Overview

• The Captain Cook statue and Cook's Cottage in Melbourne's Fitzroy Gardens were vandalized around 2 a.m. on Tuesday, just weeks after the statue was reinstalled following prior damage.
• Offenders spray-painted anti-Captain Cook messages on the cottage and attempted to decapitate the statue using tools, but fled after security measures activated.
• Security measures included a light and an audio warning that played multiple times, alerting the vandals they were being recorded on CCTV.
• The City of Melbourne recently spent $13,000 on repairs to the statue after it was previously vandalized and removed from its plinth last year.
• Police are reviewing CCTV footage and have urged anyone with information about the incident to contact Crime Stoppers.