Maiden Sampling at Mareeba Gold Project Returns Up to 27.3 g/t Gold

High-Grade Gold Confirmed at Historic Workings

Clara Resources Australia Ltd (ASX:C7A) has delivered encouraging early results from its maiden field program at the Mareeba Gold Project in Far North Queensland. Rock chip sampling across five historic gold workings returned assays up to 27.3 g/t gold at Lady Burdett Coutts, alongside significant silver, lead and zinc, confirming the high-grade nature of the mineralisation first identified in the 1980s.

Sampling targeted mine spoil and outcrop material at Lady Burdett Coutts, Victory, B.B., Rebo, and Inflexible prospects. Gold was detected at every site sampled, with six of eleven assays exceeding 3 g/t gold. Notably, the B.B. and Victory workings, which have no recorded drilling history, returned 10.45 g/t and 5.91 g/t gold respectively from mine spoil samples.

Historic Drill Collars Corrected and 3D Vein Model Created

The program also refined the accuracy of twelve historic drill collars from Western Mining Corporation’s 1988-89 drilling at Lady Burdett Coutts, correcting locations by up to 80 metres. These updated positions underpin a newly developed three-dimensional geological model comprising six quartz veins, each roughly one metre wide, extending over a combined strike length of approximately 700 metres within a 60-metre-wide corridor.

This model provides a robust framework for Clara’s upcoming maiden drilling campaign, which will be the first at Mareeba since the late 1980s. Historic drilling at Lady Burdett Coutts tested mineralisation only to shallow depths of 20 to 59 metres, leaving significant depth potential untested.

Polymetallic Mineralisation and Broader Target Zones

The highest-grade sample at Lady Burdett Coutts not only returned 27.3 g/t gold but also 12.6 g/t silver and elevated lead (5,170 ppm) and zinc (332 ppm), suggesting the presence of galena-sphalerite sulphide mineralisation. This polymetallic signature could point to discrete high-grade shoots with potential for silver by-product credits, a valuable bonus if confirmed by drilling.

Moreover, sampling of hanging-wall metasediments adjacent to the quartz veins revealed anomalous gold (0.46 g/t) and arsenic (2,710 ppm) in wall rock, indicating mineralisation may extend beyond the quartz veins themselves. This broadening of the mineralised envelope enhances the prospectivity of the Lady Burdett Coutts target.

LiDAR Survey Validated and Arsenic as Pathfinder Element

The field program validated targets generated from Clara’s March 2026 LiDAR survey, with gold returned at every prospect identified. The strong correlation between gold and arsenic concentrations across samples supports the use of arsenic as an effective pathfinder element for ongoing exploration targeting across the project.

Clara plans to re-examine its extensive historic soil geochemistry database of nearly 5,000 samples to identify arsenic anomalies along the mineralised corridors, a cost-effective step to refine drill targets.

Permitting Progresses Ahead of Maiden Drilling

Clara has commenced permitting and land access negotiations for its maiden drilling program at EPM 13944, engaging specialist resources counsel to address native title and landowner compensation. All planned drill sites lie within a single landholding, simplifying access arrangements.

Next steps include systematic rock chip and channel sampling at key prospects, transcription of historic drill logs to enhance geological models, and finalisation of the drill program design. The drilling will test priority targets supported by the corrected collar database and 3D vein model.

These results reinforce Clara’s strategy to consolidate tenure along the Kingsborough Fault corridor and apply modern geochemical and geospatial techniques to unlock the potential of this historically rich but underexplored goldfield.