Less than 10km from the heart of the city, the winding road to the top of Mt Warrenheip takes visitors from paddocks through uninterrupted bush land and up to panoramic views of Ballarat and the region. 

However, near fences of the telecommunication towers at the peak, visitors have found household rubbish, industrial materials and even items of discarded clothing left in recent months. 

In July, Readers’ Champ called for action on illegal rubbish dumping transforming country roads and bush tracks into makeshift disposal sites for mattresses, tyres, burnt-out cars and bags of garbage. 

The Black Hill look-out site also caught the attention of readers, with the bottom car park remaining closed while graffiti and rubbish marred the site. 

Visiting bush walker Reg Stevens said his day was not ruined by the rubbish at the top of Mt Warrenheip but that it reduced the natural beauty of the scenery. 

“You walk all the way up the side of the mountain to enjoy the view and instead it’s very disappointing to find people have left their rubbish up here,” he said. 

“People in cars should take their rubbish home or at least to a bin somewhere else. It is not fair for wild life to have to live with bottles and papers up here in the bush.” 

Mr Stevens said a bin should be installed near the peak, similar to other popular walking spots. 

A City of Ballarat spokesperson said Mt Warrenheip is a Victorian floral reserve and not part of the municipality but that illegal dumping of household waste was disappointing.

“Council provides every household in Ballarat with two free tip passes per year to reduce illegal dumping and the stockpiling of waste at homes.

“Residents are encouraged to report instances of illegal dumping to Council’s Customer Service team on 5320 5500.”

The spokesperson said council officers investigated all reported instances of dumping and had successfully prosecuted illegal rubbish dumpers in the past.