Sinkholes appear on woman’s property in Collie, WA, one week after she bought it

A woman’s retirement plan literally fell into the water when a 10-foot-deep sinkhole opened on her property a week after she bought it.

Pia Ramsing bought a house in Collie, about two hours south of Perth, on July 26 last year.

A week later, while walking around her property, she noticed an 8-foot-wide hole where she had been walking her horses the day before.

Ms Ramsing told Daily Mail Australia she was in shock when she saw it.

“I went for a walk the day before and there was nothing because I had only just bought the property and I had horses in the pasture,” she said.

“I wanted to check the fences and it was a huge shock to me to see it and I thought I could have gone goddamn down as it collapsed and was buried under the rubble.

Pia Ramsing (pictured) while walking around her property saw a 10m deep sinkhole where she was walking her horses the day before and says she could have been buried alive

“I could have been buried alive.

“No one would have found me for weeks, my daughter wouldn’t be able to get a hold of me, and now I think there are more and where?”

After the initial shock, Ms. Ramsing began researching and realized that the land she had purchased was built on top of an abandoned 1903 mine, something she was unaware of when she purchased the 2.3 acre site.

Despite numerous emails to various authorities, the Western Australian woman was told she has no access to financial support.

Ms Ramsing said she doesn’t feel safe because she has no idea if the land she’s walking on will swallow her up.

WA’s Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety (DMIRS) said in a statement to the ABC that Collie was formerly known for mining and that potential buyers should do their due diligence and check for abandoned mines.

After the initial shock, Mrs. Ramsing began researching and realized that the land she had purchased was built on top of an abandoned 1903 mine, something she was unaware of when she purchased the 2.3 acre site (pictured is the list)

WA’s Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety said Ms Ramsing and other potential buyers should know it used to be a mining town and should do their due diligence before buying

“Anyone buying real estate in known mining areas should conduct careful due diligence. There are publicly available maps and plans showing the location of abandoned mining features,” it said.

“DMIRS continues to advise Ms. Ramsing on the sinkhole.

“The state will not be able to restore all abandoned mining elements.”

DMRIS says the Mining Rehabilitation Fund (MRF) does not have enough capital to help people like Ms Ramsing as “resources are very limited.”

“The MRF generally does not prioritize features on private property because, without freely available access, the risk to the wider community is very low,” they said.

Still, the sinkhole on Mrs. Ramsing’s property isn’t the only one, with the Collie resident saying there are four more on the other side of the road.

The sinkhole on Mrs Ramsing’s property (pictured) isn’t the only one, with the Collie resident saying there are four more on the other side of the road

Former Labor member for Collie Mick Murray said Ms Ramsing should receive more support and called on authorities to ensure the safety of residents.

“The Abandoned Mines Fund that was set up quite some time ago should certainly include funding for these types of people,” Mr Murray said.

“Things were done to make sure it wouldn’t happen, but of course the Earth will occasionally, in some of those places that are extremely old, you know, take its natural course.”