UNDERNEATH Ballarat's surface there is no such thing as night or day, but gold, and plenty of it.
As you read this now you can guarantee there is a team of skilled miners — some as deep as 500 metres underground — drilling, mining and blasting their way through solid rock in search of gold.
Work at the Ballarat Gold Mine Project never stops, it runs every minute of the day, every day of the week.
There have been times in the past where mining at the site has undertaken a much grander scale, but the current operation is different.
The failed operations of former mine manager Lihir Gold Limited have taught the current managers to not set their sights as high, to operate on a smaller scale and opt for quality over quantity.
The Courier had a rare first-hand opportunity to witness the work Castlemaine Goldfields Limited is undertaking at the Ballarat Gold Project, gaining a rare glimpse into one of the most lucrative but unknown industries in the world.
A journey through a maze of underground tunnels, air-lock doors, emergency oxygen rooms and even an underground dining room gives an insight into what is happening directly below the surface of Ballarat.
It all starts with one gigantic tunnel, the lone entry into and exit from the mine, situated in Ballarat's south.
The tunnel falls away sharply for about 800 metres before it splits into two directions.
At this point it is already about 125 metres underground.
Mining manager Tim Hewitt says it is hard to tell just how fast you are dropping underground.
"It's quite deceptive how far down you are going because everything looks the same. You don't get that feeling of distance," he says.
Indeed everything does look the same. The walls of the tunnel are coated in shotcrete, which can be described as a mixture of concrete and paint, used to line the tunnels and minimise geological shifting. Directions and depth readings are one of few things painted on the walls.
The numbers continue to tick over and before long they indicate a depth of almost 500 metres underground, not that you would know it.
Apart from the humidity, still air and eery lack of echo, it is hardly different to being five metres underground.
The humidity is poignant however, the air is dense and in some points it is hauntingly quiet.
Tim, the man in charge of mining activity, says most people assume a Ballarat gold mine will be full of water, but that is far from the case.
There are a few odd puddles but they are hardly an issue.
"People think just because it is in Ballarat but that just isn't the case," he says, as a few puddles appear hundreds of metres below the former Golden Point Primary School.
A massive overhead vent pumps fresh ventilated air from above and is accompanied by a series of smaller pipes, carrying water and power.
It is hardly the place for claustrophobics.
Apart from the strong beam of the four-wheel drive's headlights, it is complete darkness, until the beast of mining machinery is reached — the "jumbo" driller.
At 399 metres below ground, the enormous multi-million dollar machine is in the capable hands of operator Dale Harper.
It is easy to forget you are underground here, such is the radiant light that beams from the machine.
The extending arm of the machine powerfully and extremely loudly pounds away at the solid rock towards a quartz reef.
This is as far as Castlemaine Goldfields has reached in their exploration, having taken over the mine from former owners LGL, in May last year.
It's hard to imaine that directly above cars are travelling on the road and kids are on skateboards — we are underneath the Ballarat Skate Park.
Tim Hewitt admits that at this point there is a certain luck when it comes to mining, particularly in Ballarat.
The nuggety substance of the gold means that at times it can be "hit or miss" as to whether gld is struck.
"Sometimes you could miss a big nugget of gold by five metres. There is always a bit of luck in mining," he said.
"You could never find all the gold in Ballarat."
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