Australia Day 'shame': Captain Cooks' Cottage graffitied
Vandals got in ahead of extra security planned for Captain Cook's cottage over the Australia Day weekend.
The Melbourne monument was sprayed with anti-Australia graffiti for the second year in a row early Friday morning, with slogans reading "26th Jan Australia's shame" and "F*** Australia Day".
Smashed light bulbs were used as makeshift paint bombs, breaking one window and littering the building's surroundings with glass.
Melbourne Lord Mayor Robert Doyle said CCTV cameras, added after last year's attacks, had caught footage of the vandals and more security had been added to the cottage.
"We'll put security on there from now until early next week so it'll be under guard," Mr Doyle said.
"We were actually planning on doing that for this weekend but unfortunately these vandals got in in advance."
The graffiti has not been linked to previous attacks, the last in February 2013, and it is believed a new group is responsible for Friday's defacing.
Victoria Police say at least two vandals had been spotted on camera during 2.30am and 2.40am.
Senior Constable Scott Gray said the people responsible knew where security cameras were in the park, and how to avoid them.
"They seem to know where the cameras are placed around the gardens," Det Snr Const Gray said on Friday.
Anarchist blog "disaccords" claimed responsibility for the 2013 graffiti, saying in an online statement the denial of Australia's "brutal" history was nowhere more evident than on Australia Day.
"This is why we trashed the absurd shrine to genocide, Captain Cook's Cottage, with paint," the bloggers wrote last year.
No group has claimed responsibility for Friday's attack.
A damage bill for the graffiti and broken window has not been finalised but the cottage, which attracts 100,000 visitors a year, will be reopened on Friday afternoon.
