Construction on Melbourne's major North East Link tunnel project has been halted after officials confirmed that giant tunnel boring machines (TBMs) played a part in a significant sinkhole opening at a popular sports oval in the city's northeast.
Ground Gives Way at Heidelberg Reserve
The sinkhole first appeared at the AJ Burkitt Reserve in Heidelberg late on Monday night. It subsequently expanded to an alarming size, measuring approximately 12 metres wide and several metres deep. At the time of the ground collapse, the project's TBMs were actively boring through the earth about 20 metres directly beneath the sports field.
Fronting the media on Tuesday, Victorian Infrastructure Delivery Authority (VIDA) CEO Duncan Elliott stated the authority was "confident" the TBMs were a "contributing factor" to the incident. "We are confident that the TBMs have been a contributing factor, not necessarily caused the problem, but certainly a contributing factor," Mr Elliott said.
Major Investigation Halts Work, Impacts Community
The extent of the machines' influence will be the focus of a major investigation, which has immediately stopped all tunneling work in the area. Mr Elliott assured the public that "no works will start until the investigation is complete." He acknowledged the disruption to the local community and sporting clubs, pledging to develop plans so activities can continue over the summer.
The halt in construction and the loss of the oval have hit the local Banyule Cricket Club hard. Club president Brad Bowler said the news of the sinkhole was initially so shocking he thought the message was fake. More than a dozen teams are affected, and the club faces a substantial financial impact. "It's going to cost us a lot of money," Mr Bowler said, adding it was "lucky" no one was injured when the ground gave way.
Not the First Sinkhole for the Project
This is not the first sinkhole to disrupt the North East Link project. In February 2025, a similar incident occurred near old army barracks at Lower Plenty, creating an 18-metre deep hole that forced a TBM to pause. Mr Elliott noted that VIDA had implemented new measures after that event but admitted the latest collapse was a poor outcome. "We don't like this stuff happening," he said, emphasising the need to "get it right for the remainder of the tunneling works."
Banyule City Council has urged the public to avoid the secured area. Deputy Mayor Rock Garotti confirmed the site is now under the control of the construction consortium, Spark, who will undertake repairs. The council is working with agencies and local sports teams to find alternative playing fields and manage the situation.
