Austral Resources Unveils Drill-Ready Copper-Gold Targets Near Rocklands
Austral Resources has defined multiple high-grade copper-gold exploration targets near its Rocklands processing facility, setting the stage for a sequenced, low-capex growth strategy with drilling planned from late 2026.
- Exploration targets estimated at 10-20 Mt @ 1-2% Cu and 0.1-0.5 g/t Au
- Targets located within trucking distance of Rocklands processing hub
- Drill programs planned for 2026-2027 focusing on resource expansion
- Enterprise Deposit resource open at depth with planned infill and step-out drilling
- Multiple advanced prospects including Slaughterhouse Creek, Bald Hills, and Cameron River
Strategic Growth Through Eastern Exploration
Austral Resources Australia Ltd (ASX, AR1) has announced a significant advancement in its copper-gold exploration efforts across its Eastern tenement area. The company has identified eleven high-confidence prospects with exploration target estimates ranging between 10 and 20 million tonnes, grading 1-2% copper and 0.1-0.5 grams per tonne gold. These targets are strategically positioned within trucking distance of the Rocklands processing facility, supporting Austral’s low-capital expenditure “Hub and Spoke” growth model.
Chairman David Newling emphasised the importance of these targets as a core pillar of Austral’s organic growth strategy, highlighting the transformation of previously underexplored tenements into a pipeline of drill-ready prospects. This development complements the company’s consolidation and acquisition strategy, promising steady discovery and resource growth newsflow in the coming years.
Focused Exploration Pipeline and Upcoming Drilling
The company’s exploration team has completed extensive surface geochemical sampling, geophysical surveys, and ground-truthing of over 30 historical copper workings, many of which remain undrilled. This work has culminated in a revitalised pipeline of drill-ready targets, with initial drilling scheduled to commence in late 2026 to early 2027, subject to permitting and access.
Austral’s Chief Operating Officer, Shane O’Connell, noted the precision in prioritising and sequencing drilling to maximise near-term value. The upcoming programs will focus on converting these targets into drilled outcomes that can advance toward resource status and ultimately contribute mill feed to Rocklands.
Key Prospects Highlighted
The Enterprise Deposit stands out as the most advanced target, currently hosting an inferred mineral resource of 0.95 million tonnes at 0.97% copper. Recent surface sampling extended copper anomalism over 2.6 km of strike, with geophysical surveys revealing untested chargeability anomalies. A 2,000-metre drill program is planned to infill and extend this resource.
Other notable prospects include the newly defined Slaughterhouse Creek, which shares geological similarities with Enterprise and offers significant upside potential over 2.2 km of strike. The Bald Hills Prospect presents a structurally complex copper target near historical mining localities, with redesigned drilling planned to test fault-controlled mineralisation.
The Cameron River Project is emerging as a multi-commodity opportunity with copper, gold, and silver potential, supported by encouraging assay results from historical workings. The Little Beauty and Neptune/Lost Weekend prospects within this project show strong surface copper anomalism and promising drill intercepts, validating them as high-priority targets.
A Disciplined, Discovery-Driven Approach
Austral’s forward exploration strategy is structured into three focused work streams, resource definition and conversion at Enterprise, drill-testing of advanced regional targets, and concurrent geophysical surveys to refine deeper extents. This disciplined approach aims to deliver a continuous stream of results and catalysts, reinforcing Rocklands as the central processing hub for future copper production.
With a JORC-compliant mineral resource base of 64 million tonnes at 0.73% copper and two processing facilities, Austral is well-positioned to leverage these exploration successes to extend mine life and increase resource inventory.
Bottom Line?
Austral’s methodical exploration and low-capex growth model position it well to unlock significant value from its Eastern copper-gold targets in the years ahead.
Questions in the middle?
- How quickly will Austral secure permitting and access to commence drilling in late 2026?
- What are the chances that exploration targets convert into economically viable mineral resources?
- How will the new discoveries impact Austral’s production profile and processing capacity at Rocklands?
