The completed infill drilling component of the program has confirmed the geological model at the Jinkas lodes and improved confidence in mineralisation following the receipt of 16 holes totalling 1762m.

Those returned a top hit of 26m grading 3.03g/t gold from a down-hole depth of 79m including 22m at 3.48g/t from 82m (BSRC2076).

Infill drilling throughout the program has largely demonstrated excellent grade reconciliation with a review finding that more than 80% of mineralised intersections within the >0.35g/t gold domains returned grades higher than those predicted by the existing resource model.

Ausgold (ASX:AUC) is preparing to carry out an additional 25,000m of reverse circulation infill drilling to achieve 20m by 20m drill spacing within the area of the first two years of planned mine life ahead of planned mine development.

Extensional drilling also continued to intersect mineralisation beyond the resource envelope while drilling at the Nanicup Bridge prospect about 40km southeast of the project returned thick continuous intercepts.

This supports the potential for Nanicup Bridge to be a maiden satellite resource to complement its flagship Katanning project.

Executive chairman John Dorward said the drill program continues to deliver exciting results with this fifth batch of assays demonstrating progress across multiple fronts.

These include resource growth, enhanced confidence in the existing resource model, and the advancement of a pipeline of satellite opportunities.

“The formal review of infill drilling has confirmed the robustness of the existing resource model and highlighted opportunities for improvement, while extensional drilling continues to demonstrate the scale and continuity of the Katanning mineralised system beyond the current resource envelope,” he added.

“At Datatine, successful down-plunge drilling has provided further encouragement for a potential underground play, while Nanicup Bridge continues to evolve into a compelling satellite resource opportunity.”

The 16 infill drill holes totalling 1762m reported in this batch of assays were drilled into the Jinkas lodes within, or proximal to, the end of Year 2 pit design with the goal of confirming and improving confidence in the geological mineralisation model.

It was also carried out to identify potential to enhance grade and improve future local estimation confidence.

Notable results besides the top result are:

  • 10m at 3.78g/t gold from 46m (BSRC2080)
  • 9m at 3.67g/t gold from 46m including 5m at 6.25g/t from 46m (BSRC2082); and
  • 11m at 2.44g/t gold from 46m (BSRC2078).

The company is now preparing to start a 25,000m infill drill program within the first two-years of mine life to a drill spacing of 20m by 20m that will further increase resource and reserve confidence while supporting ongoing project optimisation.

The company also drilled a total of 33 RC holes for 9619m and seven RCD holes for 1850m into the Jinkas and White Dam-Jackson lodes within the Central Zone to test for mineralisation beyond the current resource and reserve boundary.

This returned results such as:

  • 29m at 0.89g/t gold from 159m (BSRC2065 – Jinkas)
  • 29m at 0.78g/t gold from 281m (BSRC2040 – Jinkas)
  • 13m at 1.43g/t gold from 172m (BSRC2050 – White Dam-Jackson); and
  • 11m at 1.54g/t gold from 205m (BSRC2067 – White Dam).

These results demonstrate the potential for resource growth at the Katanning project, which currently has a resource of 2.44Moz and ore reserve of 1.33Moz.

What’s of particular interest to the company is that most of the intersections are shallow enough to be amenable to future open-pit development scenarios.

One diamond drill rig is currently completing two deep holes as part of an EIS-supported program testing down-plunge extensions of the mineralised system up to 700m beyond the current resource envelope.

This is targeting modelled down-hole electromagnetic plate anomalies interpreted to represent potential extensions to the known mineralisation.

The company also drilled three diamond holes at Datatine in the Northern Zone about 4km north of the Central Zone.

The drilling intersected mineralisation at depth with BSDD062, the deepest hole drilled to date, returning 9.5m at 2.44g/t gold from 512m including 3.2m at 4.53g/t from 513m.

An update of the Datatine geological and mineralisation model is now underway to incorporate the latest drill results.

The company will also carry out underground mining studies, including stope optimisation work, to assess the potential economic viability of an underground mining operation.

Nanicup Bridge is about 40km southeast of the Katanning project with direct road access connecting them.

Historical drilling identified gold mineralisation extending from surface over a strike length of at least 1km.

AUC completed 66 holes totalling 5955m on a nominal 50m by 50m spacing that successfully confirmed the presence of multiple thick mineralised lodes extending over at least 1km of strike.

This confirmed the presence of a supergene enrichment blanket developed at the base of complete oxidation, with both historical and recent drilling identifying localised zones grading more than 2g/t gold.

Results improved the company’s understanding of the geological and mineralisation controls at Nanicup Bridge and provided a strong foundation for the development of a geological model and maiden resources.

Following completion of the current deep drilling program and receipt of all outstanding assay results, the company plans to define the next phase of resource extension drilling.

This is expected to be carried out in Q3 2026 concurrently with the planned 25,000m infill program that started in June 2026.

This phase of extensional drilling will be supported by further DHEM surveys.

AUC is also awaiting results from the early-stage Moulyinning and Kraken regional targets and expects to deliver a resource update in the December quarter.