Stawell was founded in 1853 as ‘Pleasant Creek’ during the Victorian gold rush, but the significance of the rich underground alluvial gold reserves wasn’t realised until 1858, when over 9,000 prospectors began digging in the ‘Great Western Goldfield’. Gold mining remained the heart and lifeblood of the Stawell community for many years until yields decreased, with several mines no longer commercially viable.

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Australian physicists, however, were exploring a novel idea: finding a decommissioned mining site from which to establish the Southern Hemisphere’s first underground physics laboratory in their search for elusive dark matter. The laboratory needed to be more than 800 metres underground, and there are only a few deep mines in Australia that met this requirement. Stawell Gold Mines is one of the deepest mines in Australia, and a disused area of the mine was able to be allocated for the construction of the Stawell Underground Physics Laboratory (SUPL).

First proposed in 2014, the first phase for the development of SUPL was provided through $1.75 million funding in the 2015 Australian federal budget, matched by an equal grant from the Victorian state government.

Construction started 2016 and was expected to be complete in 2017, however was delayed by a series of corporate mergers at the gold mine in 2015 and 2016. In December 2016, work at the Stawell gold mine was reduced to a ‘care and maintenance’ state. In December 2017, the gold mine was purchased by a new owner who announced their intention to reopen the mine and their support for the underground laboratory.

In 2019 the project resumed, and a memorandum of understanding was signed in July 2019 between Stawell Gold Mines Pty Ltd, the Northern Grampians Shire Council, and the University of Melbourne, for the construction and operation of the laboratory.

Construction of SUPL was jointly funded by the Commonwealth and Victorian governments ($5 million each) and The University of Melbourne ($2 million) and was completed in August 2022.

SUPL Ltd has been established as a not-for-profit company limited by guarantee to operate the facility and has five founding member institutions – The Australian National University, The University of Melbourne, The University of Adelaide, Swinburne University of Technology, and the Australian Nuclear Science & Technology Organisation.

With SUPL located within a working gold mine, its construction and ongoing operation, including personnel induction and access, compliance with mining industry regulations, coordination with mining operations, and all aspects of safety, depends on a close and cooperative relationship with Stawell Gold Mines. Stawell Gold Mines have been enthusiastic partners throughout, and collaborative working arrangements have been established and are well-coordinated. Strict induction, safety and access protocols apply to anyone visiting SUPL and to all equipment installed in SUPL. The total precision laboratory space is 260 square metres, with further support space incorporating communication systems, amenities, storage, maintenance and mechanical systems. SABRE South will occupy around one quarter of the laboratory space.

By providing Australian researchers with access to a unique ultra-low background experimental facility here in Australia, SUPL increases the potential to keep our talented researchers and their ideas here in Australia. The expected benefits will flow through multiple paths, including raising the profile of Australia as a global contributor to breakthrough research, the attractiveness of Australia as a collaborating partner in internationally important science, leveraging Australian leadership in areas such as quantum technology and background radiation to address national priorities, as well as to fast track commercialisation and downstream benefits of the science outcomes and the associated technological achievements.