The new drama-documentary Australia: The Story of Us will delve into five stories that played a role in shaping the nation.

Two of those stories began in Ballarat. Sunday’s episode will look at the story of Irishman James Esmond, who struck gold in Ballarat, leading to the biggest population explosion in history, and the story that changed Australian democracy, the Eureka Stockade.

Show representative Chris Thorburn said the decision to feature Ballarat in the second episode was pivotal.

“Challenges from the beginning was finding the right mix of stories ... we couldn’t tell all the stories, so what stories do you tell?” Mr Thorburn said.

“If there was one fundamental game changer in Australia, it was gold. Gold transformed Australia.

“It not only made us one of the richest countries in the British Empire but brought us immigrants.

“Australia was never the same again.”

Mr Thorburn said it was important to capture the stories of people many wouldn’t have heard about before, like Esmond, who was forced to search for gold on higher ground after a fight with fellow prospectors. Fortunately for him, that was where he struck gold.

The second profile featured is of gold miner John Hynes and the story of the Eureka Stockade. 

“It’s part B to gold fever. Immigrants came in from all over the world, all on the hunt for gold ... Australia was no longer a bunch of colonies of convicts, there were free men coming from countries more political savvy who wouldn’t put up with the government’s new mining licence,” he said

“Out of that came the most advanced democracy at the time.

“These were two big stories we had to tell.”

Mr Thorburn said he hoped people would learn more about Australia’s history and be proud of it as a result of the series.

Museum of Australia Democracy at Eureka director Jane Smith said it was television shows such as this that had the potential to engage the nation with Ballarat’s past.

“We’ve seen it in terms of books and television shows like this to engage people, particularly the under 30s,” she said.

Sovereign Hill chief executive officer Jeremy Johnson said the historic topics in the episode could strike significant interest in Ballarat from more than just Australian-born residents. 

“The lure of finding gold resonates with everyone,” he said.

“There is a connection with other countries as well, particularly with the Chinese, who made up the second-highest population on the goldfields.”

Australia: The Story of Us is an eight-part series that tells stories of the nation’s origins and insights into how Australia was shaped.

alicia.thomas@fairfaxmedia.com.au

AT A GLANCE

WHAT: Australia: The Story of Us

WHEN: Sunday, 8pm

NETWORK: Channel 7