Eureka Street Heritage Precinct

(a) the place's importance in the course, or pattern, of Australia's natural or cultural history;
(b) the place's possession of uncommon, rare or endangered aspects of Australia's natural or cultural history;
(c) the place's potential to yield information that will contribute to an understanding of Australia's natural or cultural history;
(g) the place's strong or special association with a particular community or cultural group for social, cultural or spiritual reasons.

The Precinct is associated with the discovery of gold in the early 1850s, in particular the alluvial and quartz mining of the Eureka and Black Hill Leads. It is significant because it provides the historical context and setting for Eureka Stockade Garden which is included on the National Heritage List for its association with Eureka Stockade rebellion. "The gold miners' revolt against the goldfield administration, and particularly the loss of life (33 miners and 5 soldiers) resulting from the insurrection, is a major event in Australia's political and social history. While there is little above ground evidence of the event that took place at Ballarat and while the exact location is not agreed upon, Eureka Stockade Gardens is important for its association with this uncommon and highly significant event in the nation's past." The precinct is significant because of its potential to yield archaeological evidence of the rebellion in 1854 and the likelihood of underground deposits or artifacts associated with Eureka, participants of the battle who traversed the area and the associated Eureka Lead, and other auriferous deposits being worked by the miners at the time of the revolt.

Eureka Street, the early winding road that runs through the precinct along a ridgeline between the valleys of two separate waterways, Specimen Vale and Warrenheip Creeks, is historically important as the main track to Melbourne, built at the commencement of Victoria's world famous gold rushes. The creek banks as well as the undulating hillsides were subject to extensive and long-running mining activities. The subsequent layout of many of the other roads in a partly distorted grid pattern is important as it illustrates attempts by bureaucracy to introduce a formal urban plan over the chaos and haphazard development of the area that was dominant by mining for many years on both the alluvial flats and the quartz-rich hills.

The Precinct is of further historical significance for demonstrating the influence of mining activities on the early subdivision of the surveyed sections. Settlement clustered around the Leads, in particular the Irish community was strongly identified with the Eureka Lead, although at the time of the rebellion the miners were represented by over 16 different nationalities. Most of the allotments were laid out by private selection under Miner's Right leases resulting in many irregularly shaped blocks of land. The more regularly shaped, government surveyed allotments can predominantly be seen along the east end of Eureka Street. After the rebellion the general area was still used for mining for some years, and in a piecemeal fashion, then housing development with early haphazard timber buildings being later replaced with new buildings that aligned the road reserves.

The Eureka Street/Ballarat East Precinct is architecturally significant at a LOCAL level (AHC criteria D.2, E.1).

(d) the place's importance in demonstrating the principal characteristics of: (i) a class of Australia's natural or cultural places; or (ii) a class of Australia's natural or cultural environments; (e) the place's importance in exhibiting particular aesthetic characteristics valued by a community or cultural group.

The Precinct is important for its heterogeneous mixture of substantially intact residential buildings of varying styles which were constructed from the late 1850s to 1940s/50s, and which are distributed almost equally throughout the Precinct. Although constructed in different eras, the residences tend to be similar in scale, of a small size and simple form with dominant chimneys. There is an important collection of early small Victorian cottages and vernacular styled timber miners cottages scattered throughout the Precinct, which reinforces the visually dominant historic mining character of the area and its historical context with Eureka Stockade. Some larger villas are located on Eureka and George Streets. There are in addition several small shops distributed the length of Eureka Street or located on corner sites, often built in conjunction with their residences. Only a small number of commercial, industrial and cultural community buildings were constructed from the 1860s onwards. These include the Town & City Mission and the former Eureka Street state school No 1071 which has a dominant position, as well as the former Farmer's Ham & Bacon Factory and galvanized corrugated iron factory building associated with the former Cowley's Eureka Iron Works. The eastern boundary of the Precinct was marked by an 19th century Chinese village and large Orphanage.

