Lake Bolac farmer found guilty of destroying Aboriginal rock formationBy Julia BerginABC BallaratTopic:Cultural Heritage Crimes34m ago34 minutes agoThu 1 May 2025 at 3:50amA court has ruled Adrian McMaster destroyed Aboriginal cultural heritage. (ABC News: Sian Johnson)In short:Lake Bolac farmer Adrian McMaster has been found guilty of destroying an ancient Aboriginal stone arrangement on his property.A magistrate has ruled McMaster's conduct breached the Aboriginal Heritage Act.What's next?McMaster has been sentenced to a 12-month good behaviour undertaking and ordered to donate $7,000 to the Aboriginal Heritage Council.abc.net.au/news/farmer-guilty-of-destroying-aboriginal-cultural-heritage/105237474Link copiedShareShare articleA south-west Victorian farmer has been found guilty of destroying an ancient Aboriginal rock formation on his property in 2021.A Ballarat magistrate on Thursday convicted and sentenced Adrian McMaster for breaching the Aboriginal Heritage Act.In 2021, the 65-year-old used an excavator to remove rocks from a 1,500-year-old, 300-metre-long stone arrangement resembling an eel on his Lake Bolac property. The giant formation is known to Djap Wurrung traditional owners as the kuyang ceremonial ground and has been a recognised and registered site of Aboriginal significance since 1975.A pile of rocks from the partially destroyed 300-metre-long stone arrangement. (ABC News: Sian Johnson)Last month in the Ballarat Magistrates' Court, McMaster disputed the charge, telling the court he believed the rocks presented a "safety issue".The matter was argued on two key points — whether McMaster's actions constituted a "mistake of fact or law" and whether that mistake was "reasonable and honest".On Thursday, Magistrate Mark Stratmann deemed that although McMaster had made a mistake of fact, his conduct was neither reasonable nor honest.Magistrate Stratmann told the court this ruling was based on McMaster's comments that he had seen no Aboriginals in the area, along with his failure to act on repeated warnings that he was interfering with a known Aboriginal heritage site.He also referenced McMaster's long association with the Lake Bolac property, his admission there were "Chinese whispers" about cultural heritage on the land and McMaster's ongoing work with a mining industry that routinely dealt with sites of cultural significance."He suffered from an absence of knowledge that he did nothing to sharpen," Magistrate Stratmann said.McMaster was sentenced with a recorded conviction, a 12-month undertaking for good behaviour and ordered to donate $7,000 to the Aboriginal Heritage Council for ongoing protection and preservation of the site. The prosecution also requested McMaster cover more than $14,000 in court costs. The final figure owed by McMaster is yet to be determined by the court.ABC Ballarat — local news in your inboxGet our local newsletter, delivered free each WednesdayYour information is being handled in accordance with the ABC Privacy Collection Statement.Email addressSubscribePosted 34m ago34 minutes agoThu 1 May 2025 at 3:50amShare optionsCopy linkFacebookX (formerly Twitter)Top StoriesDutton hints at Coalition campaign failure as polls show Albanese majority in sightTopic:Government and PoliticsPhoto shows Peter Dutton election shadowsJacinta Nampijinpa Price contradicts Peter Dutton, asserting Coalition will end school 'indoctrination'Topic:Public SchoolsPhoto shows Jacinta Price speaks while Dutton stands behind her listening. 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