The basin underneath the first drop of the falls has been covered in litter following a dramatic upswing in the number of visitors to the out-of-the-way destination.

There’s even, it is said, rusting car parts and a whole lounge down there.

But University of Wollongong student Madeline Zotter hopes to solve the problem with a clean-up this Sunday from 10am.

“It’s disgusting,” said the outdoor enthusiast, “but we can do something about it.”

The track to the basin – which involves a sneaky climb over a fence – was once only known to locals.

But social media and walking websites have, in the last year or two, made the route widely known, and tempting pictures of the spectacular scenery have drawn tourists from all over.

Unfortunately, not all of them have taken their litter home with them.

“People feel like it’s not their problem, because it’s not in their area,” said Joel Grimes, of The Adventure Co, who walks in the region often.

A social media rant about the rubbish, posted by Andrew Davey and shared widely, first drew attention to the matter and inspired the response from Ms Zotter.

“We all complain about it, but then I thought, ‘We can fix it!’,” said Ms Zotter, who makes a habit of exploring waterfalls, and posts under the name Waterfall Wanderers.

Helpers are invited to meet in the carpark of the Belmore Falls lookout on Sunday at 10am, with gloves, buckets and any other equipment that may be useful.

The Belmore Falls clean up comes a week ahead of Clean Up Australia Day on March 5.

For information about local clean up groups you can join, go to http://www.cleanupaustraliaday.org.au/search.

Schools are encouraged to hold their own Clean Up Australia Day event on Friday, March 3.

So far, the Wingecarribee schools registered to take part include Colo Vale, Moss Vale, Exeter and Berrima Public Schools, and Gib Gate.

Clean Up Australia Day for businesses is held on Tuesday, February 28.

If you can’t join in the clean up, you can donate to help keep Australia beautiful. Go to the website for details.