‘They were behaving like a mob’: Tourist attraction destroyed by pack of teens

A BEAUTIFUL garden created over many years for the public by renowned Sydney cultural identity Wendy Whiteley has been trashed by about 200 teenagers.

POPULAR Sydney tourist attraction Wendy Whiteley’s Secret Garden was trashed by a mob of partying youths at the weekend.

The Lavender Bay garden has been a labour of love for Ms Whiteley who first moved to the area with her late artist husband Brett in 1969.

Originally a railway garbage dump, Ms Whiteley has transformed it into to a beautiful garden that attracts locals and tourists alike.

But on Sunday night about 200 teenagers turned up for a party and left a trail of destruction in their wake.

“I’m shattered and disappointed,” Ms Whiteley said.

“I was actually quite frightened. It was like being invaded by an alien breed of creatures.

“They were behaving like a mob.”

The ashes of Ms Whiteley’s husband Brett and their only daughter Arkie are scattered in the garden.

Wendy Whiteley spent years working on the garden. Picture: Virginia Young

It has become a Sydney tourist attraction. Picture: Katrina Tepper

Two wheelbarrow sculptures were broken by the partying crowd, several teak tables were smashed and furniture was tossed into the garden beds.

An open grassy area was trampled into muck and several plants were crushed.

The revellers also left rubbish behind including bottles of alcohol, cans and paper.

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Several tables were destroyed.

Two wheelbarrow artworks were badly damaged.

One of the wheelbarrow sculptures smashed by the revellers.

“It worries me when they get like this as they don’t know what they are doing these kids,” she said.

“I suppose their parents don’t have a clue where they are.”

Arkie was their only daughter.

Brett Whiteley is one of Australia’s most renowned artists.

Ms Whiteley believes the party was organised on social media and members of the gang would not tell her what they were doing.

Police arrived on the scene and shone lamps into the crowd at about 10pm. The crowd then dispersed and ran towards the train station.

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“If you can’t enjoy and respect it stay at home,” she said.

“We welcome people to enjoy the garden and not to trash it. I will and everyone else will call the police.”

What used to be grass was turned into mud during the party.

Plants were trampled on.

Ms Whiteley said a similar incident happened about two years ago.

Gardeners spent hours cleaning up the mess on Monday morning filling several large bags with damaged plants. Despite the carnage, the park was full of visitors on the public holiday.

Secretary of the Lavender Bay precinct Ian Curdie organises community gardening mornings in the park.

Ian Curdie with some of the many bags of dead plants and rubbish.

Several empty vodka bottles were found on the site.

“It’s not good to have flash mobs descend on a place as fragile as that,” he said.

The park is on government land. North Sydney Council has taken out a licence with RailCorp for the purpose of beautifying the land and this work is all managed by Ms Whiteley.

North Sydney Council sent staff to the garden on Tuesday to see if there was anything they could do to assist.

“The community absolutely loves Wendy’s Garden and for people to damage something in it is despicable really,” said Rob Emerson, director of Open Space and Environmental Services.

Wendy Whiteley's Secret Garden photographed in 2013. Picture: Supplied

A pathway in the garden photographed in 2013. Picture: Supplied