Slade Yuille, the great, great grandson of William Cross Yuille, said the homestead site in Vickers Street, Sebastopol was overgrown with scrub and had long been a target for graffiti.

"The ground coverage as you enter Yuille homestead and the surrounding area is covered with very dry branches and foliage," Mr Yuille said.

He said a cairn made from rocks from the original property was the main marker at the site which had not been properly maintained

"I was there about five weeks ago and I was not impressed with what I saw, although the council had removed the terrible bush that was surrounding the monument of William Cross Yuille," he said.

"The rest of the place is in total disrepair."

IN OTHER NEWS

Mr Yuille wanted the council to take his complaints seriously.

"I have spoken to the locals in this area and also to the local CFA and have contacted the Ballarat Council and still nothing has been done," he said.

Sebastopol CFA captain Steve Burgess has offered to assist Mr Yuille by raising the matter with the council, while the council itself has told The Courier the complaints will be investigated.

As the dilapidated site with worn signposts installed decades ago falls into disrepair, Mr Yuille, who had worked in the transport industry, is concerned the squatter's story will be lost.

"A lot of the people living in Ballarat have no idea of the person who founded this beautiful place," he said.

The homestead site was a reminder of a 10,000-acre sheep run which William Yuille started in 1838 after making his way to what is now Ballarat in pre-gold rush times.

Mr Yuille said one way to remind people of this slice of history would be to turn the area into a place where people would want to visit.

"There should be barbecues there and proper seating," he said.

William Yuille, from Scotland, was a farmer who not only opened up the region to farming, but also had a successful career in horse-racing, winning the 1865 Melbourne Cup with Toryboy.

But the Yuille name lived on in Ballarat. Lake Wendouree was initially called Yuille's Swamp and Yuille Street still exists in the CBD.

Mr Yuille said his ancestor's role in shaping Ballarat deserved more recognition in a prime location.

"There should actually be a bronze statue in Sturt Street."

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