Life on the goldfields

 The Life on the Goldfields Virtual Exhibition lets you understand the world of the diggers at the time of the Petition. Material taken from the State Library's rich collections of paintings, postcards, books, maps, theatre posters and diaries will illustrate the journey to the diggings, life under canvas, making new "chums" and entertainment on the goldfields, as well as mining techniques and the impact on the land. With the Petition as its precursor, the events at the Eureka Stockade are placed in context, illustrating the issues, the battle, the trial and the aftermath. Selections from the historically outstanding series of original drawings of the Goldfields at Ballarat by Charles Alphonse Doudiet, recently acquired by the Ballarat Fine Art Gallery, are shown for the first time in the context of this exhibition.

The 1853 Goldfields Petition, at 13 meters long, bound in green silk with over 5 000 signatures, was long thought lost. The Petition articulated the diggers' grievances and demands, most of which were rejected, with the grievances eventually culminating in the Eureka uprising of 3 December 1854. The value and fragility of the original makes it difficult for the public to view. For the first time the Petition can now be viewed as part of a virtual exhibition mounted by the Library. Find out if someone in your family signed the Petition by searching through the transcription of the 5 000 signatures.