An armed conflict between diggers and authorities on the Ballarat gold fields of Australia. Gold had been found here in 1851; by 1853 over 20,000 diggers from around the world had crowded into Ballarat. Their grievances, which included the licence system and its administration, corruption among officials, lack of political representation, and limited access to land, culminated in an attack by soldiers and police on diggers who were in a stockade on the “Eureka lead”. Thirteen diggers faced charges of high treason; one case was dropped and the others were acquitted. A royal commission led to reforms on the goldfields.