spectors from all over the world rushed to the colonies of New South Wales and Victoria in the hope of making their fortune. Tent cities dotted the Australian countryside, some as large as 40,000 people. Most prospectors were from Britain or China.went from a farming community of a few thousand European settlers to a thriving, buzzing global community of peoples from everywhere. Hence the authorities couldn t cope with the influx and there were outbreaks of violence, the most famous of which was known as the Eureka Stockade. By 1854, miners held many grievances against what they believed to be a corrupt and unjust goldfields administration. The brutal policing of an unfair license system, blatant corruption among Government officials and the lack of representation in the Victorian Parliament were the chief causes of their resentment. Their calls for "true British justice" fell on deaf ears.of the most vocal critics were Irishmen who worked on the Eureka Lead. After a series of minor skirmishes tensions were so great that armed miners swore allegiance to a new flag - the Flag of the Southern Cross-and built a stockade. The authorities obviously couldn t have the Union Jack undermined like this and early one Sunday morning launched a surprise attack and squashed the miners stand., Everything the miners fought for was later instated, such as the abolition of the gold license system, the right to vote and representation in parliament. Many believe the Eureka Rebellion was the birthplace of Australian democracy.
.2 Commonwealth
Forty-seven years after the democratic action known as the Eureka Stockade, one nation, Australia, was forged from the colonies of New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia and Tasmania. Until 1901 they were separate entities, governed by different laws, with different taxes and different lots of other stuff. Then, after years of gesticulation from the important men of the time, the joining of the colonies to form the Commonwealth of Australia was proclaimed and there was a period of rejoicing, including a visit from the Royal Family. Sydney and Melbourne were in disagreement over who should be capital so an area of ​​NSW was annexed and called the Australian Capital Territory, modeled on Washington DC. In 1902, with the population almost 2 million, women were allowed to vote. After much campaigning, the fight for a new political identity for women was won. That same year three of their number stood for election. p align="justify"> In 1911 Australian explorer, scientist and hero Douglas Mawson decided to map and explore the coastal area of ​​Antarctica closest to Australia. His epic trek was described as the greatest story of lone survival in polar exploration.1914 thousands of young Australian and New Zealand men joined up the Australian and...
