The '''Eureka Flag''' was flown for the first time on Bakery Hill, [[Ballarat]], [[Australia]] as a symbol of the resistance of the gold miners during the [[Eureka Stockade]] rebellion. Beneath this flag, [[Peter Lalor]], leader of the Ballarat Reform League, and the aggrieved miners swore this oath: "We swear by the [[Crux Australis|Southern Cross]] to stand truly by each other and fight to defend our rights and liberties." According to the ''Ballarat Times'', at "about eleven o'clock the 'Southern Cross' was hoisted, and its maiden appearance was a fascinating object to behold. There is no flag in Europe, or in the civilised world half so beautiful, and Bakery Hill, as being the place where the Australian ensign was first hoisted, will be recorded in the deathless and inevitable pages of history. The flag is silk, blue ground with large silver cross; no device or arms, but all exceedingly chaste and natural." [http://www.eurekaballarat.com/special_media/eureka_flag_history.pdf]
