Vandals trying to decapitate a statue of Captain Cook after sprawling graffiti on a two-century-old historical cottage his father built were scared away before they could finish the job.
Three offenders arrived under the cloak of darkness at Captain Cook's Cottage in Fitzroy Gardens in East Melbourne about 2am on Tuesday and spray-painted "anti-Cook" comments on the building, police said.
The trio were caught on CCTV in dark pants, black and grey hoodies and full-face balaclavas attempting to use possibly an angle grinder to cut off the statue's head, Detective Inspector Martin McLean said.
"The Captain Cook statue, which also stands in the gardens, has been damaged by what appears to be an attempt to remove the head," a police spokesman said.
"I don't believe they had enough time to actually be successful," he told reporters on Tuesday.
The vandals were seen leaving abruptly, packing their things into bags with another person holding what appeared to be a black crate before scurrying away.
The vandals left after security notified them they were being recorded, Melbourne Lord Mayor Nick Reece said.
The activated security measures included a light which illuminated the area and a voice warning the offenders they were being recorded on CCTV, which played seven times over three minutes.
"While there are a range of views on statues and memorials, each time a monument is damaged, it's ultimately the ratepayer footing the bill - and that is unacceptable," Reece said.
'It advances no cause'
Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan labelled the attack "senseless vandalism," stating it "has no place" in society.
"It advances no cause," the premier told reporters in Melbourne on Tuesday.
"We'll work with council authorities around any restoration of repair work that needs to be undertaken," she said.
The graffiti on the cottage has been removed, but cut marks remain on the statue's neck.
The act was clearly a targeted attack with the vandals bringing power tools and red paint to deface the site, Detective Inspector McLean said.
"The community has a pretty dim view on people who behave in this manner in public," he said.
"I don't see them as protesters.
"I see them as criminals and that's how we'll deal with them."
The statue had been reinstalled two weeks earlier after it was targeted in 2024.
The cottage was built in 1755 by James Cook's father in Yorkshire, England, and was later relocated to Melbourne by Sir Russell Grimwade in 1934.
The incident follows another attack last month when a Captain Cook statue in Sydney was splattered with red paint, and its hand and nose were damaged just before Australia Day.
Investigators are reviewing CCTV footage of the latest incident and have urged anyone with information, or dashcam footage, to contact Crimestoppers.
