Latest news with #ParksVictoria
ABC News
7 days ago
- ABC News
Two men arrested after graffiti found at culturally significant Paradise Falls
Two men have been arrested after a rock face was vandalised and spray painted with graffiti at Paradise Falls in Victoria's Alpine National Park. Paradise Falls and the surrounding area is on located on Taungurung Country, about three-and-a-half hours north of Melbourne. The graffiti was discovered on a rock face at the culturally significant site on May 12. On Wednesday, police in Melbourne arrested and charged a 24-year-old Rosebud man with criminal damage, and for breaching laws under Victoria's Aboriginal Heritage Act that protect significant sites. The man was bailed to appear at the Wangaratta Magistrates Court in September. A 25-year-old man from Hastings was also arrested during a search warrant at his home on Wednesday, and police said he would be charged with the same offences at a later time. The graffiti at the base of the waterfall is yet to be removed due to the ongoing police investigation, which included specialist graffiti analysts. The Taungurung Land & Waters Council and Parks Victoria have been contacted for comment.
Sydney Morning Herald
16-07-2025
- Sydney Morning Herald
Two men arrested, one charged over graffiti at sacred Indigenous site
Police have arrested two men two months after a rock face in north-east Victoria, considered a sacred Indigenous site, was vandalised with graffiti. On May 12, Parks Victoria officers discovered that Paradise Falls in the King Valley had been spray-painted with a graffiti tag, sharing a photo of the damage. 'Paradise Falls is a sacred women's place and much loved by all that visit. If you know who this tag belongs to let them know they need to return and clean up their mess,' the Bangerang Indigenous Cultural Centre wrote on social media at the time. Victoria Police said on Wednesday afternoon that officers had arrested a man in Melbourne's CBD that morning. Police from Whitfield – the town nearest Paradise Falls – had charged the man, a 24-year-old from Rosebud, with criminal damage and charges against the Aboriginal Heritage Act (2006). He has been bailed to face Wangaratta Magistrates Court in late September. A second man, aged 25, from Hastings, was also arrested on Wednesday and is expected to be charged with the same offences. 'The damage was approximately 10 metres wide and two metres high,' police said. 'Specialist graffiti analysts from the Transit Divisional Response Unit assisted with the investigation.'
The Age
16-07-2025
- The Age
Two men arrested, one charged over graffiti at sacred Indigenous site
Police have arrested two men two months after a rock face in north-east Victoria, considered a sacred Indigenous site, was vandalised with graffiti. On May 12, Parks Victoria officers discovered that Paradise Falls in the King Valley had been spray-painted with a graffiti tag, sharing a photo of the damage. 'Paradise Falls is a sacred women's place and much loved by all that visit. If you know who this tag belongs to let them know they need to return and clean up their mess,' the Bangerang Indigenous Cultural Centre wrote on social media at the time. Victoria Police said on Wednesday afternoon that officers had arrested a man in Melbourne's CBD that morning. Police from Whitfield – the town nearest Paradise Falls – had charged the man, a 24-year-old from Rosebud, with criminal damage and charges against the Aboriginal Heritage Act (2006). He has been bailed to face Wangaratta Magistrates Court in late September. A second man, aged 25, from Hastings, was also arrested on Wednesday and is expected to be charged with the same offences. 'The damage was approximately 10 metres wide and two metres high,' police said. 'Specialist graffiti analysts from the Transit Divisional Response Unit assisted with the investigation.'
Daily Mail
01-07-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Shock twist after park boss was sacked over her four-minute foul-mouthed rant - despite 21 years of 'unblemished service'
A gift shop manager will be able to keep her job after she was sacked following a four-minute verbal tirade where she swore at and 'humiliated' another worker. Helen Woodlock has worked for Parks Victoria for 21 years and manages the gift shop in the Dandenong Botanical Gardens. But her employer had fought to have her sacked after an incident with a staff member from the adjacent Café Vireya in August 2023. Ms Woodlock had decades of 'unblemished service' until she erupted at the café worker for leaving the site unattended while several customers waited to be served. Countless complaints had been made about the café to Ms Woodlock who shouted 'f***' upon entering the store to find it empty. Soon after, the café attendant showed up, Ms Woodlock said: 'Jesus Christ, what the s***'s going on? 'People have been waiting here for f***ing 45 minutes. People are asking for food. Where are you?' The café worker replied that he had walked to the nearby IGA to get more paper for the EFTPOS machine. Ms Woodlock told the staffer he'd been gone for an hour and customers had been waiting even longer. 'Do you know what? And again I am sorry to diss you in front of customers but I've got these people coming up and I want to look after them,' she said. 'We've walked around for perhaps thirty minutes. The other man walked in and I'm like "hello, hello". 'These are our customers into our gardens, and where are you? So yes, I am upset because this is our gardens.' The café worker then said: 'Can you please stop yelling at me?' Ms Woodlock told the attendant he needed to speak to his manager. The incident was then investigated following a complaint about Ms Woodlock from the cafe's operator, with the CEO of Parks Victoria proposing she be fired. Ms Woodlock to the matter to the Fair Work Commission (FWC), claiming her proposed termination was unfair. She argued she walked into the café because she had safety concerns due to complaints about service delays and a gas smell. The FWC rejected her arguments, finding that her actions were the 'hallmarks of bullying' and therefore warranted termination. 