Out on the road near Ballarat, a party of 200 armed Americans lay in wait for a column of British infantry making haste to the restless goldfield. What would have happened if they'd crossed paths?

The American contribution to Eureka has been buried, forgotten and (in some cases) deliberately written out of this famous story. In this episode, Juliana considers why the Americans have been forgotten, and shines a light on their participation in the stockade, and the famous events surrounding it. The Americans made up the largest ethnic group within the stockade, and accounted for most of the causalities, but why did so many of them want to involve themselves in British politics? Listen in and find out!

WARNING: This episode contains mentions of slavery and animal cruelty. Listener discretion is advised.

In the 170 years or so since Eureka, there have been two perspectives which have commanded attention: those of the stockaders, and that of the Victorian Government. The military, who played a major role in the event, have been side-lined from the historical re-telling. In this episode, Juliana explores the report written by Captain John Thomas, the commanding officer at Eureka, to see what it can tell us about why the military acted as they did at Eureka, and the importance of understanding a story from a range of perspectives.

In April 1855, while in hiding from the law after the Battle of the Eureka Stockade, Peter Lalor, the rebel Commander-in-Chief, wrote an open letter that has since become the Holy Gospel of Eureka. It is one of the most quoted and referenced documents regarding this event, and is indispensable to any serious study of the Eureka Stockade, or the Ballarat goldfields. But is it all we've been led to believe? Peter Lalor was a smooth political operator with grand ambitions. He wasn't going to let something as big as Eureka pass without using it to his advantage!

In this two-part episode, Juliana unpicks Lalor's famous open letter "To The Colonists" and sorts through the myths to get at the facts. Part II considers the command structure inside the stockade, the attack itself, Peter Lalor's life-changing injury and the treatment of civilians by the military and police. Tune in after the credits to hear the second part of Lalor's letter, read by Juliana.