Historic Data Gaps Pose Risk as Neometals Pursues Barrambie Gold Expansion
Neometals Ltd has initiated an 8,300-metre drilling campaign targeting high-grade gold zones at its 100% owned Barrambie Gold Project in Western Australia, aiming to unlock new resource potential and advance towards production.
- 8,300 metres of reverse circulation drilling underway targeting Barrambie Ranges, Golden Treasure, Mystery mine, and Ironclad deposit
- Historic Golden Treasure mine produced 15,326 ounces at 29.4g/t gold, untested by drilling for nearly 40 years
- Drilling aims to test extensions, follow up historic intercepts, and upgrade Ironclad’s 13,000oz inferred resource
- Barrambie Project hosts one of the world’s highest-grade titanium deposits alongside significant gold potential
- Resource update and mine plan expected in March 2026 following drilling results
Historic Gold Legacy Meets Modern Exploration
Neometals Ltd has commenced a significant reverse circulation drilling program at its Barrambie Gold Project in Western Australia, marking the first major exploration push in over two decades. The campaign, spanning 8,300 metres, focuses on the Barrambie Ranges gold trend, home to the historic Golden Treasure mine, as well as the Mystery gold mine and the Ironclad deposit.
The Golden Treasure mine, discovered in 1905 during the construction of the Rabbit Proof Fence, remains one of the highest-grade historic gold producers in the region, yielding over 15,000 ounces at an exceptional grade of 29.4 grams per tonne. Despite this, the area has seen minimal modern drilling, with previous holes shallow and clustered, leaving substantial exploration upside.
Strategic Drilling Objectives
The current drilling campaign aims to test multiple targets, extensions of high-grade mineralisation beneath the Golden Treasure workings, halo mineralisation in adjacent structures, and follow-up on promising historic intercepts such as 4 metres at 6.07g/t and 5 metres at 4.27g/t gold. At the Ironclad deposit, which hosts an inferred resource of approximately 13,000 ounces at 1.6g/t, the program seeks to expand and upgrade the resource through infill and extension drilling.
Additionally, the Mystery gold mine trend will be tested for depth extensions along a 500-metre strike of its shear system. Recent drilling results, including intercepts of 10.2 metres at 2.72g/t and historic hits up to 14 metres at 12.58g/t, underscore the potential for further discoveries.
Barrambie’s Dual Mineral Potential
While Barrambie is globally recognised for hosting one of the world’s highest-grade titanium deposits, its gold potential has been historically underexplored. Neometals’ tenure covers 505 square kilometres with approximately 40 kilometres of strike within the Barrambie Greenstone Belt, a prolific Archaean gold province. The company’s 2024 exploration target suggested a potential 335,000 to 775,000 ounces of gold at grades between 1.3 and 2.3g/t, highlighting the scale of opportunity.
Neometals’ Managing Director, Chris Reed, emphasised the significance of resuming exploration at Barrambie Ranges, noting the importance of growing and upgrading the Ironclad deposit as a key step toward commercial gold production.
Looking Ahead
The drilling results from this campaign will be pivotal in shaping the next phase of development at Barrambie. An updated inferred mineral resource estimate and mine plan are anticipated in the March quarter of 2026, which will provide clearer insight into the project’s commercial viability and potential production timeline.
Neometals continues to leverage a robust dataset, including historic drill results and recent exploration successes, to unlock value from this underexplored gold camp. The integration of gold exploration alongside its titanium and vanadium assets positions Barrambie as a multifaceted project with significant upside.
Bottom Line?
Neometals’ drilling campaign at Barrambie could redefine the project’s gold potential and set the stage for a resource upgrade early next year.
Questions in the middle?
- Will the current drilling confirm extensions of the high-grade mineralisation beneath Golden Treasure?
- How significantly can the Ironclad inferred resource be expanded or upgraded with new drilling data?
- What timeline and scale of commercial gold production might emerge from the updated resource and mine plan?
