey Norman Blainey AC , is a prominent Australian historian.Blainey was born in Melbourne and raised in a series of Victorian country towns before attending Wesley College and the University of Melbourne. While at university he was editor of Farrago, the newspaper of the University of...
has advanced the view, though, that the white cross behind the stars "really [is] an Irish cross rather than being [a] configuration of the Southern Cross". The design of the flag
Flag
A flag is a piece of fabric with a distinctive design that is usually rectangular and used as a symbol, as a signaling device, or decoration. The term flag is also used to refer to the graphic design employed by a flag, or to its depiction in another medium.The first flags were used to assist...
was taken by Captain Henry Ross
Henry Ross
Captain Henry Ross was a Canadian gold miner at Ballarat, Victoria, Australia, and was known on the goldfields as the 'bridegroom' of the miners flag, the Southern Cross, the Eureka Flag...
, one of Eureka's miners and a Canadian expatriate, to three women, Anastasia Withers, Anne Duke and Anastasia Hayes, to sew up in time for a large rally at Bakery Hill, at 2.00 pm on 29 November 1854. There is no evidence on who exactly designed the flag, although Ross was known on the diggings as the 'bridegroom' of the miners flag. The flag looks similar to the Federation Flag, on which it was based according to some historians.
"The flag is silk, blue ground with large silver cross; no device or arms, but all exceedingly chaste and natural."
Oath swearing at Bakery Hill
Bakery Hill, Victoria
Bakery Hill is an inner city suburb of Ballarat in Victoria, Australia. It is the smallest suburb in the city of Ballarat in terms of both area and population, which at the 2006 census was just 191 people....
as a symbol of the resistance of the gold miners during the Eureka Stockade rebellion in the year 1854. Beneath this flag, Peter Lalor
Peter Lalor
Peter Fintan Lalor was an activist turned politician who rose to fame for his leading role in the Eureka Rebellion, an event controversially identified with the "birth of democracy" in Australia.- Early life and migration to Australia :...
, leader of the Ballarat Reform League
Ballarat Reform League
The Ballarat Reform League was formed in November 11 1854 at Ballarat as a protest against the regulation of the gold diggings, specifically the League was formed with the view of abolishing the Miner's Licence and having the miners connected with the death of "John Martin", arrested...
, swore this oath to the affirmation of his fellow demonstrators: "We swear by the Southern Cross
Crux
Crux is the smallest of the 88 modern constellations, but is one of the most distinctive. Its name is Latin for cross, and it is dominated by a cross-shaped asterism that is commonly known as the Southern Cross.-Visibility:...
to stand truly by each other and fight to defend our rights and liberties." According to the Ballarat Times, at "about eleven o'clock the 'Southern Cross' was hoisted, and its maiden appearance was a fascinating object to behold."
At the Eureka Stockade Battle
The flag was flown at the centre of the stockadeStockade
A stockade is an enclosure of palisades and tall walls made of logs placed side by side vertically with the tops sharpened to provide security.-Stockade as a security fence:...
fortification at the battle of the Eureka Stockade on 3 December 1854. During the battle Henry Ross was mortally wounded near the flagpole. Following the battle, the flag was torn down, trampled, hacked with swords and peppered with bullets by colonial troops.
According to the Argus newspaper of 4 December 1854, the Union Jack was hoisted beneath the Eureka flag.
Post-battle preservation
Trooper John KingJohn King (Eureka)
John King was a Police Constable at the Eureka Stockade rebellion, one of Australia's few armed uprisings and often characterised controversially as the "birth of democracy" in Australia....
retained the flag and it was held by his family for forty years, until it was loaned to the Ballarat Art Gallery in 1895, where it remained in continued obscurity "under a cloud of skepticism and conservative disapproval"; bits of the flag were cut off and given to visiting dignitaries. Approximately 31% of the original specimen is missing.
The flag was "re-discovered" by Len Fox during the 1930s, however it took decades to convince authorities to properly authenticate the flag. it was found after World War II in a drawer, discovered by members of the Australian Communist Party. The final irrefutable validation of its authentication occurred when sketchbooks of Canadian Charles Doudiet
Charles Doudiet
Charles Alphonse Doudiet was a Canadian artist and digger present at the Eureka Stockade, Ballarat, Australia, in 1854. His sketchbook, discovered by his descendants in 1996, has provided contemporary images of events connected to the Eureka Stockade, that were important for the authentication of...
were put up for sale at a Christies auction in 1996. Two sketches in particular show the flag design as contained in the tattered remains of the flag at the Ballarat Fine Art Gallery
Ballarat Fine Art Gallery
Art Gallery of Ballarat is the oldest and largest regional art gallery in Australia. Established in 1884 as the Ballarat Fine Art Gallery by the citizens of Ballarat both the building and part of its collection is listed on the Victorian Heritage Registerand by the National Trust of Victoria.The...
