Sinkhole swallows holidaymakers' car en route to airport

The ground opened beneath the front end of the car while it was being driven down a driveway at Hyde Park, South Australia on January 11.

Local media reported the couple from Darwin was finishing their holiday in South Australia and were on the way to the airport to return the car.

The front wheels became stuck deep into the sinkhole, but fortunately the car's two occupants were able to get out without injury.

"In the first half hour. I probably sank a good half a metre," Sanja Nikolic, who had stepped in to redirect traffic when local media arrived at the scene, said.

"You could still see the number plate of the car, like it was just submerged."

It took crews about two hours to stabilise the buckled bitumen and pull the vehicle from the sinkhole.

It is understood a water main burst in the area causing significant flooding down Park Street, resulting in the sinkhole opening outside the residence.

More than 50 residents near the burst water pipe experienced flooding and damage to their properties.