MES Mining News

12 August 2026 | Duketon Gold Project, Laverton District, Western Australia

Great Southern Mining has started an 18-hole reverse-circulation campaign at the emerging Amy Clarke discovery, testing shallow gold mineralisation defined over 4.7 kilometres of strike.

First RC program targets depth and strike

Great Southern Mining has commenced the maiden reverse-circulation drilling program at Amy Clarke within its wholly owned Duketon Gold Project in Western Australia’s Laverton district.

The initial campaign comprises 18 holes for approximately 2,300 metres. The holes are designed to step out along strike and beneath higher-grade mineralisation identified by earlier aircore drilling, with the aim of defining orientation and improving the company’s understanding of mineralisation controls.

Aircore programs completed in 2021 and 2025 defined gold mineralisation over 4.7 kilometres, with previous drilling rarely extending more than 50 metres below surface.

Previous results establish the target

Earlier Amy Clarke results included 17 metres at 1.4 grams per tonne gold from 20 metres, including 1 metre at 11.2 grams per tonne; 8 metres at 6.7 grams per tonne from 33 metres, including 4 metres at 12.5 grams per tonne; and 2 metres at 23.9 grams per tonne from 10 metres.

These are previously reported aircore results rather than assays from the new RC campaign. The current program is intended to test whether the mineralisation continues at depth and along the higher-grade trends.

Amy Clarke lies approximately 12 kilometres south of Regis Resources’ Garden Well processing facility and about 3.5 kilometres south of the Erlistoun gold mine. Proximity to established mining infrastructure improves the strategic relevance of a discovery, although Amy Clarke does not yet have a Mineral Resource or development decision.

A broader WA drilling pipeline

Great Southern moved the rig to Amy Clarke before completing its current Golden Boulder program so that any encouraging results can be followed up while the equipment remains in the area.

Assays are pending for 38 Golden Boulder holes totalling 4,726 metres, with another 68 holes planned after the Amy Clarke campaign. Results are also pending from 16 holes totalling 3,089 metres at Mon Ami.

The combined programs support continuing work for drilling contractors, field crews, geologists and laboratories. Great Southern has not announced a Mineral Resource, mining decision or operational workforce for Amy Clarke.

Next steps

The company will complete the initial Amy Clarke RC program and assess results for follow-up drilling. It will then return to the remaining Golden Boulder holes, while releasing assays from Mon Ami and the completed portion of Golden Boulder as they become available.

Source: Great Southern Mining Limited, “Drilling Underway at the Emerging Amy Clarke Discovery”, 12 August 2026.

12 August 2026 | Speewah Fluorite Project, East Kimberley, Western Australia

A further $3 million in Australian Government critical-minerals funding has been received for the Speewah Fluorite Project, supporting a Definitive Feasibility Study scheduled for completion later in 2026.

Funding supports feasibility work

Japan Australia Fluorite Associates, the company that owns the Speewah Fluorite Project, has received a further $3 million funding tranche under the Australian Government’s International Partnerships in Critical Minerals program.

The payment is net of GST and forms part of a $7.4 million grant awarded to support feasibility and definitive feasibility work at the Western Australian project. Tivan said $6.4 million of the grant has now been received.

The latest funds will be applied to the project’s Definitive Feasibility Study, which is underway and scheduled to be completed later this year.

Why it matters

The payment gives the Speewah study program additional funding as the project moves through its pre-investment-decision work. It also reflects continued government support for an Australian critical-minerals project linked to international supply-chain partners.

Tivan is progressing the study through an incorporated joint venture with Sumitomo Corporation and the Japan Organization for Metals and Energy Security, and in partnership with ETFS Capital Limited.

For the mining-services and employment market, the near-term significance lies in continued feasibility engineering, processing, environmental, approvals and project-management activity. The announcement does not represent a final investment decision, construction approval or commitment to a defined operational workforce.

Next steps

The immediate milestone is completion of the Definitive Feasibility Study later in 2026. That work will help define the project’s technical basis and development requirements ahead of any later investment and construction decisions.

Future employment and procurement effects will depend on the study outcome, partner decisions, approvals and financing. No new job numbers or construction commencement date were provided in the announcement.

Source: Tivan Limited, “IPCM grant funding of $3m received for Speewah Fluorite Project”, 12 August 2026.

