Places near me Random place
All Australia Melbourne Headless King George V

Headless King George V

This statue of King George V was beheaded as a protest of colonialism.

Melbourne, Australia

Added By
eastofborneo
  eastofborneo / Atlas Obscura User
King George V Monument   eastofborneo / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

The monument was unveiled in 1952 to commemorate King George V who was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936.

The statue is located in Kings Domain Park and stands at the entrance to the Sidney Myer Music Bowl. 

In 2024, days before the Kings Birthday Public holiday, the statue was beheaded and covered in red paint as a protest of colonialism in Australia. The head was stolen and has not been recovered. 

Since then, King George’s head has turned up numerous times on social media including being grilled on a BBQ and on stage at a Kneecap Concert. There are no plans to restore the statue. Instead King George now stands headless on his monument. 

Places

Discover your next amazing Atlas Place.

Get more unusual and extraordinary places each week with the Atlas Obscura Places newsletter.

Your newsletter subscriptions with us are subject to Atlas Obscura's Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

Related Tags

Royalty Colonialism Sculptures

Know Before You Go

The monument is located in Kings Domain, a large park complex south of the Melbourne CBD. It is located near the entrance to the Sidney Myer Music Bowl and is near the Botanical Gardens and the National Gallery of Victoria. 

Community Contributors

Added By

eastofborneo

Published

February 10, 2026

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources

Nearby Places

Explore the Destination Guide

Related Places

  • Storefront that has replaced the house of exile.

    Freetown, Sierra Leone

    Prempeh I Exile House

    An Asante king spent four years in exile in a house on this very spot.

  •

    Isle of Wight, England

    The Durbar Room

    This elaborate banquet hall in Queen Victoria's summer residence is an homage to Indian architecture, including miniature models of palaces in India.

  • The Sincretismo statue

    Guadalajara, Mexico

    'Sincretismo'

    A beautiful and controversial modern sculpture that alludes to the Aztec past identity of the Virgin of Guadalupe and the phenomenon of syncretism.

  • The Nhlagano royal loo

    Nhlagano, Eswatini

    British Royal Party Platform

    This dais was said to be a remote toilet built for the convenience of the British Royal Party on their brief, and only, visit to this small African nation in 1947. But is the story true?

  • Old Harkilees in Braintree Museum.

    Essex, England

    Old Harkilees

    This wooden effigy believed to be King Charles I hung for centuries outside an inn and was mistaken for a deity.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member

Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member