The Mt Ida gold project in Western Australia has continued to increase gold resources thanks to another round of infill drilling.
Ballard Mining has announced an increase in its mineral resource estimate – 930,000 ounces at 4.1 grams per tonne (g/t) gold – as a result of recent assay results returning additional impressive results at its Baldock gold mine.
Results include three metres at 64.2 g/t gold from 277 metres, 1.7 metres at 71 g/t gold from 398 metres and 2 metres at 30 g/t gold from 249 metres.
“The results received to date have been confirmatory and in line with expectations. The increased drilling density – 20 metres by 20 metres – will allow a substantial portion of the inferred resource to be upgraded to an indicated resource and support a maiden ore reserve planned for mid-2026,” Ballard Mining managing director Paul Brennen said.
Ballard Mining said the phase 1 program is around 80 per cent complete and is set to be finished in early December, with 407 holes and over 71,000 metres drilled.
The company is targeting an initial mineral reserve of between 400,000–500,000 ounces based on the first phase of drilling, with extensive metallurgical test work and detailed geotechnical modelling being undertaken to support the reserve.
Both are set to be completed in the first quarter of 2026 and will provide the basis for an initial mine life of between five and six years at the Baldock mine.
Regional exploration work along the Baldock shear is also being undertaken to help continue growing the site’s mineral resource.
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