Vandals damage Tas Aboriginal rock art

Aboriginal rock art dating back thousands of years on the bank of southern Tasmania's Derwent River has been vandalised beyond repair, a community group says.

A kayaking group found the damage on Tuesday and police have been alerted, with Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre spokesman Adam Thompson telling AAP it appears a rock has been used to gouge and deface the art.

"From its appearance the scratches appear to be quite deep so I would say it has been damaged beyond repair," he said, calling for stronger legislation to protect Aboriginal heritage.