Eammon Taylor-McKenna believes the culprits stole his black Holden Commodore ute overnight before returning the next morning to ransack the house and steal a second project car along with other valuables. A set of keys belonging to his late mother's car was also stolen.

Mr Taylor-McKenna said he rushed home from work after neighbours alerted him about the robbery.

"I had two cars there that were worth a reasonable amount to me, but that's not really the point, it's the principle of it," he said.

"I work hard, I go to work every week for 40 hours-plus and at the end of the week, I don't come home to spend money and then just have it taken by someone that just decides that they want something that you've got.

"At the end of the day, what sort of benefit are they going to get out of it? It's stolen property anyway, it's going to catch up to them in the end."

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Mr Taylor-McKenna said the cars had sentimental value, with the project car providing a hobby for the car enthusiast.

"That was a project car, it still ran and drove but I didn't have any plans on putting that on the road anytime soon. That was something for me to spend some of my own personal time just enjoying seeing it become something a bit nicer," he said.

"They also stole keys to a third car which, at the moment, is not running, thankfully. It was my mother's car and she passed away in 2017, so that's a bit sentimental."

Mr Taylor-McKenna said he felt targeted by the thefts which left him feeling wary about it happening again.

"They obviously noticed that I wasn't home because of work and just thought they'd got away with it once, might as well just come back for another crack," he said.

"I've just bought cameras and I'm planning on getting locks for everything and locking things up a bit more securely next time, not that everything wasn't already locked, but it just makes me a bit more wary.

"Obviously it's someone that's not in a good place in their own life. I'm not looking to pursue anyone, I just want my things back."

Ballarat Police were contacted for comment.

Anyone with information is encouraged to contact CrimeStoppers on 1800 333 000 or at www.crimestoppersvic.com.au

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