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High-Grade Gold Hits: Riverina Deeps Drilling Extends Mineralisation to 1,000m

Mining By Maxwell Dee 3 min read

Ora Banda Mining reports a series of strong high-grade gold drill results from its Riverina, Waihi, and Little Gem prospects, reinforcing the potential for resource growth and mine life extension at the Davyhurst Gold Project.

  • Riverina Deeps drilling confirms mineralisation continuity to 1,000m depth
  • Multiple high-grade gold intersections exceeding 20 gram-metres
  • Waihi exploration reveals new mineralised zones with significant grades
  • Little Gem drilling confirms >5km continuous mineralised strike
  • Active drilling program with multiple rigs accelerating resource growth
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Exploration Success at Riverina Deeps

Ora Banda Mining Limited (ASX – OBM) has announced compelling new drill results from its flagship Davyhurst Gold Project, highlighting significant exploration success at three key prospects – Riverina, Waihi, and Little Gem. At Riverina Deeps, infill diamond and reverse circulation drilling between 500 and 1,000 metres below surface has returned numerous high-grade gold intersections, many exceeding 20 gram-metres. Notably, the mineralised system extends robustly to depths of 1,000 vertical metres, with the deepest hole reaching 1,200 metres, underscoring strong continuity and promising potential for multi-year mine life extensions.

Waihi Exploration Uncovers New Zones

The initial seven-hole drilling campaign at Waihi has successfully identified new mineralised zones beneath historical open pits. One standout intercept includes 8.7 metres at 9.3 grams per tonne gold, with higher-grade sub-intervals up to 90.6 grams per tonne. These zones remain open in all directions, offering a fresh target for expansion. The company is designing a significant follow-up drilling program slated to commence in fiscal year 2026, aiming to further delineate and expand the resource base.

Little Gem Confirms Extensive Mineralised Strike

At Little Gem, wide-spaced drilling on 400-metre step-outs has confirmed a regionally significant continuous carbonate-hosted gold system extending over 5 kilometres. Early assay results from the ongoing 16-hole program reveal consistent gold mineralisation across multiple carbonate units, with grades up to 17.6 grams per tonne over 1 metre. The strike remains open to the north and south, with structural offsets suggesting additional untested extensions. The broad reconnaissance drilling is designed to refine the geological model and guide future infill drilling.

Accelerated Drilling Drives Resource Growth

Ora Banda’s Managing Director, Luke Creagh, emphasised the company’s aggressive drilling pace, with five surface and five underground rigs collectively producing over 850 metres of diamond core daily. This intensive program is central to the company’s strategy to rapidly grow mineral resources, extend mine life, and identify new development opportunities. Creagh highlighted the significance of the Waihi results as a potential third underground mine and praised the early-stage but promising results at Little Gem–Sunraysia, which could represent a major new discovery.

Looking Ahead

With assay results still pending for several holes at Little Gem and further drilling planned at all three prospects, Ora Banda is well positioned to update its Mineral Resource Estimates in the near term. The company’s methodical yet ambitious exploration approach continues to unlock value within the Davyhurst Gold Project, reinforcing its status as a high-grade gold camp with substantial upside potential.

Bottom Line?

Ora Banda’s drilling momentum at Davyhurst signals a promising path to resource growth and mine life extension, with key assay results and resource updates on the horizon.

Questions in the middle?

  • How will the upcoming Mineral Resource Estimate updates impact Ora Banda’s valuation and development plans?
  • What are the metallurgical characteristics and expected recoveries for the newly identified mineralised zones at Waihi and Little Gem?
  • Could the structural complexities at Little Gem and Riverina lead to further high-grade discoveries beyond current drilling extents?