Police are investigating after several statues along the Prime Ministers Avenue were severely damaged.
It’s understood the vandalism in Ballarat’s Botanical Gardens occurred between 2 and 5am on Thursday morning.
20 statues were damaged, with the heads of two removed and stolen.
The name plates of the remaining statues have been covered in spray paint.
The City of Ballarat says they strongly condemn graffiti and vandalism of any kind, and the senseless damage is completely unacceptable.
They say it’s not only extremely costly to ratepayers, but it detracts from Ballarat as a city.
Chair of the Ballarat Botanical Gardens Foundation, Mark Shultz, says they are deeply saddened to hear of the vandalism on a beloved feature of the gardens.
He hopes the vandals are identified and charged by the law for this destruction of public property.
Anyone with information regarding the vandalism is urged to contact Crime Stoppers.