12 August 2026 | Blackjack Gold Operations, near Charters Towers, Queensland

Native Mineral Resources has completed its largest single smelt campaign since recommissioning the Blackjack plant, producing 861.3 ounces of doré while mining and drilling programs advance across its Queensland operations.

Largest smelt since plant recommissioning

Native Mineral Resources has reported an 861.3-ounce, or 26.78-kilogram, doré smelt from its Blackjack Gold Operations near Charters Towers. The 11 August campaign produced three bars weighing 304.5 ounces, 289.3 ounces and 267.4 ounces.

The campaign was 46% larger by doré weight than the 590.0-ounce smelt completed one week earlier. Combined doré production from the two August smelts totalled 1,451.3 ounces.

Doré contains gold, silver and other constituents and is not equivalent to fine-gold production. Official refinery results for the 11 August bars remain pending. The 4 August campaign subsequently returned 266.08 ounces of gold and 227.31 ounces of silver.

Mining activity broadens across the operation

The production milestone is supported by continued mine activity at Blackjack and Podosky. Blackjack South Pit completed its planned mining campaign on 4 August after moving approximately 168,000 tonnes of material and producing around 36,000 tonnes of plant feed since mining began there in June 2025.

Blackjack Mid Pit is approximately 59% mined against its current design, with 12 of 17 planned blasts completed. Podosky is approximately 39% mined, with nine of 17 blasts completed.

The combination of active pits, processing, drilling and development planning is more operationally significant than a single smelt result. It points to a broader pipeline intended to maintain plant-feed flexibility as individual mining areas progress through their cycles.

Next steps

Refinery assay and settlement results for the latest doré bars are expected next week. Drilling at Blackjack North is also scheduled to begin next week, followed by work at Central Pit to support geological definition, grade control and mine planning.

At Far Fanning, Native Mineral Resources is targeting completion of its dewatering strategy by the end of August, followed by a planned 10,000-metre reverse-circulation program from 31 August. The results will feed into geological modelling, pit optimisation and mine design.

These programs support continuing activity across mining, processing, drilling, geology, maintenance and water management. The company did not announce additional workforce numbers in the release.

Source: Native Mineral Resources Holdings Limited, “NMR delivers 861oz doré smelt as Blackjack gold production momentum builds”, 12 August 2026.

12 August 2026 | Ravensthorpe Gold Project, Western Australia

Macmahon has been selected as preferred underground mining contractor for Medallion Metals’ Ravensthorpe Gold Project, with a 36-month contract valued at approximately $240 million.

Three-year underground mining scope

Macmahon Holdings’ underground subsidiary has been selected by Medallion Metals as preferred mining contractor for the Ravensthorpe Gold Project in Western Australia.

The proposed scope covers portal establishment, underground development, production and ancillary works. Macmahon said activity is expected to begin in the December quarter of 2026 under an initial 36-month contract valued at approximately $240 million.

The announcement identifies Macmahon as preferred contractor. It does not state that the parties have completed all final contractual documentation, so the development should not yet be described as a fully executed contract award.

Why it matters

The selection represents a substantial step towards underground development and production at Ravensthorpe. The scope extends beyond initial portal works and includes the continuing development and production activities required to establish and operate an underground mine.

For Western Australia’s mining-services sector, a three-year package of this scale can support demand across underground operations, technical services, supervision, mobile maintenance and project support. Macmahon specifically identified employment and development opportunities, as well as local relationships, among the expected benefits for communities supporting the project.

No workforce numbers, roster arrangements or recruitment timetable were disclosed. Employment requirements will depend on final contracting, mobilisation planning and Medallion’s broader project schedule.

Next steps

Macmahon and Medallion will work towards the arrangements required for the proposed December-quarter start. Early activities are expected to centre on mobilisation planning and portal establishment before underground development and production work ramps up.

The appointment gives the project a preferred underground delivery partner, but the next material milestones will be final contracting, mobilisation and confirmation that site development remains on schedule.

Source: Macmahon Holdings Limited, “Macmahon Selected as Preferred Mining Contractor at Ravensthorpe”, 12 August 2026.

11 August 2026  |  Mt Stirling Well, Leonora North, Western Australia
A fifth batch of grade-control results at Mt Stirling Well has extended high-grade coverage, including the strongest intercept reported from the current program.

High-grade result feeds development work

GoldArc Resources has reported results from another 85 grade-control holes covering approximately 2,245 metres at Mt Stirling Well, part of the Leonora North Gold Project in Western Australia's Eastern Goldfields.

