Low-Grade Gold Zones at Walkers Hill Pose Questions on Economic Viability
Talisman Mining’s recent drilling at the Walkers Hill Project in NSW reveals extensive shallow gold mineralisation, validating a major geophysical anomaly and setting the stage for expanded exploration.
- Five-hole RC drilling program completed at Sheepyard Prospect
- Four holes intersect broad zones of shallow, low-grade gold mineralisation
- Gold mineralisation linked to a 4.5km gold-in-soil anomaly and PDIP chargeability feature
- Mineralisation shows typical orogenic gold sulphide signatures
- Follow-up drilling planned to test wider anomaly and additional mineralised trends
Exploration Breakthrough at Walkers Hill
Talisman Mining (ASX, TLM) has reported encouraging results from its maiden 2025 drilling campaign at the Walkers Hill Project, located approximately 60km northwest of Condobolin in New South Wales. The company completed a five-hole, 755-metre reverse circulation (RC) drilling program at the Sheepyard Prospect, targeting a significant gold-in-soil geochemical anomaly coincident with a strong Pole-Dipole Induced Polarisation (PDIP) geophysical chargeability feature.
Four of the five holes intersected broad zones of shallow, low-grade gold mineralisation, with assay highlights including intercepts such as 42 metres at 0.44 grams per tonne (g/t) gold from just 4 metres depth, and narrower intervals reaching up to 0.99 g/t gold. These results confirm the presence of gold mineralisation both near surface and at depth, associated with quartz veining, alteration, and pyrite mineralisation typical of orogenic-style gold deposits.
Geological Context and Significance
The mineralisation occurs within Ordovician-age metasediments along a broad northeast-trending fault zone. The deeper gold zones correlate with elevated pyrite and alteration coincident with the PDIP chargeability anomaly, reinforcing the geophysical survey’s effectiveness in identifying mineralised zones. Additionally, the gold mineralisation is anomalous in arsenic, antimony, and tungsten, elements commonly associated with orogenic gold systems.
Importantly, the Sheepyard Prospect is part of a larger 4.5-kilometre-long gold-in-soil anomaly that extends northwest to the Maroonbah Prospect, which exhibits even stronger geochemical signatures. Historical drilling in the area has been shallow and limited, with previous holes ending in oxide zones and depths generally less than 60 metres. Talisman’s deeper drilling has begun to test the hypogene (primary) mineralisation beneath these oxide zones.
Looking Ahead, Follow-Up and Potential
Managing Director Andrew Munckton expressed optimism about the results, highlighting the potential for higher-grade zones within the broad mineralised system and the value of geophysical targeting. The company plans to undertake further drilling in the December quarter to explore the full extent of the anomaly, including the larger Maroonbah Prospect to the northwest.
This follow-up work aims to better define the grade and continuity of mineralisation, both near surface and at depth, and to identify structural controls that could host higher-grade gold shoots. The confirmation of a geophysical signature linked to mineralisation provides a valuable vector for future exploration efforts.
While the current grades are modest and true widths remain to be established, these results materially enhance the prospectivity of the Walkers Hill Project and underscore Talisman Mining’s strategy of systematic exploration in underexplored but highly prospective terrain within the Lachlan Fold Belt.
Bottom Line?
Talisman Mining’s Walkers Hill results unlock a promising gold system, with upcoming drilling poised to sharpen the focus on higher-grade targets.
Questions in the middle?
- Will follow-up drilling confirm economically viable gold grades and widths?
- How extensive and continuous is the deeper hypogene mineralisation beneath Sheepyard and Maroonbah?
- What structural controls govern the distribution of higher-grade gold within the 4.5km anomaly?
