A large sinkhole has opened up on a local football oval in Heidelberg, Melbourne's north-east, halting work on the state government's $26 billion North East Link tunnel project. The hole, estimated to be five metres deep and eight metres wide, appeared near where two tunnel boring machines were digging for the project.
Banyule Cricket Club President Brad Bowler said he initially thought the images were a hoax. 'I thought it was fake so I went down to look to make sure it was real and I was trying to make sure no one was hurt,' he said. Residents reported the sinkhole on Monday evening, with one local expressing concern due to living just 500 metres away.
The tunnel boring machines have been stopped, and an investigation has been launched. Duncan Elliott, CEO of the Victorian Infrastructure Delivery Authority, said the machines were a contributing factor. 'We are actually confident that the tunnel boring machines have been a contributing factor, not necessarily caused the problem but certainly a contributing factor,' he said. Elliott added that it is too early to determine the exact cause or any cost impact, and the investigation may take weeks.
This is not the first sinkhole near the project; a 20-metre-deep sinkhole was discovered in the same area last year. Similar incidents have occurred at other major tunnel projects, including a sinkhole above the M6 project in Sydney in March 2024 and the Lane Cove tunnel collapse in 2005.
Geologist Professor Jocelyn McPhie from the University of Tasmania noted that sinkholes typically result from the ground collapsing due to loss of support from below. She warned that the hole is likely to grow. 'Yes, it's a very common pattern. They only ever get bigger,' she said. Victoria State Emergency Service has urged the public to stay away from the exclusion zone.