The strongest intersection was 2 metres at 69.7 grams per tonne gold from 23 metres, including 1 metre at 137.0 grams per tonne. Other results included 1 metre at 29.5 grams per tonne from 24 metres, 1 metre at 10.9 grams per tonne from 27 metres and 3 metres at 4.27 grams per tonne from 11 metres.

Widths are reported as down-hole lengths and may not represent true widths. GoldArc also notes that no top cuts were applied to the reported results.

Why it matters

This is the fifth consecutive batch to return high-grade mineralisation at Mt Stirling Well. The closely spaced drilling is intended to define ore boundaries and provide data for mining models, extraction scenarios, dilution control and production scheduling ahead of potential open-pit mining.

Mt Stirling Well hosts an Inferred Mineral Resource of 198,000 tonnes at 2.3 grams per tonne gold for 15,000 ounces. It sits about 700 metres south-west of Mt Stirling within GoldArc's broader Leonora North development area.

The grade-control work is funded by BML Ventures under a 50:50 net profit-sharing arrangement. GoldArc retains full ownership of the Mt Stirling and Mt Stirling Well mining leases, while BML is funding the program and working with the company on mine planning.

Next steps

The combined grade-control program has now completed approximately 27,537 metres and is moving through its final phase, with work increasingly focused on Mt Stirling Well. Further assay batches will be released as they are received.

GoldArc has also scheduled a 6,600-metre reverse-circulation program around the Mt Stirling deposits during August 2026. The immediate employment relevance is concentrated in drilling, geological modelling, mine planning and contractor-led development preparation. A mining decision or workforce number was not announced.

Source: GoldArc Resources Limited, "GoldArc Extends High-Grade Coverage at Mt Stirling Well, under the Leonora North Gold Project Development Program", 11 August 2026. Original announcement

11 August 2026  |  Mt Oxide Project, north-west Queensland

New drilling at the Aquila discovery has extended a high-grade copper-cobalt-silver shoot by approximately 100 metres and confirmed that the system remains open at depth.

Broad mineralisation with higher-grade zones

True North Copper has reported results from three holes at the Aquila copper-cobalt-silver discovery within its Mt Oxide Project near Cloncurry in north-west Queensland.

The leading intersection was 130 metres at 0.67% copper, 0.07% cobalt and 1.50 grams per tonne silver from 180 metres. This included 44 metres at 1.54% copper and 16 metres at 3.67% copper, with a higher-grade interval of 6 metres at 5.70% copper, 0.07% cobalt and 8.2 grams per tonne silver from 295 metres.

Other results included 74 metres at 0.73% copper from 159 metres and 31 metres at 0.90% copper and 0.37% cobalt from 68 metres. The company says the broader mineralised system has an estimated true width of approximately 40 to 60 metres and contains distinct higher-grade shoots.

Why it matters

The latest drilling extends Aquila's northern high-grade shoot by about 100 metres, from approximately 200 metres to 300 metres below surface. Mineralisation continues beneath the interpreted induced-polarisation anomaly and remains open at depth.

Aquila forms part of a mineralised trend extending approximately 1.8 kilometres along strike at Mt Oxide. Drilling has so far tested about 750 metres of strike and identified two higher-grade shoots.

The results improve the geological case for continued exploration and technical work, but Aquila remains a discovery-stage project. The announcement does not establish a Mineral Resource, development decision or employment program.

Next steps

True North plans to release further assays from Aquila, Aquila North, Apollo and Acanthis over coming months. Drilling will continue along strike and at depth to refine the geometry and continuity of the higher-grade zones.

The company also plans regional exploration across Mt Oxide and further technical studies, metallurgy and geological modelling. These workstreams support ongoing activity for drilling contractors, field teams, laboratories and technical consultants while the project is evaluated.

Source: True North Copper Limited, "High-Grade Copper Mineralisation Extended to 300m Depth at Mt Oxide Project", 11 August 2026. Original announcement

11 August 2026  |  BP33, Finniss Lithium Operation, Northern Territory

Core Lithium has reported a 34.08-metre intersection grading 2.09% lithium oxide from extensional drilling outside the existing BP33 Mineral Resource footprint.

