Top 10 Most Famous Bank Robberies In Australia

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Top 10 Most Famous Bank Robberies in AustraliaBank robberies were so rampant in Australia back in the 1980s, however, with the development of technology, security measures have increased over time. According to statistics, the record of burglary victims decreased across Australia by 5 % from 2017 to 2018. However, robbery victims increase across the country with unarmed robbery rising by 8% while armed robbery rose by 3% from 2017 to 2018. Over the years, police have managed to put some of the bank robbers behind bars while others managed to have their way and escaped without a shred of evidence. In this article, we will explore the top ten most famous bank robberies in Australia.

1. The Bank of Australia Robbery

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The Bank of Australia Robbery dates back to the 14^th of September 1828. This is recorded as one of the first bank robberies to ever take place in Australia. The robbery was such a tactical move and well-thought plan that lead to the loss of £14,000 from the bank which was in coins and notes. The robbers entered the bank through drained sewage into the vault of the bank in George Street, Sydney. The crime involved five robbers including Valentine Rourke, James Dingle, John Wilford alias Creighton, William Blackstone, and George Farrell. The prime suspects were Dingle, Farrell, and Blackstone, however, they managed to escape through an indictment. After two years, Blackstone turned into an informer but by that time Rourke was away from the country and Creighton had passed away. On the 10^th of June 1831, Farrell and Dingle were found guilty following the verdict by the Supreme Court of New South Wales.

2. Great Bookie Robbery

The Great Bookie robbery is one of the highest-ranking losses ever made after a gang of six stole an estimated $14 – 16 Million. The robbery was committed on the 27^th of April 1976 in Melbourne, Australia. This was in the Victoria Club which is situated on Queen Street, the second floor of the building.  The money was estimated to have a value of $88 Million, however, the amount was not confirmed since the actual figure was not disclosed. One of the masterminds behind the robbery was Raymond “Chuck” Bennett and Norman Lee, Ian Carroll, and Laurence Prendergast. They hid the money in a safe room located on several floors above the building.

3. Perth Mint Swindle

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Perth Mint is one of the famous robberies in Australia that happen on the 22^nd of June 1962. The crime involved the robbery of forty-nine gold bars which weighed approximately sixty-eight kilograms. The value of the gold was estimated to be 2.02 million dollars at the time and lately, in 2018 the value would be $ 3.7 million. However, the investigations were carried out and three brothers, Ray, Brian, and Peter were found guilty of robbery. In 1983, they were sentenced but the convictions were later overturned in 2004.

4. 1984 Sydney Bank Robbery

The Sydney Bank robbery took place on the 31^st of January 1984. The crime took place in George Street, Sydney, in New South Wales, Australia. It was recorded to have taken place between 10:30 am and 4:30 pm by a 35-year-old male named HakkiBahadirAtahan. However, this was not his first bank robbery as he was recorded with around 17 bank robberies between 1983 and 1984.  The criminal took hostage of eleven people in the bank and kept the police at bay for the whole time. However, he did not escape this time and was shot dead on the spot. The whole event came to be described as “Australia’s most dramatic hostage chase”

5. Nelson Robbery

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Nelson Robbery was one of the famous crimes of the Victoria gold rush that took place on the nights of 1^st and 2^nd April 1852. The robbery was carried out by a party of thieves who were armed with and robbed at gunpoint. Thieves managed to steal an estimated 8,183 ounces of gold which were valued at 30,000 Euros. After several weeks, investigations were carried out and most of the thieves were arrested and charged. After a series of trials, five of them were sentenced to hard labor in chains including James Morgan, Stephen Fox, John Roberts, James Duncan, and John James.

6. Murwillumbah Bank Mystery Raid

The Murwillumbah Bank Mystery Raid took place on the 23^rd of November 1978. The security personnel who was patrolling the bank reported having found the front door of the bank open in the morning hours. The suspected culprits were a magnetic drill gang that had a well-laid plan to rob the bank. The thieves managed to steal 8.8 million dollars that were meant for the payment of local workers. It was one of the biggest heists in Australia having stolen the largest amount recorded in the country.

7. Biggest Gold Heist in Victoria

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One of the biggest heists in Victoria Australia was carried out by a 48-year –old man. The thief by the name Karl Kachami was from the Hawthorn East and is recorded to have staged one of the biggest gold heists in the history of Victoria. Karl and his team were armed with Glock pistols as they entered the Melbourne Gold Company where they assaulted employees. This happened on the 1^st of May 2020 when he took advantage of the security changes and stole Gold, Cash, and Jewellery worth $3.9 million.

8. The $500,000 Qantas Hoax

This was the great plane robbery that took place on the 26^th of May 1971. It involved a man who identified himself as Mr. Brown. He alerted the authorities on a bomb that was planted on the plane and that it would explode if the plane descends below 6500 meters. He demanded $500,000 for him to reveal the information. Once the cash was delivered to him, he fled away and later called the Sydney airport and revealed it was a hoax and there was no bomb on the plane. He was later apprehended and sentenced to 15 years imprisonment.

9. Brooklyn Bank Robbery

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The Brooklyn Bank robbery of 1972 is one of the famous bank robberies in Australia that ended up capturing hostages and use of firearms. This robbery inspired Australia’s Dog Day Afternoon, which is a bank robbery movie in which Al Pacino starred. The robbery involved three men who did not manage to carry out the crime as the police quickly surrounded the bank preventing the crime from happening. The three men involved were John Wojtowicz, Salvatore Naturile, and Robert Westenberg.

10. Commonwealth Bank Robbery

The Commonwealth Bank robbery was carried out by Brenden James Abbott who was one of the most famous bank robbers in the history of Australia. He managed to successfully robe $11,200 from the Commonwealth Bank in Perth. The criminal was arrested and jailed but managed to escape from prison in 1989.

Bank robberies in Australia were so common in the 1980s. However, with the current development in the technology sector, robberies have significantly reduced in Australia.