About 4000 tonnes of coarse sand has been poured down the shaft during the past two weeks.

In August, West Tamar Council’s general manager Rolph Vos said the mine was at a ‘critical point’ after restabilisation works had not gone completely to plan. 

Camera inspections show the fill has now reached the 100-metre level the West Tamar Council had  originally expected. 

“Detailed camera footage has confirmed that we are back on track with the original plan after successfully navigating lost product and pipe blockages,” the council’s infrastructure services manager Ian Howard said.

The stabilisation is expected to be completed within the $1.5 million budget. 

The council are expected to release the full details of the stabilisation on Friday. 

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It is believed the mine was damaged by the June 2016 floods. Later the same year, there were fears a 35 metre sink hole would open after the surface of the shaft started to crack. 

If the sinkhole opened, the shaft would have collapsed. 

Pitt and Sherry consultancy firm were assigned the restabilisation project by the West Tamar Council and found the headframe and skyshaft at the site were moving. The council tried to “plug” the problem to prevent further instability.

The state and federal governments committed funding to the project to allow the iconic site to be restabilised. 

By the end of November there were fears the shaft could not be saved. 

In February 2017 the council endorsed a new plan of attack to fix the mine. 

In May, the project received an extra $250,000 by the state and federal government, in a bid to have the mine reopened by November. 

However, in June it was revealed restabilisation had not gone to plan when 7000 tonnes of fill had been lost. But in September, camera footage showed progress had been made.