Drilling tests mineralisation beyond the resource

Core Lithium has received results from the first diamond hole in its current BP33 exploration program, part of the company's wholly owned Finniss Lithium Operation in the Northern Territory.

Hole NMRD100 returned 34.08 metres at 2.09% lithium oxide from 578.70 metres, with an estimated true width of 28.50 metres. The interval included 5.28 metres at 2.80%, 5.40 metres at 2.37%, 7.11 metres at 2.19% and 9.83 metres at 2.23% lithium oxide. A separate interval returned 3.43 metres at 2.44% lithium oxide from 616.50 metres.

The hole was designed to test potential extensions outside BP33's existing Mineral Resource of 10.5 million tonnes at 1.53% lithium oxide. It was drilled adjacent to NMRD085, which previously intersected 90.17 metres at 1.80% lithium oxide from 568.83 metres.

Why it matters

BP33 is being assessed as an underground deposit and a potential long-life production base for Finniss. Confirmation of high-grade spodumene mineralisation beyond the current resource footprint can improve geological confidence and help define the scale available for future mine planning.

The new hole did not test BP33's separate Exploration Target of 3.9 million to 6.5 million tonnes at 1.5% to 1.6% lithium oxide. That target is conceptual, and there is no certainty that further exploration will convert it into a Mineral Resource.

The results support continued drilling and technical evaluation, but they do not represent a new resource estimate, reserve or final development decision. Core did not announce additional jobs or a revised operating timetable in this release.

Next steps

Drilling at BP33 is continuing, with four additional holes planned to test extensions down-dip and along strike from NMRD085 and NMRD100.

Core is also advancing an exploration program at Blackbeard, where up to 12,150 metres of drilling is planned. A second diamond rig is being mobilised to accelerate that campaign, with results expected over coming months.

Source: Core Lithium Ltd, "New High-Grade Lithium Drill Results at BP33", 11 August 2026. Original announcement

11 August 2026 | Snowy River Gold Mine, near Reefton, New Zealand
 

Macmahon has secured a five-year underground mining services contract worth an estimated $406.2 million at the Snowy River Gold Mine, with work scheduled to begin in October 2026.

Five-year underground services award

Macmahon Holdings has been awarded a major underground mining services contract at Endura Mining's Snowy River Gold Mine near Reefton on New Zealand's South Island. The contract will be delivered through wholly owned subsidiary Macmahon New Zealand Limited.

Macmahon will transition the underground operation and provide mine development, production and backfill services. The five-year term is scheduled to begin in October 2026 and has an estimated value of $406.2 million.

Snowy River is operated by Tasman Mining Limited, a wholly owned Endura subsidiary. The project is being developed as a high-grade underground gold operation and is scheduled to produce its first gold in December 2026.

Why it matters

The award is directly relevant to the mining workforce because it covers core underground activities rather than a short consulting or study assignment. Mine development, production and backfill require sustained capability across underground operations, supervision, technical services, mobile maintenance and supporting functions.

The contract also marks Macmahon's return to mining in New Zealand. For the Perth-headquartered contractor, the project extends its underground portfolio into another established mining jurisdiction while supporting Snowy River's transition from development toward production.

Macmahon did not disclose anticipated employee numbers, mobilisation requirements or contract margins in the announcement. Any specific recruitment implications therefore remain subject to the contractor's transition and workforce plans.

Next steps

Macmahon and Endura will prepare for the October transition, establish the underground services team and integrate development, production and backfill activities with the wider project schedule.

The immediate operational milestone is first gold in December 2026. Delivery against that schedule will depend on the mine transition, underground progress and completion of the project's remaining production-readiness work.

Source: Macmahon Holdings Limited, "Macmahon awarded $406m Underground Mining Contract at Snowy River Gold project", 11 August 2026. Original announcement

Targeted infill drilling has returned the highest-grade interval yet recorded at the Ironstone Well-Barwidgee Gold Project in Western Australia.
Yandal Resources (ASX: YRL)  |  Arrakis, Ironstone Well-Barwidgee Gold Project, WA

20m @ 8.7g/t Au  |  incl. 3m @ 52.8g/t  |  IWB record intercept  |  10 holes pending

Record Arrakis intercept

Yandal Resources has reported a standout reverse-circulation drilling result from the Arrakis discovery within its 100%-owned Ironstone Well-Barwidgee Gold Project in Western Australia's northern Yandal Greenstone Belt. Hole 26IWBRC0120 returned 20 metres at 8.7 grams a tonne gold from 84 metres, with an estimated true width of 13 metres.

