Astral Resources’ 92-hole in-fill drilling at Think Big confirms shallow, high-grade supergene gold mineralisation, advancing a fully funded joint venture with Mineral Mining Services toward mining in early 2027.
- 92-hole RC drilling confirms high-grade supergene gold
- Native Vegetation Clearing Permit approved ahead of schedule
- Fully funded joint venture with Mineral Mining Services progressing
- Mining development targeted for March 2027 with revenue by June
- Feysville project hosts 5Mt at 1.2g/t Au for 196koz gold
High-Grade Supergene Gold Confirmed at Think Big
Astral Resources (ASX:AAR) has delivered a strong validation of the Think Big gold deposit within its Feysville Gold Project, revealing multiple shallow, high-grade supergene gold intercepts from a recently completed 92-hole, 5,229-metre in-fill reverse circulation (RC) drilling program. The standout assays include 11 metres at 7.34 grams per tonne (g/t) gold from 38 metres and a remarkable 12 metres at 5.89 g/t gold from 30 metres, with some intervals hitting peaks as high as 57.1 g/t over 1 metre.
This drilling effort, conducted by joint venture partner Mineral Mining Services Pty Ltd (MMS), is aimed at refining mineralised wireframes and feeding into a grade control model ahead of imminent mine planning. The supergene mineralisation style, characterised by broad zones of near-surface, high-grade gold, is particularly suited to the joint venture’s development pathway leveraging third-party processing.
Permitting Milestones and Tenement Progress
The remaining critical path items include the finalisation of the Mine Development & Closure Plan (MDCP) and the design and construction of the intersection of the Think Big haul road with the Goldfields Highway, scheduled for completion in the June quarter of 2027.
Joint Venture Fully Funds Development and Targets Early Cash Flow
Under the joint venture agreement executed in October 2025, MMS will fund 100% of the development costs for Think Big, recovering these from initial project cash flows before profits are shared. Profits will be split 50:50 until MMS’s return reaches $40 million, after which Astral will receive a larger share of the upside.
Astral’s Managing Director, Marc Ducler, highlighted the project’s trajectory toward early cash flow, with mining expected to commence in the March quarter of 2027 and revenue anticipated by the June quarter. The JV structure mitigates capital expenditure risk for Astral while positioning the company to benefit from the high-grade, open-pit resource.
Feysville Gold Project’s Strategic Position in the Goldfields
The Feysville Gold Project, situated approximately 14 kilometres south of Kalgoorlie within the prolific Norseman-Wiluna Greenstone Belt, hosts a mineral resource estimate of 5 million tonnes at 1.2 g/t gold for 196,000 ounces. This resource includes the Kamperman, Think Big, and Rogan Josh deposits and forms a valuable satellite ore feed to Astral’s flagship Mandilla Gold Project.
Astral’s consolidated group mineral resource now stands at over 2 million ounces of gold, with ore reserves exceeding 1 million ounces, underpinning the company’s growth ambitions in the region. The Think Big deposit itself currently holds a mineral resource estimate of 2.4 million tonnes at 1.1 g/t gold for 85,200 ounces.
Technical Validation and Next Steps
The in-fill drilling results align with expectations and reinforce the geological model, demonstrating consistent, flat-lying high-grade supergene mineralisation within the Ethereal shear corridor. MMS’s in-house resource geologist is updating mineralised wireframes to refine the grade control model, a critical input for upcoming mine planning.
Complementing the RC drilling, a 3-hole, 255-metre geotechnical diamond drilling program has been completed to inform pit slope design, further de-risking the project’s development phase.
With permitting approvals progressing and infrastructure design underway, the Think Big deposit is on track for development commencement in early 2027, offering Astral a near-term production and revenue catalyst.
Bottom Line?
Astral’s Think Big deposit is shaping up as a high-grade, shallow gold source primed for early production under a fully funded JV, but final permitting and infrastructure remain critical milestones.
Questions in the middle?
- Will the Mine Development & Closure Plan approval proceed on schedule to meet the March 2027 mining target?
- How will the profit-sharing arrangement evolve if Think Big exceeds the $40 million JV profit threshold?
- What are the prospects for expanding the Think Big resource beyond the current supergene mineralisation?