Vandals have toppled a monument to Victoria’s early colonial settlers in Flagstaff Gardens and marked a second monument in the same CBD park with red paint.
Police said they believed vandals used machinery to pull down the stone First Pioneers Monument at about 5am on Thursday, causing it to break into several pieces.
The words “land back” and “death to Australia” were scrawled on a broken piece of stone and on the steps of the monument, which memorialises a burial ground of early colonial settlers.
The Separation Memorial, which was erected in Flagstaff Gardens to mark the 100th anniversary of Victoria’s separation from New South Wales, was also vandalised with red paint.
“A crime scene has been established, and the investigation is ongoing,” Victoria Police said.
There were numerous similar acts of vandalism in previous years, targeting Melbourne monuments and statues that mark Australia’s colonial history.
A statue of Captain James Cook in St Kilda’s Catani Gardens was cut off at its ankles in 2024 and the words “the colony will fall” were spray-painted on the plinth. The same statue was doused in red paint in 2022.
Ahead of Australia Day last year, the statue was placed under the watch of security guards.
In May 2025, a Fitzroy North memorial to Cook, which stood in the Edinburgh Gardens, was removed by the City of Yarra after repeated acts of vandalism.
A council report said frequent attacks, particularly around Australia Day, had caused irreparable harm to the bust of James Cook’s face and meant the council was pouring more money into the memorial’s maintenance.
The First Pioneers Monument by Samuel Craven was erected at Flagstaff Gardens in 1871 to honour some of the earliest pioneers of the colony, whose remains were buried near the monument site.
The gardens were a high place for early colonists to view incoming ships.
The Separation Monument, whose artist is unknown, was erected nearby in 1950 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Victoria’s separation from New South Wales in 1851.
Anyone who witnessed the incident at Flagstaff Gardens, has information or CCTV or dashcam footage of the area is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or submit an online confidential report at www.crimestoppersvic.com.au.
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