The first gold was found by Edward Hargraves near Bathurst in New South Wales
These licence hunts came to symbolise the governments oppression of the diggers and directly led to major protests on the goldfields in Sofala
Bendigo licence hunts began
The ‘Bendigo Goldfields Petition’ was presented to Lieutenant-Governor Charles Joseph La Trobe.
Licence hunts began in the Eureka Rebellion
Prompted mainly by budget short falls the governor of Victoria, Sir Charles Hotham, ordered the frequency of the licence hunts to twice weekly
10,000 diggers met to demand the release of the three diggers, the abolition of the licence and the vote for all males.
The Eureka Stockade Rebellion in Ballarat, Victoria Australia
The fields of Ballarat were occupied by 25,000 or more miners from Britain, Ireland, Europe and China many of whom came from the goldfields of California
the Ballarat Reform League was formed and several thousand miners adopted a program of radical reform to bring change on the goldfields and to claim political rights.
The gold licence was replaced by a Miner’s Right which cost 1 pound a year for the right to dig and also entitled the owner to vote in parliamentary elections.