The Eureka Street/Ballarat East Precinct is aesthetically significant at a LOCAL level (AHC criteria D & E)

(d) the place's importance in demonstrating the principal characteristics of: (i) a class of Australia's natural or cultural places; or (ii) a class of Australia's natural or cultural environments; (e) the place's importance in exhibiting particular aesthetic characteristics valued by a community or cultural group.

The Precinct demonstrates important visual qualities that reflect the historical, cultural and architectural development of the Precinct that contribute to its early gold mining character. The visual qualities include a variety of significant urban landmarks and focal points, some of which can be seen from outside of the Precinct. They particularly comprise the Town and City Mission building, the former Ballarat (Eureka Street) State School No.1071, Montrose Cottage at 111 Eureka Street; the former school; the various small shops along Eureka Street; the main buildings of the former Farmer's Ham and Bacon Factory, and the galvanised corrugated iron factory building associated with the former Cowley's Eureka Iron Works in Rodier Street. There are a number of vantage points throughout the precinct afforded by the steep topographical character of Specimen Vale Creek that runs through the centre of the Precinct. From the upper banks of the Creek unexpected picturesque views of the haphazard collection of small cottages with distinctive chimneys can be seen, including the row of mature oak trees on the east side of Joseph Street; and the Britannia Reserve with its perimeter plantings of mature trees, predominantly elms.

Other important aesthetic qualities include the complex views across and through the precinct to other parts of Ballarat including to Black Hill and Mount Warrenheip, to Specimen Vale Creek and Warrenheip Gully Channels. Other important vistas and view corridors link the area with the former civic area of the municipality of Ballarat East, and to the adjacent Eureka Centre and historic reserve, which commemorates the Eureka Stockade Rebellion. There are also important views within the Precinct along north and south axis roads across the undulating topography, to the rear of many of the houses and other buildings within the Precinct, and additional truncated internal views up to and along Eureka Street which meanders along a distinctive ridgeline on the south side of the precinct.

The important historic visual qualities of the Precinct are also enhanced by the gravel/grass road shoulders and turf nature strips or footpaths; by the stretches of unmade roads; and by private gardens with mature canopy trees. Together with the variously treed and landscaped areas of open public, private and recreational land they provide the precinct with a less urbanised setting of considerable variety. Furthermore, the visual qualities of the Precinct are specially enhanced by the retention of much of its original engineering infrastructure, particularly as identified by the numerous stretches of bluestone or brick spoon drains, and bluestone or brick kerbing.

The Eureka Street/Ballarat East Precinct is socially significant at a LOCAL level (AHC criterion G)

(g) the place's strong or special association with a particular community or cultural group for social, cultural or spiritual reasons.

The Precinct is recognised and highly valued by the local community for its association with mining the Eureka Lead, one of the best yielding leads in Ballarat, and the Eureka Rebellion. The Eureka Rebellion as an historical event and the associated rebel miners' Southern Cross flag, have become symbols for democracy in Australia. The event is ingrained in Australian culture through literature, art, poetry, film and also marked by the local commemoration ceremony, the Eureka Dawn Lantern Walk which is staged each year on Sedition Sunday. The area is significant for its association with the 1855 Commission of Inquiry into the Goldfields set up to investigate the Eureka uprising. In consequence the gold license system was replaced by the annual Miner's Rights which was introduced throughout Australia, giving miner's voting and residential rights. Furthermore, the area has strong links with Peter Lalor, the leader of the rebellion, who by the end of 1855 was elected to the Victorian parliament. The area is socially significant for ongoing residential, commercial, social, educational, industrial and recreational functions.

The Eureka Street/Ballarat East Precinct is scientifically significant at a LOCAL level (AHC criteria C and F)

(c) the place's potential to yield information that will contribute to an understanding of Australia's natural or cultural history;
(f) the place's importance in demonstrating a high degree of creative or technical achievement at a particular period.

The Precinct is important for contributing to the history of the development of the infrastructure of this area of East Ballarat, particularly as identified by the extensive network of significantly intact bluestone and brick spoon drains, gutters and kerbs. The later examples of short span integrated concrete kerbs and spoon gutters, and the asphalt and early concrete footpaths demonstrates how much of the area was left undeveloped for long periods of time due to the impact of mining in the area.

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