This historical fiction novel is set in 1854 in the booming goldfields of Ballarat, Victoria. Our young character, Alf, is 13-years-old when he and his mum leave Melbourne and travel by horse and dray to set up their general store in a tent at Ballarat. The goldfields are portrayed as chaotic, dangerous yet exciting too. Alf hears stories of gold dust and hard work but police harassment too. Tensions build and there are talks of rebellion by the miners. Tucker’s main aim is to provide insights into life at the goldfields, who came to the goldfields and why and also to explore reasons behind the Eureka rebellion by the miners. Reasons given are the bullying police, troopers’ violence, and the Victorian government’s unjust treatment of the miners. Most of the characters Tucker writes about existed while others are Tucker’s creation. These characters’ interactions bring the Eureka story alive with the rebellion itself described in detail. A woman and 27 men and are killed by the British redcoats. Five soldiers lose their lives. In the historical notes at the end, Tucker briefly outlines the story of the rebellion at Eureka and the reasons leading up to it.
NCACL Cultural Diversity Database