. The remnant of the original Eureka Flag remains today, preserved for public display in Ballarat Fine Art Gallery, along with Doudiet's sketches.
In 2001, legal ownership of the flag was transferred to the Ballarat Fine Art Gallery who expect the King family and the gallery to be acknowledged every time a replica of the original flag is displayed. It is listed as an object of state heritage significance on the Victorian Heritage Register
Victorian Heritage Register
The Victorian Heritage Register lists places of cultural heritage significance to the State of Victoria, Australia. It has statutory weight under the Heritage Act 1995 which establishes Heritage Victoria as the permit authority...
and was named as an icon by the National Trust in 2006.
Symbolism, notability, and controversy
Since the original miners revolt at Eureka, the flag, born out of adversity, continues to be regarded by some as a symbol of nationalism, closely associated with this struggle for democracy.Some Australian republicans have suggested the Eureka Flag design be among the options for an official redesign of the Flag of Australia
Flag of Australia
The flag of Australia is a defaced Blue Ensign: a blue field with the Union Flag in the canton , and a large white seven-pointed star known as the Commonwealth Star in the lower hoist quarter...
to the electorate in a plebiscite.
Whilst some Australians view the Eureka Flag as a symbol of nationality (see Australian flag debate
Australian flag debate
The Australian flag debate is a debate over whether the Australian flag should be changed in order to remove the Union Flag from the canton, often in connection with the issue of republicanism in Australia...
), it is more often employed by historical societies and re-enactors and by political radicals as a general purpose symbol of protest for a wide variety of anti-establishment non-conformist causes. The flag has been used as a symbol of rebellion by groups on both sides of the political spectrum, such as noted nationalistic group National Action
National Action (Australia)
National Action was an Australian nationalist political party. It had no representatives in any Australian parliament, at either state or national level. Its ideology dictated that it remain outside the "political system"....
, communists and neo-Nazis, who see it as representative of the efforts of the miners to free themselves from what they view, depending on their political persuasion, as either political or economic oppression, and by white supremacists at flashpoints for racial confrontation. Along these lines, some also believe that the flag used during the Lambing Flat riots
Lambing Flat riots
The Lambing Flat riots were a series of violent anti-Chinese demonstrations that took place in the Burrangong region, in New South Wales, Australia...
was a derivative of the Eureka Flag and thus the flag has developed a somewhat unsavoury reputation with mainstream Australia.
Post Eureka
The Eureka flag was lost to general public imagination until afterWorld War 2 when, for mainly political reasons it was re-discovered
and promoted as a ‘rebel’ symbol; in the 1949 movie Eureka Stockade
Eureka Stockade (film)
Eureka Stockade is a 1949 British film of the story surrounding Peter Lalor and the gold miners' rebellion of 1854 at the Eureka Stockade in Ballarat, Victoria...
starring Chips Rafferty
Chips Rafferty
Chips Rafferty MBE was an iconic Australian actor. Called "the living symbol of the typical Australian", Rafferty's career stretched from the 1940s until his death in 1971, and during this time he performed regularly in major Australian feature films as well as appearing in British and American...
, the flag featured was, in technical terms, the fly half
Flag terminology
Flag terminology is a jargon used in vexillology, the study of flags, to describe precisely the parts, patterns, and other attributes of flags and their display.-Description of standard flag parts and terms:...
of the Australian National Flag.
A similar flag was flown prominently above the Barcaldine
Barcaldine, Queensland
Barcaldine is a small town in Western Queensland, Australia, approximately by road west of the city of Rockhampton. The town is situated on Lagoon Creek, which flows into the Alice River approximately five kilometres south of the Barcaldine. This is the administrative centre of the Barcaldine...
strike camp of the 1891 Australian shearers' strike
1891 Australian shearers' strike
350px|thumb|Shearers' strike camp, Hughenden, central Queensland, 1891.The 1891 shearers' strike is one of Australia's earliest and most important industrial disputes. Working conditions for sheep shearers in 19th century Australia weren't good. In 1891 wool was one of Australia's largest industries...
