The invention provides a machine for tunnelling in rock. The machine includes a pilot drill assembly for drilling a series of interfering parallel holes or a pilot hole into and generally perpendicular into a rock face and a blast hole drill assembly for drilling a series of blasting holes around the pilot hole or previous blast hole. The machine further includes a charge handling and loading assembly for loading the first series of holes with propellant charges and an ignitor system for igniting the charges. Included further is a rock clearing means for removing the blast rock from the blast face and a rock pick for clearing and picking the floor, roof or walls to provide access for the machine into the tunnel and a mobility assembly for moving the machine forward. Also included is a control console provided with control means for controlling the pilot drill assembly, blast hole drill assembly, charge handling and loading assembly, ignitor system, rock clearing means, the rock pick, a measure system for gas detection and management, a rock stress measure system and recording system.

An apparatus to install structural supports in a mine tunnel is conveniently mountable on a mining machine having a cutting head mounted at one end of a boom. An extendable and slewing manipulator arm of the apparatus is mounted on a support platform that is slidable in the axial forward and rearward direction and includes a grasping device to hold the structural supports in a plurality of different positions.