Historical Monument to City Founder Broken in Half, Toppled Ahead of Australia Day

The monument was one of three defaced in Melbourne the day before Australia Day.

The remains of a obelisk-shaped memorial honouring one of Melbourne's founders, John Batman, after vandals cut and toppled the structure at Queen Victoria Market in Melbourne, Australia on Jan. 25, 2025. AAP Image/Rachael Ward

A monument from colonial-era Victoria has been cut in half and toppled, and an ANZAC memorial has been doused in paint, in the latest incident of vandalism in the leadup to Australia Day.

An obelisk-style memorial honouring one of Melbourne’s founders, John Batman, at Queen Victoria Market was cut in half in the early hours of Saturday—the first day of the national day long weekend.

“Police are investigating after a statue was damaged in Melbourne’s CBD on 25 January,” Victoria Police said in a statement.

“Officers were called to gardens on Queen Street following reports a statue of John Batman memorial statue had been damaged about 2.20 a.m.”

Much of the damaged plinth memorial near the car park had been removed by Saturday afternoon, with a loose cloth covering its base.

Batman was a farmer, explorer, and a leading figure in the establishment of Victoria in the 19th century.

Unveiled in 1881, the monument to him originally said the land was “then unoccupied,” according to Melbourne City Council.

A plaque was added in 1992 specifying Aboriginal people had originally occupied the land, with a second installed in 2004 to acknowledge the statue’s inaccuracies.

Other Incidents in Melbourne

Meanwhile, police are also probing the theft of two ceremonial flags and vandalism to an outdoor stage in Ringwood in the city’s east at about 2 a.m. on Saturday.

Images posted to social media showed vandals had spray painted the words “the colony will fall” and “this land is stolen.”

A probe is also underway after a memorial to ANZAC soldiers in Parkville, in inner-city Melbourne, was covered in red paint at about 3 a.m. on Saturday.

Red spots and a smattering of colour remained at the solder’s feet on Saturday afternoon after most of the paint was washed off.

Victoria Police has not linked that vandalism attack to other incidents.

City of Melbourne Lord Mayor Nick Reece said security around “high-risk” targets had been temporarily ramped up.

“Defacing and damaging city assets will not be tolerated in Melbourne,” he said.

“Our team has responded swiftly and professionally to these attacks, and cleaning and repairs were underway within an hour of the city being notified.”

Incidents a Day Earlier

It comes after four people decapitated the statue heads of two Australian prime ministers at the Ballarat Botanic Gardens, causing more than $140,000 in damage.

The heads of former Labor Prime Ministers Paul Keating and Kevin Rudd were removed and stolen on Thursday morning, while the name plates of the 18 remaining statues were covered in spray paint.

In Sydney, a sandstone heritage statue of British explorer and naval captain James Cook in Randwick had its hand and nose severed, and was partially splattered with red paint on Friday morning.

A statue of early English explorer Captain James Cook damaged and graffitied in the lead-up to Australia Day. (Courtesy of Randwick City Council).

Anyone with information about any of the incidents has been urged to contact investigators.

By Rachael Ward.