The interval includes 6 metres at 28.3g/t from 84 metres and a higher-grade core of 3 metres at 52.8g/t. Yandal says it is the highest-grade gold intercept recorded anywhere within the Ironstone Well-Barwidgee project to date.

A second hole on the same 6,650mN section returned 12 metres at 1.8g/t from 31 metres, including 3 metres at 4.9g/t. At about 26 metres below surface, it is also the shallowest intercept yet reported from Arrakis.

A new high-grade domain emerges

The two new intercepts, together with earlier drilling about 100 metres to the south, point to a possible additional high-grade domain within the 1.3-kilometre Arrakis mineralised system. Yandal says more drilling and assay results are required to confirm its geometry and continuity.

The headline intercept sits directly below an intermediate porphyry and is hosted by partially weathered, heavily deformed dolerite with minor quartz veining. A diamond tail in nearby hole 26IWBRC0121D tested the equivalent position about 60 metres down-dip in fresh rock, with those samples currently at the laboratory.

Yandal has cautioned that very high gold concentrations can sometimes smear across sample intervals during drilling or preparation, artificially lengthening an intercept. Follow-up work will therefore be important in confirming the true extent of the high-grade zone.

Results pipeline remains active

The company has completed 24 targeted RC holes on 100-metre-spaced lines across Arrakis. Results reported in the latest update cover nine holes between the 6,450mN and 6,850mN sections, while assays from another ten holes - including three with diamond-core tails - are expected through August.

A July heritage survey has opened the way for further infill drilling on 50-metre-spaced lines across the full discovery. Yandal is also targeting a maiden exploration target for Arrakis during the third quarter of 2026, providing the next step in assessing the potential scale of the system.

Source: Yandal Resources, “Shallow High-Grade Gold at Arrakis”, announcement dated 10 August 2026.

An unconditional mineral-rights agreement expands the company’s district-scale position around its 2.1Moz flagship gold project in Western Australia.

Pilbara Gold (ASX: PGL)  |  Mt York Gold Project, Pilbara, WA

367sq km of mineral rights  |  2.1Moz Mt York resource  |  1.5km Main Hill extension  |  50,000m+ drilling

Agreement clears a key condition

Pilbara Gold says its Mineral Rights Agreement with PLS Group has become unconditional, giving the company gold and base-metals rights across three granted exploration licences and one application surrounding the Mt York Gold Project. The agreement covers 367 square kilometres of prospective greenstone geology and excludes lithium and tantalum rights retained by PLS.

The transaction was first signed in October 2025. Early access to a priority area allowed Pilbara Gold to begin drilling the Main Hill Extension before the remaining conditions were completed. With those conditions now satisfied, exploration can extend across the broader agreement area once activities are authorised by PLS.

A larger district footprint

The new mineral rights sit next to Mt York and add to 168 square kilometres of contiguous licences and an application recently acquired from Trek Metals. Pilbara Gold says the package creates a district-scale position over geology that has not been systematically tested for gold despite its similarities to the host rocks at Mt York.

The rights also include about 1.5 kilometres of strike beyond the Main Hill deposit. Previous drilling in that extension returned intervals including 9 metres at 3.92 grams a tonne gold from 97 metres, 16 metres at 2.60g/t from 157 metres and 8 metres at 3.81g/t from 128 metres.

Mt York currently contains a Mineral Resource of 61.7 million tonnes at 1.05g/t gold for 2.082 million ounces. Pilbara Gold describes the deposit as a continuous zone hosted in banded iron formation, with mineralisation extending for about 4.2 kilometres and remaining open along strike and at depth.

Drilling and studies continue

The company is continuing a program of more than 50,000 metres of infill and extensional drilling at Mt York, with recent work extending mineralisation beneath both Main Hill and Gossan Hill. Results will feed into the project’s pre-feasibility study and help test whether the current resource can grow beyond 2.1 million ounces.

Pilbara Gold also plans a large airborne electromagnetic survey across the Greater Mt York area. The survey is intended to build a regional targeting dataset for sulphide-bearing gold systems and could generate a broader pipeline of drill targets around the proposed development.

Source: Pilbara Gold, “Key Mt York Mineral Rights Agreement declared unconditional”, ASX announcement dated 10 August 2026.