WATCH: Massive sinkhole opens up near tunnelling works

Heidelberg locals enjoying a sunny Monday evening stroll were met with an unusual sight last night - a sinkhole several metres wide.

Local resident Merrill Mackay was one of the first people to discover the large hole at Heidelberg's AJ Burkitt Reserve on Monday evening, with the oddity quickly attracting a large group of onlookers.

"This is the first time we have noticed any disturbance in the parkland for us locals," Mackay told the Eastern Melburnian. "It was pretty exciting. There didn’t seem to be any movement in the hole, but it grew substantially while we were there.”

Mapping on the North East Link website shows the two Tunnel Boring Machines were operating near the sinkhole site.

A spokesperson for the North East Link project said the hole was "in the vicinity of our tunnelling operations" and "investigations into the cause [were] underway".

“No injuries have been reported and there is no immediate threat to the community or residential properties," said the spokesperson.

Credit: Merrill Mackay