Exhibition and Victoria streets.<\/a><\/p>\nAn investigation discovered that a major municipal sewer line bisects the corner garden bed and cannot be built over. <\/p>\n
To avoid the pipe, officials shifted the monument\u2019s proposed site to the reserve\u2019s internal edge.<\/p>\n
This shift, however, requires the permanent removal of five car parking spaces along the Exhibition St slip road to create a paved plaza around the monument. <\/p>\n
While council officers acknowledged potential community opposition to losing the parking, they argued the area has low occupancy and that the slip-road plaza is the most cost-effective option, allowing visitors to safely walk around the multi-ton monument.<\/p>\n
The final design also compromises on a key historical request. <\/p>\n
The Royal Society of Victoria (RSV) \u2014 the original 1860 expedition sponsor located directly across the street \u2014 requested that the statues of Robert O\u2019Hara Burke and William John Wills face due north toward their destination of the Gulf of Carpentaria. <\/p>\n
However, transport planners blocked the request, ruling that facing the explorers north would severely reduce sightlines for passing motorists and pedestrians. <\/p>\n
Instead, the bronze plaque will face the footpath, with on-site visual elements added to help visitors orient themselves toward the historic northern route.<\/p>\n
Despite the layout adjustments and the monument\u2019s relocation away from its original City Square home, the project aims to tell a \u201cfuller, more honest story\u201d. <\/p>\n
\u201cAfter years in storage, the Burke and Wills monument has finally found a new home \u2013 with plans to display the statue at Exhibition Street Reserve,\u201d said Lord Mayor Nick Reece.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a fitting place for the explorers \u2013 sitting opposite the Royal Society of Victoria, who in 1860 were the sponsors of the ill-fated expedition.\u201d<\/p>\n
The council is collaborating with the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Cultural Heritage Corporation to install new on-site signage. <\/p>\n
The interpretation will acknowledge the care and compassion of the Yandruwandha people, who kept John King \u2014 the expedition\u2019s sole survivor \u2014 alive in the harsh Australian interior.<\/p>\n
To protect the restored monument, the city is also investigating security measures to mitigate the risk of graffiti and vandalism. <\/p>\n
The statue has previously been a flashpoint for political protest, most notably on the eve of Australia Day in 2018 when it was splattered with green paint and had the word \u201cstolen\u201d scrawled across its pedestal. <\/p>\n
To prevent a repeat of such incidents, the council is currently assessing the installation of security cameras at the reserve.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith around 40,000 people passing by the reserve each day, Exhibition Street Reserve is a prominent and accessible place,\u201d said Creative Melbourne portfolio head Councillor Philip Le Liu. <\/p>\n
The unbudgeted capital works are expected to be funded through a negotiated $40,000 state government settlement received \u201cin lieu\u201d of returning the statue to City Square. <\/p>\n
If approved on Tuesday, the monument is scheduled for installation in early 2027.<\/p>\n
Opposition MP David Davis, a long-time advocate for the statue\u2019s return to City Square, labelled the latest move a \u201cthird choice location\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cUnsatisfactory and largely a pedestrian backwater,\u201d he told the Herald Sun<\/p>\n
\u201cIt should have been placed back in the City Square as originally intended rather than buckling to political forces who want this important colonial statue banished to the boondocks.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Melbourne\u2019s oldest public monument is on the move again \u2014 but its long-awaited return will cost the 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