Ausgold’s major ramp up at Katanning

Ausgold has begun a major 44,000-metre drilling campaign at its Katanning gold project in Western Australia, as it aims to expand its 2.44 million-ounce gold resource.

The multi-rig program, comprising 32,000m of reverse circulation (RC) drilling and 12,000m of regional drilling supported by diamond drilling early next year, will focus on both resource growth and regional discovery across Ausgold’s 3000km² of tenure in the south west.

“This next phase of drilling marks an exciting step in Ausgold’s strategy to grow the existing 2.4 million-ounce resource base at Katanning, with newly-acquired freehold land opening up exciting opportunities to extend the known mineralisation at depth,” Ausgold executive chairman John Dorward said.

“Backed by up to $360,000 of EIS funding to test high-grade underground potential, the newly accessed areas allow us to return to unfinished business at the Katanning gold project.

“The program will also advance high-priority regional targets with strong potential to deliver satellite deposits to support mine life extensions.”

The campaign will also de-risk early mine life through infill drilling in high-margin zones, aimed at converting resources to reserves ahead of a final investment decision (FID) in mid-2026.

A second RC rig will join the program in November, while a diamond rig is scheduled to mobilise in January 2026 to support deeper testing and metallurgical work.

In addition to resource expansion at Katanning’s central and southern zones, Ausgold will advance a 12,000m regional program targeting new satellite discoveries, including at the Nanicup Bridge–Zinger prospect.

Ausgold’s exploration success has been further supported by a round 32 exploration incentive scheme (EIS) grant of up to $180,000, which will fund drilling of deep, high-grade extensions within the central zone. This builds on a previous round 31 EIS grant of up to $180,000 for the Datatine prospect.