Stavely Minerals has reported promising reconnaissance drilling results at its Freddy’s Find Prospect in western Victoria, revealing multiple gold-silver zones within a large hydrothermal breccia system. These findings reinforce the potential for a significant epithermal discovery.
- Reconnaissance RC drilling at 200m spacing returns multiple gold-silver intercepts
- Significant intervals include 16m at 1.09g/t AuEq and 7m at 1.94g/t AuEq
- Freddy’s Find prospect covers a large 2km by 750m hydrothermal breccia system
- Follow-up IP surveys and drilling planned to target higher-grade zones
- Fairview South Gold prospect drilling yields encouraging gold intercepts
Exploration Breakthrough at Freddy’s Find
Stavely Minerals Limited has announced a significant step forward in its exploration efforts at the Freddy’s Find Prospect, part of its wholly owned Stavely Copper-Gold Project in western Victoria. Recent reconnaissance Reverse Circulation (RC) drilling, conducted on a wide 200-metre collar spacing, has intersected multiple zones of epithermal gold and silver mineralisation within an extensive hydrothermal breccia system measuring approximately 2 kilometres by 750 metres.
Among the standout results, drill hole STRC0132 returned 16 metres at 1.09 grams per tonne gold equivalent (AuEq) from 46 metres depth, including higher-grade intervals such as 7 metres at 1.94 g/t AuEq. These results build on earlier air-core drilling spaced at 400 metres, which also delivered encouraging intercepts, including 4 metres at 2.32 g/t AuEq from 96 metres.
Geological Context and Significance
The mineralisation style at Freddy’s Find is described as porphyry-related epithermal carbonate-base metal-gold, a prolific style known for hosting major gold deposits in the Southwest Pacific Rim. The drilling has revealed intense silica-clay alteration and abundant sulphide mineralisation, predominantly pyrite, over intervals exceeding 100 metres within the breccia system. Notably, the drilling has only tested about 20-25% of the prospect area, indicating substantial potential for further discoveries.
Stavely’s Executive Chair and Managing Director, Chris Cairns, emphasised the scale of the opportunity, noting the vast target area and the confirmed presence of gold and silver mineralisation. The company’s immediate focus is to identify higher-grade and more coherent zones within this compelling epithermal system.
Complementary Progress at Fairview South
In parallel, Stavely has reported positive drilling results at the Fairview South Gold prospect, where nine RC holes returned multiple gold intercepts, including 2 metres at 1.68 g/t Au and 5 metres at 1.33 g/t Au. Soil auger geochemistry is planned to extend exploration in the area, particularly to the east where hydrothermal alteration features have been mapped.
Next Steps and Outlook
Looking ahead, Stavely plans to conduct induced polarization (IP) geophysical surveys at Freddy’s Find to refine targets for follow-up drilling. The company aims to delineate higher-grade mineralisation zones within the large breccia system and advance the project towards resource definition. The combination of wide-spaced reconnaissance drilling and detailed geological and geophysical data positions Stavely well to unlock the full potential of its Victorian assets.
While these results are at an early stage and metallurgical testwork has yet to be completed, the broad zones of gold-silver mineralisation and the scale of the target area provide a strong foundation for optimism among investors and industry observers.
Bottom Line?
Stavely Minerals’ latest drilling results at Freddy’s Find mark a promising chapter in its quest for a large-scale epithermal gold-silver discovery, with follow-up work poised to sharpen the focus on higher-grade zones.
Questions in the middle?
- How will upcoming IP survey results influence the next drilling campaign at Freddy’s Find?
- What metallurgical characteristics will the gold-silver mineralisation exhibit once testwork is completed?
- Can Stavely define a resource estimate in the near term given the current wide drill spacing?