Avira Resources has secured a two-year extension for its Mt Cattlin Gold Project tenure and is set to launch a 4,500-metre RC drilling campaign targeting a maiden resource estimate by year-end.
- Exploration Licence E74/401 extended to March 2028
- 4,500m RC drilling fully permitted across four prospects
- Exceptional historical grades confirmed, including 131 g/t Au intercept
- Maiden Mineral Resource Estimate targeted for Q4 2026
- Mining Lease application planned during extension period
Tenure Extension Secures Exploration Horizon
Avira Resources Limited (ASX:AVW) has locked in a crucial two-year extension for Exploration Licence E74/401, covering its high-grade Mt Cattlin Gold Project in Western Australia. The licence now runs until 13 March 2028, ensuring the company retains exploration rights over a project adjacent to Rio Tinto’s Mt Cattlin Lithium Mine. While Rio Tinto’s subsidiary holds the tenement title, Avira controls all mineral rights excluding pegmatite minerals, a strategic setup that positions the company to advance towards mining lease status during this extension period. The planned application for a Mining Lease could grant Avira direct tenure over the mining area, a significant step in project development.
Drilling Program Fully Permitted and Imminent
Following regulatory green lights, Avira is poised to commence a 4,500-metre reverse circulation (RC) drilling program targeting four key prospects: Maori Queen, Sirdar, Ellendale, and Plantagenet. The Department of Mines, Petroleum and Exploration has approved Program of Work 206331, and formal heritage approvals are in place, clearing the way for on-ground activities. This drilling campaign aims to test shallow extensions of known mineralisation and explore new targets, setting the foundation for a maiden Mineral Resource Estimate targeted for the final quarter of 2026. The company’s plans build on the momentum of its recent key approvals for 4,500m drilling, which marked a pivotal regulatory milestone.
High-Grade Gold Confirmed Across Multiple Prospects
Historical drilling data underpinning the project reveals exceptional gold grades, with notable intersections such as 1.00 metre at 131.24 g/t Au and 6.00 metres at 50.07 g/t Au at the Sirdar prospect. Mineralisation extends along a 650-metre strike known as the "New Zealand Trend," remaining open both at depth and laterally. These findings confirm the high-grade character of the system, which is hosted in sheared Archaean metavolcanic rocks and a multiphase porphyry complex controlling gold mineralisation. The confirmation of mineralisation at Maori Queen, Sirdar, Plantagenet, and Ellendale prospects supports Avira’s strategy to drill test these targets in the coming months. This follows the company’s earlier validation of high-grade gold intersections that laid the groundwork for the upcoming resource estimation.
Strategic Location and Project Potential
The Mt Cattlin Gold Project sits within the Ravensthorpe Greenstone Belt of the Yilgarn Craton, a prolific gold province, approximately 430 kilometres southeast of Perth. Its proximity to Rio Tinto’s lithium mine and Medallion Metals’ 1.3 million ounce Kundip Gold Project underscores the district-scale potential of the area. Avira’s control of gold and non-pegmatite mineral rights over E74/401, combined with multiple advanced prospects showing strong geophysical and geochemical signatures, positions the company to unlock value through exploration success. The project’s geological setting, characterised by narrow, high-grade shear-hosted quartz-sulphide lodes and broader disseminated stockwork mineralisation, offers diverse opportunities for resource expansion.
Next Steps and Development Timeline
With all necessary permits secured, Avira plans to begin drilling in Q2 2026, initially focusing on Maori Queen and Sirdar, followed by testing extensions at Ellendale and Plantagenet through Q3. The company aims to deliver a maiden Mineral Resource Estimate by Q4 2026, a key milestone that could significantly enhance the project’s profile. Concurrently, Avira intends to progress its Mining Lease application, which could pave the way for future mining operations. The unfolding developments at Mt Cattlin will be critical to watch as assay results and resource updates emerge, potentially reshaping the company’s exploration narrative.
Bottom Line?
Avira’s tenure extension and imminent drilling at Mt Cattlin set the stage for a potentially transformative resource update, but results and lease approvals will be pivotal.
Questions in the middle?
- Will drilling confirm extensions that materially increase the resource base at Mt Cattlin?
- How swiftly will the Mining Lease application progress during the licence extension period?
- What impact might adjacent lithium mining operations have on Avira’s gold project development?