Warning Very Random Musings Ahead Approach With Caution
Sounds good though I don’t think the Eureka Stockade in isolation would be enough for a republic to form. Pushing the stockade back a decade or two though (maybe by having gold discovered in Victoria later?) might help.
Having similar revolts over high taxation, the right to vote and corruption during the New South Wales gold rush, in the Queensland (maybe having gold discovered in charters towers earlier so that the rush is bigger there is a hell of a lot of gold there the charters towers gold rush only ended because it became too expensive to mine in World War 1) , Tasmania (by having gold at Beaconsfield found earlier ) and the three rushes in New Zealand (though I don’t know anything about them.) would help.
I was thinking of having a gold rush in North Queensland earlier (30’s or 40’s) by having a larger presence in the north by developing Townsville earlier to secure the north east coast.
Of course having all of these big gold rushes in quick succession would make Britain fight harder to keep Australia.
Maybe having convicts which appose British rule work sugar plantations in the north (instead of the blackbirding which happened OTL) maybe Irish Catholics or Indians who when freed form a sizeable population. I’m really guessing here don’t know enough about this type of stuff.
Having the squatters more influential/powerful could help with a revolution as well especially if government policy in the 1830’s doesn’t change from opposition to acceptance.
I think the main problem here is that Australia’s a dam big place and you would need some cohesion for a successful revolution to take place and that’s going to be hard to do in 1854.
most of this maybe ASB though and most likely does not make a lick of sense due to lack of sleep.