, and thus has had a strong association with the Australian labour movement
Australian labour movement
The Australian labour movement has its origins in the early 19th century and includes both trade unions and political activity. At its broadest, the movement can be defined as encompassing the industrial wing, the unions in Australia, and the political wing, the Australian Labor Party and minor...
from this time. Construction unions such as the Builders Labourers' Federation in particular adopted the Eureka flag, and it is one of the flags that flies permanently over the Melbourne Trades Hall.
The sesquicentenary of the Eureka Stockade occurred in December 2004, and the Eureka Flag was used extensively during the events that were organised to promote awareness of the occasion. It was flown within each State Parliament building in Australia, the Federal Senate, and most prominently atop the Sydney Harbour Bridge
Sydney Harbour Bridge
The Sydney Harbour Bridge is a steel through arch bridge across Sydney Harbour that carries rail, vehicular, bicycle and pedestrian traffic between the Sydney central business district and the North Shore. The dramatic view of the bridge, the harbour, and the nearby Sydney Opera House is an iconic...
.
Deputy Prime Minister
Deputy Prime Minister of Australia
The Deputy Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Australia is the second-most senior officer in the Government of Australia. The Deputy Prime Ministership has been a ministerial portfolio since 1968, and the Deputy Prime Minister is appointed by the Governor-General on the advice of the Prime...
John Anderson
John Anderson (Australian politician)
John Duncan Anderson AO is a former Australian politician. He served as the Deputy Prime Minister of Australia and Leader of the rural-based National Party of Australia from July 1999 to July 2005.-Early years:...
made the Eureka flag a federal election campaign issue in 2004 saying "I think people have tried to make too much of the Eureka Stockade...trying to give it a credibility and standing that it probably doesn't enjoy."
The men and women of HMAS Ballarat, the second Royal Australian Navy ship to bear the name, wear Eureka Flag insignia on their uniforms.
Specifications
The dimensions of the Eureka flag are 260 centimetre (2:3.08 ratio). The horizontal cross is 37 cm wide and the vertical cross 36 cm wide. The central star is slightly larger than the others and is 65 cm tall (point to point) and the other stars 60 cm tall.Standardised design
Crux
Crux is the smallest of the 88 modern constellations, but is one of the most distinctive. Its name is Latin for cross, and it is dominated by a cross-shaped asterism that is commonly known as the Southern Cross.-Visibility:...
, a constellation
Constellation
In modern astronomy, a constellation is an internationally defined area of the celestial sphere. These areas are grouped around asterisms, patterns formed by prominent stars within apparent proximity to one another on Earth's night sky....
located in southern skies and thus only visible to viewers in the southern hemisphere
Southern Hemisphere
The Southern Hemisphere is the part of Earth that lies south of the equator. The word hemisphere literally means 'half ball' or "half sphere"...
, the stars are arranged differently to the arrangement of stars in the constellation itself. The "middle" star (Epsilon Crucis) in the constellation is off-centre, and near to the edge of the "diamond", while the Eureka flag shows it in the centre. The Eureka flag is only a stylised version of the more widely known pattern
Southern Cross Flag
Southern Cross Flags are flags which depict the Southern Cross. "Southern Cross" is the English name of Crux, a constellation visible in the Southern Hemisphere. It is also depicted in coats of arms of various countries and sub-national entities...
.
Derivatives and popular culture
The Eureka Flag is used by a variety of groups. The City of BallaratCity of Ballarat
The City of Ballarat is a Local Government Area in Victoria, Australia around Ballarat. It is located in the western part of the state. It has an area of 740 square kilometres. In 2001 it had a population of 81,000...
and University of Ballarat
University of Ballarat
The University of Ballarat is a dual-sector university in Ballarat, Victoria, Australia. It was formed by the passage of an Act of the Victorian Parliament in 1994, from the Ballarat College of Advanced Education...
, for instance have used stylised versions of the 'Southern Cross' in their official logo along with several trade unions and other associated groups.
Sporting clubs have also used the flag as a symbol including the Melbourne Victory
Melbourne Victory
Melbourne Victory Football Club is an Australian professional football club based in Melbourne, Victoria, that plays in the A-League....
and Melbourne Rebels
Melbourne Rebels
The Melbourne Rebels are a professional rugby union team based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. They made their debut in SANZAR's Super Rugby tournament in 2011. They are the first privately owned professional rugby union team in Australia...
. Melbourne Victory supporters adopted it as a club flag for its foundation year in 2004, however it was subsequently briefly banned at A-League games by the Football Federation of Australia, but rescinded in the face of criticism from the Victorian general public. The Football Federation of Australia claimed that the ban was 'unintentional'.