'The nature of this conduct was degrading and humiliating,' the Commissioner found. 'It amounted to abuse and mistreatment of (the café worker) in circumstances of a power imbalance caused by the group aspect of the behaviour.' Ms Woodlock then successfully appealed the findings. In considering Ms Woodlock's appeal, the FWC heard that after 21 years of unblemished service, she was given 'unsolicited praise' from customers and had glowing performance reviews. Ms Woodlock claimed her job was 'part of my identity', that she was remorseful, and personal issues like the recent deaths of her step father and father-in-law, along with a 'serious respiratory illness' played a role in her behaviour. The FWC bench found that the previous Commissioner had relied on an incomplete draft record of an interview of the attendant. The FWC bench said Ms Woodlock subjected the worker to 'brutal public humiliation'. But there were numerous and 'significant countervailing considerations in the team leader's favour'. 'What took place was an uncharacteristic outburst of frustration and anger lasting four minutes, which, as we have noted, was partly explained by the poor emotional state [the team leader] was in as a result of her personal circumstances,' the bench found. 'We are also of the view that the personal difficulties she was suffering were exacerbated on the day of the incident, as a result of the respiratory illness that she was recovering from, the many incidents involving the café that she had been required to deal with over a lengthy period, and her distress at having to deal with angry customers of the café immediately prior to the incident.' It noted that while Ms Woodlock's conduct was serious, in their opinion 'dismissal is not disproportionate to the seriousness of her conduct'. 'We are satisfied that there is no risk of a repetition of the misconduct, and Parks Victoria will continue to receive the good service [Ms Woodlock] has provided for many years,' the bench found. It was also heard that the worker who was the subject of the abuse would suffer no unfairness from Ms Woodlock's continued employment because he no longer worked at the café. 'On the other hand, for [Ms Woodlock], the loss of her job would be a heavy, life changing penalty from which it is unlikely she would recover given that her prospects of gaining other employment are limited,' the bench said. 'In all of the circumstances, we consider that dismissal would be unfair.'
Yahoo
20-06-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Incredible discovery at beloved Aussie national park after tragedy
Signs of life are returning to a beloved Australian national park, where a dramatic post-fire transformation is underway, just months after bushfires tore through the landscape. A series of striking images shared from the Wimmera region of the Grampians National Park in Victoria reveal a burnt but bouncing-back bush. While charred trunks and blackened soil still dominate much of the scene, fresh green shoots, fungi and returning birdlife point to a hopeful recovery. Following devastating summer bushfires that burned nearly 80 per cent of the national park, a rapid-response strategy involving habitat pods, emergency feeding stations, and intensive predator control has helped protect some of our most vulnerable wildlife "Since the bushfires, we've helped critically endangered species that call the Grampians home — we're really pleased to see signs of recovery," Parks Victoria District Manager Mick Smith told Yahoo News Australia. "In the days after the fires, we dropped food using drones and helicopters, hoping some populations had survived." Mick said volunteers helped put together more than 350 habitat pods that small mammals like the Potoroo can use for shelter from foxes and feral cats while the bush is recovering. "We also ramped up efforts to remove feral animals that prey on native species," he said. Among the returning wildlife are Brush-tailed Rock-wallabies, which have been spotted on monitoring cameras eating and drinking at feeding stations, including three healthy joeys. "We've also seen Potoroos and Smokey Mice. While there is a long way to go, the signs are good for the native species of the Grampians," Mick said. Across the national park, epicormic growth is appearing on eucalypts — sprouting from dormant buds beneath the bark — while new seedlings are pushing through the soil. Shrubs are regenerating from the base, and early successional species like fungi and Banksia are beginning to thrive in the disturbed landscape. An unusual early-season bloom has also been spotted in the form of earth star fungi, whose spores travel widely after fire events. At the same time, Banksia and Hakea seed pods, long sealed shut by a wax-like coating, are opening in response to heat, dispersing seeds to help regenerate the next generation of plants. While the return of birds like honeyeaters — which can switch to eating insects when nectar is scarce — is a welcome sign, full habitat recovery will take years. Rare victory in fight to protect iconic and critically endangered species Photo shows desperate move to slow down invasive predators in national park Predators forced out with fence covering 2,000 hectares Tiny cardboard habitat pods, which resemble little teepees, have played a surprising role in the recovery. Developed with input from First Nations groups, these biodegradable structures offer instant cover for vulnerable species, mimicking the natural debris lost to fire. Over time, they break down and feed the soil — a small but powerful intervention as nature finds its feet again. "There's still a long way to go, but seeing animals return and vegetation regenerate gives us real hope for the future," Mick said. Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@ You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.
