When did miners burn their licenses before the Eureka stockade?

Answer 1

As a protest against having to pay a monthly fee, even if unsuccessful, in a declining alluvial gold environment wher crushing rock was required and was limited to those able to provide the equipment.

Answer 2

Burning their mining licences was how the miners showed their protest over frequent licence hunts.

The Eureka Stockade was the 1854 miners' uprising on the goldfields of Ballarat, Victoria, Australia. Conditions on the Australian goldfields were very harsh, but apart from that, the main source of discontent was the miner's licence, which cost a monthly fee of 30 shillings and permitted the holder to work a 3.6 metre square "claim". Licences had to be paid regardless of whether a digger's claim resulted in the finding of any gold. Troopers (goldfields police) conducted frequent licence hunts, during which the miners were ordered to produce proof of their licences, and this added to the discontent and increasing unrest.

Attempts to get the government's attention by sending delegations for miners' rights had met with a complete lack of action from the Victorian government, so on 29 November 1854, the miners burned their licences in a united, mass resistance against the laws over the miners.

Answer 3

In the lead-up to the Eureka Stockade, gold miners burned their licences on 29 November 1854.