"I have actually only been living in Northcote since October and I have felt more connected to my environment ... than I did back at home in the UK," one woman wrote on Facebook. "Thanks everyone...and thank you gold head. RIP." Darebin council removed the statue after it was pushed over one night. The council is calling for the artist or artist collective behind the pop-up artwork to contact it with a view to the statue being reinstalled at a site in the municipality. It stresses the artist can do so in confidence. "We have a legal and moral obligation to the artists to engage with them on a work the council doesn’t own," says the council’s manager of creative culture and events Vicky Guglielmo.

The enigmatic Golden Head first appeared on a plinth at the top of the hill at All Nations Park – a former rubbish tip – on January 25. Northcote buzzed with intrigue. People took selfies. Walking groups wearing high-viz vests posed with the inscrutable statue. "The community really felt connected to it, they felt there was unspoken permission to play with it," Ms Guglielmo says. "The genius of this particular statue is that it is a static monument made of concrete, brought to life by people’s interactions." Speculation was endless – it was David Bowie, it was Tyler Cassidy, the 15-year-old boy killed by Victoria Police in 2008, it resembled French actor Alain Cuny, it was the complainant from Judge Judy, episode 12, series six.

Loading Ms Guglielmo said Golden Head had been assessed by an arts conservator who said it was beautifully made. She is fascinated by the debate around the gender of the statue, the possible significance of the date it appeared and the narratives around love. Cr McCarthy’s favourite interpretation was that the artwork was a comment on the housing crisis – Golden Head was staring longingly at a Northcote apartment out of his price range. "It’s been profound, a whole lot of memes have been built around this character."

He says another council may simply have thrown Golden Head away. "I am really proud we are actively trying to find ways to reach out to the artist and not undermine their intent." Cr McCarthy hopes Golden Head can be reinstalled as soon as possible – if not in All Nations Park then somewhere in Northcote. "We are really lucky to have a community that is so involved and an artist who is so talented and generous." Matthew Novacevski, a PhD candidate in urban planning at Melbourne University, says the attachment to places that stories like this inspire is a priceless asset. "It creates intrigue and intensity that makes them interesting places to be," he says. Mr Whelan, who first posted the sorrowful news of Golden Head’s death, says the mystery allows people to fill in the gaps with their own narratives. "I really love that … I feel like the artist probably feels the same way and wants to remain anonymous. Once the mystery is removed, that takes a bit away from it." Is this Golden Head 2.0? Credit:Eddie Jim

Meanwhile, another golden mask has been found buried in the gravel at All Nations Hill. Someone’s dog piddled on it. But for others it was a phoenix from the ashes, or elaborate marketing for a new shopping plaza, or Golden Head 2.0. Either that, or as someone asked on Facebook: "Are we at the centre of a real life Dan Brown novel?" Northcote residents are beginning to feel they are in the middle of a Dan Brown plot. Credit:Eddie Jim