A number of marble headstones, some believed to be more than 100 years old, were destroyed last Wednesday night when vandals broke into the Pioneer Cemetary on Elizabeth Avenue.

Council cemetary coordinator Debbie Pickering said it was devastating to see what the vandals had done.

"It's heart breaking to see something so beautiful on the ground in pieces," she said. "I just can't fathom what is the matter with some people."

Ms Pickering said while most of the damage had been done in the catholic section of the cemetary, about 30 per cent of graves at the site had been damaged.

Raymond Terrace Historical Society life member Moira Saunderson slammed those responsible saying they had destroyed part of the area's history.

"They think they are smart or clever or brave doing things like this but it's just a bunch of people with nothing better to do," she said.

"It's a terrible loss because the cemetery provided a history.

"What we need is a new fence surrounding the area."

Ms Pickering said while the council was responsible for general maintenance at the site the headstones were the property of family members. "We can push them together but we can't actually take them away," she said.

"We will leave the pieces there because it is still the grave and preserves the historical integrity."

She said to construct a new fence around the site could cost up to $80,000 and was not feasible at this stage.

The council recently commissioned a set of photographs to be taken of the headstones and Ms Pickering said having an historical account of the site offered some conciliation.