Ballarat building company H.Troon are about to start on one of the most unusual - and possibly ground-breaking - construction jobs they have ever undertaken.
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Deep underground in Western Victoria, they will assemble a laboratory which its creators will hope could reveal some secrets of the universe.
The Stawell Underground Physics Laboratory will be constructed within the Stawell Gold Mine, where scientists will research 'dark matter' - the substance that comprises an estimated 85 per cent of the universe remains barely understood.
The laboratory is due to be built one kilometre below ground with the rock acting as shielding against particles from space to facilitate the work.
It is touted as the first of its kind in the southern hemisphere dedicated to dark matter research, with the involvement of a number of organisations including: University of Melbourne, Swinburne University of Technology, the University of Adelaide, the Australian National University, the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation, and the Italian National Institute for Nuclear Physics.
James Troon, a director at H.Troon, said he was "thrilled" the company was involved in such a high-profile construction and that he was looking forward to getting the work underway.
He said the logistics and the nature of the laboratory made it a very unusual build.
"It's a unique project," he told The Courier. "Every product needs to be below a certain threshold of radiation".
"Steel, sand, cement, aggregate all needs to be tested to make sure it meets the requirements to go underground and be built into the laboratory."
Its location also presents some challenges, he said, as the lab will be constructed in a an operational mine - as well as being a long way underground.
"It's not like we can just ring a concrete supplier and book in to get a delivery to the site," Mr Troon said.
"That's all being thought out through our tender and we're working up our plans now so when we get underground we are ready to go."
The state and federal governments have each funded $5 million for the project.
The work, which Mr Troon expects will involve a number of local contractors, is expected to be complete by the end of the year. The laboratory build is due to be complete in late November, with specialist equipment to be added afterwards.
Mr Troon says his own knowledge of dark matter is "very limited".
"I know they all believe it's out there. That's why we're building this lab to find out more about it," he said.
"I know they all believe it's out there. That's why we're building this lab to find out more about it, The university, the professors and physicists, that's their job to go and do that. I just need to get in and build it."
- James Troon
"The university, the professors and physicists, that's their job to go and do that. I just need to get in and build it."
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