The place where ‘the Australian Flag’ first flew in defiance against government tyranny will this month see the launch of a new Collaborative Research Centre in Australian History.  In the city of Ballarat, the site of the Eureka rebellion of 1854, Professor Tom Griffiths of the School of History at ANU will launch the new CRC in Australian History at Federation University Australia on Friday, 9 May 2014.  His address, entitled History under the Southern Cross: Reflections on the future of Australian history will be presented at the Ballarat Lodge and Convention Centre at 9.30 am and will be followed by a ‘World Café’ event where participants will help to create a plan for the Centre’s first year of operations.  The new CRC brings together partner organisations with academic researchers and postgraduate students to discover and interpret Australia's cultural heritage – in a community forged by democratic ardour and a rural city with a vibrant tradition of national consciousness.