With the 20-foot container for the site office and the temporary fencing in place, excavation begins March 6. Darren drove his 5-tonne machine over the edge and slowly and carefully cut across the steep slope making the upper path.

Once down on the site itself the excavator will dig out a small area for concrete strip footings and then use an augur to drill 30 cm holes deep in the ground for 20 concrete piers on which the steel poles will sit supporting about 80 per cent of the entire structure. At least that’s the initial plan!

The path has to be this wide temporarily so the excavator can access the rest of the site. Eventually it will have a finished width of 1 metre.

At rest after a long day’s digging.