Tarrina Confirms High-Grade Gold Over 1km at Christmas Gift

Gold Mineralisation Extends Well Beyond Historic Mine

Tarrina Resources (ASX:TR8) has bolstered confidence in its Christmas Gift Gold Project with assay results from its Phase 1 diamond drilling program confirming gold mineralisation across more than 1,050 metres of strike, five times the length of historic mining operations. The drilling also extended mineralisation beneath the old mine workings, which were limited to approximately 200 metres of strike, suggesting the high-grade system is far more extensive than previously documented.

The standout intercept came from drill hole CGDH002, which returned a narrow but exceptional 0.5 metres grading 42.26 grams per tonne (g/t) gold immediately adjacent to a historic stope. This confirms that previous mining did not fully extract the richest parts of the orebody. Such high-grade shoots remain key targets for future drilling.

Historic Drilling Underestimated Bedrock Gold

Tarrina’s CEO Dr Gregor Partington highlighted that much of the historic drilling was shallow, averaging just 33 metres depth, and failed to adequately test beneath a deeply weathered, supergene-affected profile. This weathering has redistributed gold near surface, creating a depletion zone between 20 and 35 metres depth that obscures the underlying bedrock mineralisation. As a result, soil anomalies north and south of the Christmas Gift mine remain underexplored and represent compelling targets for new discoveries.

The recent drilling program validated historic high-grade intersections beneath the mine using modern quality assurance protocols, confirming continuity of mineralisation down dip and along strike. Step-out holes to the north and south intercepted narrower, lower-grade quartz reef and pyritic stockwork mineralisation, indicating the main controlling structures hosting high-grade gold remain to be located.

Next Phase to Target Untested Zones and Soil Anomalies

Building on these results, Tarrina plans follow-up air core and reverse circulation (RC) drilling to infill and extend mineralisation between the Christmas Gift mine and the Cullinga Extended mine, as well as test high-priority soil anomalies identified in recent surveys. The company will also complete detailed core logging and base metal assays to better understand the geological controls on gold distribution, particularly the down-dip variability in grade.

The integration of soil geochemistry, 3D geological and structural models will inform drill targeting to optimise resource definition. Final multi-element assay results, including zinc and copper, are expected by the end of July 2026. These metals have shown a significant association with gold in historic data, suggesting potential for polymetallic mineralisation.

Broad Exploration Potential Along 2.5km Strike

The Christmas Gift project covers a 2.5-kilometre prospective strike length with multiple historic gold mines and workings. Historic drilling and mining focused mainly on a 200-metre section, leaving vast areas underexplored. Tarrina’s ongoing work aims to systematically test extensions down dip and along strike, including targets such as Venables, Cullinga Extended, and northern extensions within EL9683.

With a history of high-grade production and recent confirmation of mineralisation continuity, Christmas Gift is shaping up as a significant orogenic gold system within the Lachlan Fold Belt. The company’s strategy of combining modern drilling with comprehensive geochemical and structural analysis sets the stage for a potential maiden Mineral Resource estimate in the near term.