Any idea of what has caused this damage

[DeborahJane]

My specimen tree was looking a little flat on top and on closer investigation l found this horrible damage. Not sure when it happened as i was laid up with the dreaded C word for a week and hardly ventured outside. I've put some obstacles around it as protection. I've lost the tag and can't remember the name other than the fact that it has a long name.
It has has quite prickly growth but obviously not prickly enough to guard it. We usedcth have kangaroos in our yard but as next doo has big dogs they don't use our place as a thoroughfare any more. We certainly have wombats, I see their square poo on raised areas each morning but stand up on this back legs. The tree isn't tall, about 5 foot and I think deer would do more damage on the making it's way into the trunk plus damage other things in the garden. I was hoping someone might have an idea. It's winter here and cold and wet somi haven't ventured out in the dark to investigate.

 

[cpp gardener]

If you were in the U.S. I'd say porcupine, so there it's probably a Wombat. What a cool-sounding garden pest (I know the damage isn't cool though).
The tree is a Blue Weeping Atlas Cedar. You might have to wrap the trunk with poultry wire or hardware cloth to stop the chewing.

 

[Chuck]

The last two pictures look just like what a buck deer does to a tree when he rubs his antlers to get the velvet off.

 

[YumYum]

Here bucks love to use eastern red cedar trees to rub on. Since it is a type of cedar tree and looks like a buck rub, I think a deer done that.

 

[cpp gardener]

Not sure there's lots of deer in Victoria, Australia. Wombats seem more likely.

Boy, does that sound like NO sentence I ever expected to write!

 

[Chuck]

I just now asked google if there were deer in Victoria Australia and it replied that there are a LOT of deer there, Fallow, Sambar and Red Deer. So many, in fact, that there are no limits when hunting them. Texas should be so smart.

 

[cpp gardener]

Well I'll be!

 

[DirtMechanic]

What is it?

 

[Oliver Buckle]

I just now asked google if there were deer in Victoria Australia and it replied that there are a LOT of deer there, Fallow, Sambar and Red Deer. So many, in fact, that there are no limits when hunting them. Texas should be so smart.

Bet that's down to humans, just like the rabbits and foxes, and that North-South rabbit fence has to be the maddest idea ever, one hole and two rabbits is all it takes to ruin it in how many miles of fencing?

I reckon the idea of wrapping it in chicken wire is a good one no matter what the cause, I might go round a few times though.

 

[DeborahJane]

Thank you everyone for your input. Apparently we do have deer here which have been seen late at night on the dirt road behind us. I've never seen them myself because I don't go down our back road in the dark . Pretty sure that wombats would not be able to strip the trunk like that. I thought maybe cockatoos. They have ripped large chards off our railing in the past. But as for the entire side if the trunk I'm not sure . Still a bit of a mystery. Buck deer does sound very likely Chuck and Yum Yum