Several people around Nelson Street reported brawls, assaults, fires and property damage, with most of the incidents happening in the last month or two. 

Lachlan, who asked for his last name to be withheld, said he had removed his fence after it was repeatedly damaged and that his neighbour had been assaulted after confronting a group of teenagers. 

“There have been a lot of problems lately,” he said. 

“I was in a taxi on Saturday and there were rocks thrown at the windscreen. 

“I don’t think the parents care, they don’t seem to do anything.”

Martin Tansey said the issues happened two or three times a week. 

“They’re out there yahooing around, brawling with each other most nights,” he said. 

“They belted the hell out of next door’s fence and another neighbour had a bit of a confrontation with them. 

“It looks like the same group, there’s about seven or eight of them.”

Meryl, who asked for her last name to be withheld, said her property was one of several buildings sprayed with graffiti and said a nearby home had had its picket fence kicked in. 

Evelyn Anderson said she had seen people throwing stones and bottles but said she wasn’t concerned because it happened away from her home. Tim Wallis said the problems had started around Christmas but said he wasn’t concerned. 

Eaglehawk police station sergeant in charge Terry O’Brien said Eaglehawk was no different to other parts of Bendigo. 

“There are always incidents that are occurring, it doesn’t matter what part of Bendigo,” he said. 

“I don’t think what’s happening here is any different to anywhere else, to be quite honest. 

“It’s certainly not evident in the reports that we’ve had in the last month or so that there’s a certain pattern of bad behaviour. 

“The point I stress is it’s not unique to Eaglehawk, subject to what people think; it’s not coming up on our statistics.”

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