Two iconic Australian monuments linked to its colonial past have been damaged and defaced in what authorities described was a serious act of “vandalism” near Melbourne’s central business district on a national day of mourning for victims of the Bondi Beach terror attack.
The Pioneer Monument in Melbourne’s Flagstaff Gardens, erected in 1871, was found toppled and broken into pieces early on Thursday, with graffiti sprayed across its base. The damage is believed to have occurred overnight.
