WORK has begun to excavate a second mine shaft at Bung Bong, near Avoca, as part of Daryl Floyd’s search for his missing brother Terry.

On Friday, construction started on a concrete collar at the top of the shaft, with steel beams and eventually a frame to be added before excavation can begin.

The aim is to meet up with a drive about 55 metres below the ground where Mr Floyd hopes to find the remains of Terry, who went missing in 1975.

Excavation of the first mine shaft uncovered a necklace, believed to belong to Terry. It was identical to similar necklaces sold in Maryborough in the 1970s, and the same as one owned by Mr Floyd.

The shaft meets the drive at the bottom, but Mr Floyd believes the excavation of the second shaft – which is much wider and larger than the first – is necessary to gain access to the area where Terry’s body is believed to lie.

He said the body could have fallen to the body of the mine, to be carried along the drive by water.

Hundreds of cow carcasses are also believed to have come to rest in the drive at the bottom of the mine shaft. A statement from a nearby abattoir stated the business would dispose of cows down the shaft.

A number of items suggesting the mine shaft had been used a dumping ground by numerous individuals in the area have surfaced during the search.

The community of Avoca has launched a fundraiser to support Mr Floyd in his search, while Coates Hire in Bendigo has been providing material support.

Mr Floyd said his search had the backing of people from far and wide.

“The community response has been massive. This isn’t just my search, it’s a search on behalf of the wider community and Victoria as a whole,” Mr Floyd said.

No one has been charged with the murder of Terry Floyd.

Terry Floyd was last seen on June 28, 1975, at the corner of the Pyrenees and Sunraysia highways.