Burning Down the House

On the 17th of October 1854, just six weeks before the famous Battle of the Eureka Stockade, a mob of furious diggers surrounded the opulent Eureka Hotel in Ballarat and burned it to the ground. The publican had recently got away with murder and the burning of the Eureka has been presented ever since as either a triumph of justice for the people, or the symptom of men pushed too far, too hard, who finally snapped.But was it quite as spontaneous as the arsonists would like us to believe? This fortnight, Juliana considers the circumstances around this infamous act of violence and unpicks the mythology to reveal a far darker tale than a riot which got out of hand. What were the consequences when the Eureka was burned down? Was there any justification at all? And did it have any connection to the Eureka Stockade? Listen in, and find out.