Westar’s Exploration Push Faces Heritage and Geological Challenges in New Territories

Westar’s 2026 Exploration Strategy

Westar Resources Limited (ASX – WSR) has unveiled a comprehensive exploration program for calendar year 2026, spanning multiple projects across Western Australia and the Northern Territory. The company is advancing its search for gold and base metals through a combination of drilling, geochemical sampling, and geophysical data analysis, aiming to build on promising early-stage results and newly granted tenements.

Gidgee North and the Mageye Prospect

At the Gidgee North Project in WA’s Murchison region, Westar plans an air core drilling campaign over the Mageye prospect, which has shown strong molybdenum, bismuth, and tungsten anomalies in previous reverse circulation drilling. These elements suggest a high-temperature magmatic system that could be associated with gold mineralisation, although no gold was detected in earlier holes. The upcoming drilling aims to collect bedrock samples for pathfinder geochemistry to pinpoint any gold-rich zones within the mineralised intrusion. Heritage considerations are underway with negotiations for a Heritage Protection Agreement, targeting a June quarter start.

Jerrys Bore – Unlocking Hidden Gold Potential

Westar’s Jerrys Bore project, located in the NE Goldfields, covers a largely sand-covered greenstone belt with limited prior exploration. The company is set to conduct a soil auger sampling program to follow up on low-level gold and arsenic anomalies identified by previous explorers. Notably, Westar’s orientation work indicates that sampling goethite-rich nodules and clay fractions may yield better geochemical responses than finer sand fractions, potentially improving target definition. Enhanced LiDAR data recently acquired will refine the regolith-landform model ahead of sampling planned for mid-June quarter.

Bunda Creek and Mount Strawbridge – New Frontiers

In the Northern Territory, Westar’s newly granted EL34118 in the Birrindudu Basin opens a frontier for sedimentary copper and base metals exploration. The company has reprocessed aeromagnetic and electromagnetic data to identify structural complexities, which will guide detailed geophysical surveys and planned reconnaissance fieldwork in the June quarter. Meanwhile, at Mount Strawbridge in WA’s NE Goldfields, a reconnaissance visit and orientation geochemical survey are scheduled for the March quarter, targeting a recently lodged exploration licence application. This area’s exploration history has been limited by complex regolith and sediment cover, which Westar aims to better understand through fieldwork.

Technical Rigor and Community Engagement

Westar’s exploration approach is underpinned by detailed geochemical sampling protocols, including multi-fraction assays and rigorous quality control measures. The company is also actively engaging with traditional owners, exemplified by ongoing heritage agreement negotiations at Mageye, ensuring exploration respects cultural and environmental sensitivities. These steps reflect Westar’s commitment to responsible resource development while advancing its exploration pipeline.

Looking Ahead

With a diversified portfolio and methodical exploration programs underway, Westar Resources is positioning itself to unlock value from both established and emerging mineral provinces. The coming quarters will be critical as assay results and field data refine targets and inform potential drilling campaigns, setting the stage for future resource definition.