Could the little town of Koroit have its own Eureka moment?

Supporters of the 1854 Ballarat goldfields Eureka Rebellion are hoping to invoke the spirit of Eureka in the south-west's Irish heartland.

Eureka Australia member Jim Brown, a passionate campaigner for preserving the memory of the historic miners' stand, believes Koroit, home of the Irish Festival and the Lake School of Celtic Music and Dance, is a logical choice to keep the flame burning.

"Koroit has probably the strongest Irish festival in Victoria, if not Australia. We want Eureka to survive and I think it's a natural progression for this town to embrace it formally," he said.

"We are hoping the memory of Eureka survives in Koroit."

Mr Brown spoke about the legacy of Eureka as a guest of the Lake School during a recent successful event.

"Of all the things the Irish did in this country, the Irish contribution to democracy was the most important," Mr Brown told his audience, which included several Eureka descendants, at Koroit's Bookworm Gallery on Saturday, January 6, 2024.

Among them was Glenn Hearn, whose great-grandfather's father-in-law Jock Allen was at the Eureka Stockade.

Mr Hearn, who moved to Koroit from Ballarat 14 months ago, brought along a prized lithograph of the stockade which he snapped up at a garage sale; evidence, according to Mr Brown, of the rich vein of Eureka history still prevalent in the district today.

A short-lived uprising on December 3, 1854 by the predominantly Irish-populated Ballarat gold-mining community against miners' licence fees and other injustices, the Eureka Stockade has been upheld as the birthplace of Australian democracy.

It lasted just 15 minutes, cost the lives of 22 miners and some five soldiers, resulted in 13 miners being tried and acquitted of treason, and prompted a Goldfields Commission of Inquiry which delivered sweeping reforms recognising the rights of miners.

An archivist, poet, former TV journalist who covered high profile stories including the Lindy Chamberlain trial and presenter on lifestyle show Healthy, Wealthy and Wise, Mr Brown said he feared "one of the greatest stories not just in Australia but globally" was at risk of being lost.

"It's fading and we have to make a stand to keep it alive. We should be so proud of Eureka."

Mr Brown also entertained the audience with a ballad he recently composed about the rebellion.

Eureka Australia, which has a 300-plus strong membership of descendants and supporters, is working to educate the next generation about the historic event, which marks its 170th anniversary this year, and plans to introduce a video and study guide into the Australian school syllabus.

Outgoing long-serving Lake School musical director, Felix Meagher gave the concept his blessing.

"The Lake School is an umbrella arts festival, so in my opinion, it would be an appropriate place for it (the Eureka story)," he said.

"The fact that there was a lot of Irish involvement in the event is an extra reason for it to be at an Irish festival.

"It's an Australian story, it's a regional story hugely significant to building a democracy," Mr Meagher said.

Mr Brown has also approached the town's Irish Festival committee with suggestions for a Eureka presence.