Manuka Resources has reported several high-grade, shallow gold intersections from its Pipeline Ridge drilling campaign, led by 32 metres at 7.98 grams per tonne. The results support a maiden resource estimate, but metallurgy, true widths and resource classification remain unresolved.
- 32m at 7.98g/t gold from 34m
- 56-hole, 3,133m RC programme completed
- Mineralisation remains open in all directions
- Maiden Pipeline Ridge resource estimate planned for 2026
- Follow-up drilling and metallurgical testing still required
High-Grade Intersections Advance Pipeline Ridge
Manuka Resources Limited (ASX:MKR) has produced a striking early result from Pipeline Ridge, with drilling returning 32 metres at 7.98 grams per tonne of gold from 34 metres in hole PRRC054. Other notable intersections included 8 metres at 12.96g/t from 37 metres and 5 metres at 8.59g/t from 37 metres.
The results come from a completed 56-hole, 3,133-metre reverse-circulation programme targeting shallow gold mineralisation across a 350-metre zone to a depth of about 60 metres. Manuka says the drilling validated both northern and southern mineralised zones, while mineralisation remains open at depth, across section and along strike to the north and south.
Maiden Resource Estimate Now Underway
The assay results allow Manuka to begin modelling and validation work for a maiden Mineral Resource Estimate, which the company plans to release in 2026 subject to Competent Person review. Pipeline Ridge currently sits at the exploration stage: the company’s earlier exploration target was 187,000 to 365,000 tonnes grading 1.1g/t to 1.5g/t gold, a conceptual estimate that does not constitute a Mineral Resource.
That distinction matters. The reported intersections are downhole lengths, and true widths have not yet been established. The project’s potential mining case also depends on bottle-roll and diagnostic leach testwork, with Manuka assessing whether the mineralisation is amenable to cyanide leaching and suitable for possible open-pit extraction.
Potential Feed Source for Wonawinta
Manuka is evaluating Pipeline Ridge as a possible satellite gold deposit within trucking distance of its Wonawinta processing facility, about 120 kilometres away and 28 kilometres south of the Mt Boppy Gold Mine. The company says the project could provide an additional source of feed as it builds a multi-source precious metals platform across its Cobar Basin assets, alongside the current restart of gold processing at Wonawinta using Mt Boppy ore.
Further RC and diamond drilling is planned for October 2026 to test deeper mineralisation, near-surface extensions and strike continuity. Six diamond holes are also scheduled to provide material for metallurgical work, while hyperspectral scanning and pXRF analysis will feed into the geological and resource models.
The immediate question is whether the eye-catching grades translate into enough continuous, recoverable material to support a meaningful resource and a practical trucking operation. Until the maiden estimate and metallurgical results arrive, Pipeline Ridge is an encouraging exploration result rather than an established production asset.
Bottom Line?
Pipeline Ridge has delivered the grades Manuka needed to move towards a resource estimate, but the investment case still hinges on continuity, true widths, metallurgy and the October follow-up programme.
Questions in the middle?
- How much of the reported mineralisation will convert into a classified Mineral Resource?
- Will metallurgical testing confirm that the gold can be recovered economically through the proposed processing route?
- Can Pipeline Ridge provide a sufficiently consistent and scalable feed source for Wonawinta or Mt Boppy?