Workers have begun the task of repairing a sinkhole which opened up in Griffith, at the corner of Wakaden and Barellan streets, on Monday.
The extent of the damage to Barellan Street was visible, a large hole stretching almost across the entire width of the street.
A broken section of the burst water main had been removed and pumps were getting rid of the remaining water.
Gordon Sells, who lived in a unit on the corner, said he heard a bang “like a clap of thunder” at about 12pm.
“There was a bang and the next minute the road was going up and water was coming out,” Mr Sells said.
Mema Saukuru, a young girl with her friends, watched the water erupt.
“It came up like a volcano,” Mema said.
“It popped, and there was a little hole at first and then it went off like a big fountain.”
Water rushed out of the hole which was about 3 metres in diameter, rushing down Wakaden Street to Crossing Street and past the Northside Leagues Club. Water also swamped the near side of the railroad tracks and flowed halfway up Wakaden Lane.
One neighbour, who did not want to be named, said the hole had gotten worse in the ten minutes he had been watching it.
Chunks of asphalt could be seen floating away from the hole. After the water was shut off at about 12.30pm, the road surface resembled something from a war zone, covered in rocks and debris.
In a Facebook post, Griffith City Council said staff were on site and had commenced repairs but the intersection would be closed for several hours.
