A machine with "two arms" called Jumbo is advancing the development of an underground gold mine at Tomingley.
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Open-pit mining has ceased at Tomingley Gold Operations (TGO) and millions of dollars are being spent on getting to ore below the surface.
Alkane Resources, which owns TGO, decided late in 2018 to proceed with underground mining under the open-pit mine called Wyoming One.
Managing director Nic Earner has provided a progress report and advice that "you always, always keep tunneling".
Jumbo is an expert in that department.
"..effectively it has two arms and drills into the rock face that is in front of you in the tunnel and then explosives are put into that," Mr Earner said.
"Then you blow up that little bit of rock and the same machine puts a wire mesh, such that you might see in concrete reinforcing, on the roof for stability. It's bolted as well, all for structural stability, and then it does it all again."
Two portals have been built to access tunnels.
"One's primarily for exploration and ventilation," Mr Earner said.
"The other is the main decline that will allow vehicle access for moving the ore. We've advanced that 100 metres."
The decline, which Mr Earner equates to a ramp in a multi-storey car park, will be developed "over the next couple of hundred metres vertically" during the 40-month life of the mine.
"We've got knowledge down to about 350 metres from the surface," he said.
"We will be drilling this year to prove the extension of the resource. We are very hopeful of the life of the mine extending beyond 40 months."
Up to $25 million will be outlayed on the mine expected to be in production by September.
Stockpiled ore will keep the TGO processing plant operating up until about May.
About $5 million is being spent on refurbished second-hand equipment including Jumbo.
Mr Earner said the company planned to go underground at three of the four TGO open-pit mines.
He also reports of "very promising" results from exploration south of the mine site.
