The Taylor family returned to their property over the Christmas break and discovered more than $20,000 worth of goods stolen including a car, boat, water sports gear, food, alcohol, fuel and a raft of other possessions.

The offender or offenders broke into the sheds and forced open a bathroom window. Shane Taylor said they then combed the house, ransacking it.

“They’ve even taken things down to gas bottles for the BBQ. They are lowlife scum,” he said in the days after the incident was uncovered.

In the weeks that followed Cindy Taylor said they found their stolen VR Commador in a Kilmore salvage yard, though by then they said it was “completely trashed”.

While the family had not received any information about anything else that was stolen, they remained hopeful they could be reunited with a blue Flightcraft Phantom boat and a Yamaha pee wee 50 with a distinctive sidecar.

Mrs Taylor said the bike in particular had sentimental value.

“It’s a family heirloom, in a sense,” she said.

The bike had been used by Mr Taylor as a child and had been handed down to his daughter.

Mrs Taylor said the boat would be hard to rebirth because some of its distinctive features, and hoped that would make it more likely to track down.

The family had offered $1000 for the recovery of the stolen goods if they were still intact.

“After we offered that, two friends of ours also offered $500 each, which we were blown away by,” Mrs Taylor said.

So far the reward had not brought about any information but the family was yet to completely give up hope.

Mrs Taylor said eagle-eyed members of the public had been on the lookout, alerting the family whenever they saw pee-wee 50s come up for sale. However as of yet none had been the missing bike.

Other strangers had offered to help the family, Mrs Taylor said, included a woman who wanted to give their daughter a pee-wee 50.

Another woman who worked at BCF offered water sports equipment to replace that which was stolen.

Both of those offers were politely turned down, with Mrs Taylor saying insurance would cover the costs.​

Anyone with information should contact Bendigo police.