A man scaled the 140-metre-high (460 foot) eastern tower of Melbourne's cantilever Bolte Bridge on Tuesday, applied a large cartoon bird image to the structure and created a stand-off with police that disrupted morning commuter flows.
Victoria Police said the individual remains in a restricted area on the bridge's eastern tower and declined to come down when directed by officers.
"A man has scaled the bridge and remains in a restricted area on the eastern tower. He is refusing to follow police direction and come down,"
said Paul Hogan, an acting sergeant with Victoria Police. Police also say the man is suspected of applying graffiti to the bridge earlier that morning.
The painted image resembles "Pam the Bird," a symbol that has appeared on multiple buildings across Melbourne in recent years, including on the heritage-listed Flinders Street railway station. Footage circulated on social media showed a person hanging from the top of the tower with legs dangling over the edge, and subsequent posts attributed to the account included demands for lower taxes in Australia as well as a request that a peanut butter sandwich be flown to the site by drone before the climber would descend.
The protest and the police response resulted in the closure of one lane on the Bolte Bridge, affecting morning commuters. Officers engaged in a standoff with the individual while managing traffic disruption below.
Authorities noted there have been prior legal actions connected to the Pam the Bird graffiti. A man was brought before a court last year on charges exceeding 200 offences, many of which related to previous instances of that same bird symbol appearing around the city. It is not clear from current reports whether that individual is connected to the latest bridge incident.
Details remain limited. Police have identified the location, described the actions and reported the demands made via social media posts, but they have not released further identifying information about the person on the tower. The incident illustrates how a localized act of graffiti and a subsequent demand made through online channels can intersect with public safety responses and urban transportation operations.