Fears After 12-Metre-Wide Sinkhole Emerges Near Major Tunnel Project

The sinkhole is near tunnel-boring machines working on the $26 billion North East Link.

A sinkhole is seen at A J Burkitt Oval in Heidelberg, Melbourne, Victoria in Australia on Jan. 6, 2026. AAP Image/James Ross

Residents fear more sinkholes could emerge after part of a recreational reserve collapsed near a major tunnel infrastructure project.

The sinkhole, several metres wide, was discovered at AJ Burkitt Oval in Heidelberg, in Melbourne’s northeast, close to where tunnel-boring machines are digging the $26 billion North East Link project.