Newmont Launches 1,800m Diamond Drilling at Junee JV’s Allawah Gold Target

Newmont Commences Follow-Up Drilling at Allawah Gold Anomaly

Newmont Exploration has initiated a diamond drilling program at the Junee Joint Venture (JV) Project in New South Wales, stepping up efforts to test a substantial gold-in-soil anomaly at the Allawah Prospect. The program, fully funded by Newmont under the existing farm-in agreement, comprises up to nine holes totalling 1,800 metres and represents the first drilling at Allawah since a recent induced polarisation geophysical survey highlighted large-scale chargeability and resistivity features.

The Allawah Prospect anomaly spans over 1.5 kilometres by 1 kilometre, with soil sampling revealing gold values up to 741 parts per billion and pathfinder elements including arsenic, antimony, tellurium, bismuth, and copper supporting the target’s potential. Historical rock chip samples from the area have returned gold grades up to 1.79 grams per tonne, underpinning the prospect’s prospectivity.

Encouraging Previous Intersections Drive Current Drill Design

Newmont’s drilling aims to build on earlier reverse circulation results that delivered significant gold intercepts such as 20 metres at 1.15 grams per tonne gold, including higher-grade zones of 4 metres at 2.84 grams per tonne. These results, combined with the new geophysical data, have shaped a collaborative drill design between Newmont and Koonenberry’s geological team to test the strike extent of mineralisation within the anomaly.

Koonenberry Gold retains a 20% interest in the Junee JV, with Newmont managing the project and carrying Koonenberry through exploration costs to commercial production. This arrangement allows Koonenberry to focus on advancing other promising gold and copper-gold targets within its 100%-owned Lachlan Project portfolio.

Junee JV’s Strategic Position in a Fertile Mining Province

The Junee JV sits within the Lachlan Fold Belt, a world-class mineral province hosting major deposits such as Evolution Mining’s Cowal gold mine and the North Parkes copper-gold mine. The JV area has seen extensive exploration, with multiple mineralised systems identified including the Kurrajong Au-Cu porphyry, Rockley Cu-Au porphyry, Cooba East Cu-Mo porphyry, and the Three Tree Hill prospect featuring skarn and epithermal gold mineralisation.

Notably, the Kurrajong system has demonstrated mineralisation over 1.5 kilometres with intersections like 224 metres at 0.19% copper and 0.20 grams per tonne gold, while Rockley and Cooba East have yielded promising copper and gold grades in porphyry-style settings. These discoveries underscore the JV’s potential to host significant mineral resources, although further drilling is required to delineate extents and grades.

Broader Exploration and Forward Plans

Results from the ongoing Allawah diamond drilling program are expected in the third to fourth quarter of 2026. Newmont is also evaluating additional targets across the JV for possible air-core and diamond drilling, indicating a sustained exploration effort.

Meanwhile, Koonenberry is progressing exploration across its broader Lachlan Project area, including recently acquired assets at Gundagai and active programs at Enmore, Wilga Flats, and Dunedoo. This diversified portfolio positions the company to leverage multiple opportunities in a highly prospective region.

With Newmont’s technical and financial backing at Junee and Koonenberry’s expanding footprint elsewhere, the coming months could be pivotal in defining the scale and quality of mineralisation within this emerging NSW gold and copper province.