Avira Resources is remobilising its RC rig to resume a 4,500-metre drilling program at Mt Cattlin, with first-pass holes planned at the historically high-grade Sirdar and Ellendale prospects. The next phase follows strong results from Maori Queen and Plantagenet, but the key test will be whether historical grades translate into repeatable mineralisation under Avira’s drilling.
- Rig and crew mobilising after winter suspension
- Approximately 2,500 metres remains in Phase 1
- Sirdar has historical results up to 131.24 g/t Au
- Maori Queen mineralisation confirmed across 650 metres
- Maiden Mineral Resource Estimate remains the longer-term goal
Drilling Returns to Mt Cattlin
Avira Resources Limited (ASX:AVW) is putting its Mt Cattlin gold campaign back into motion, with Strike Drilling mobilising its rig and crew to site ahead of drilling expected to resume this week. The restart comes after wet winter conditions suspended the company’s approved 4,500-metre Phase 1 reverse-circulation program in Western Australia.
Of the 37 planned holes, Avira has completed 18 holes for 1,910 metres across Maori Queen and Plantagenet. About 2,500 metres remains, with the rig now scheduled to move first into the Sirdar and Ellendale prospects before returning to Maori Queen to test down-dip extensions.
Sirdar Becomes the Immediate Exploration Test
Sirdar is the most consequential part of the next campaign. Historical drilling recorded intersections including 1 metre at 131.24 grams per tonne gold and 6 metres at 50.07 g/t Au, while Avira’s geological review interprets the prospect as having the largest mineralised footprint and highest grades in the project area. Those are historical results, not a current mineral resource, and Avira has yet to test Sirdar with its own drilling.
Ellendale, north-west of Sirdar, will also receive its first systematic RC drilling from Avira. Historical intersections there include 10 metres at 2.70 g/t Au from 77 metres and 13 metres at 1.51 g/t Au from 24 metres. The new holes should provide an early read on whether those legacy results reflect broader, repeatable mineralisation rather than isolated intervals.
Strong First Results Raise the Stakes
The restart follows a solid first tranche from Maori Queen and Plantagenet. At Maori Queen, hole RAGC116 returned 7 metres at 6.11 g/t Au from 105 metres, including 2 metres at 15.1 g/t Au, while RAGC108 produced 4 metres at 3.86 g/t Au from 23 metres. Plantagenet delivered 8 metres at 2.77 g/t Au from 16 metres in RAGC102, including 2 metres at 9.68 g/t Au.
Avira says results from 13 RC holes at Maori Queen have confirmed mineralisation over a 650-metre strike length, with the system remaining open at depth. The company is reviewing a potential Phase 2 program across the broader New Zealand Trend, while all necessary approvals are already in place. The immediate priority, however, is operational: complete the remaining Phase 1 metres and turn historical targets into current drilling evidence.
Resource Estimate Depends on Continuity
Mt Cattlin remains Avira’s primary exploration focus and underpins its plan to deliver a maiden Mineral Resource Estimate. That milestone will depend on more than a handful of high-grade intercepts: the coming results will need to clarify continuity, geometry and depth extension across Sirdar, Ellendale and Maori Queen. Assays are expected to be released progressively as they arrive from the laboratory and are interpreted.
Bottom Line?
The next assay releases should show whether Mt Cattlin’s historical high-grade promise can be reproduced across Avira’s priority targets and support a maiden resource estimate.
Questions in the middle?
- Will Avira’s first drilling at Sirdar confirm the extreme historical grades and the prospect’s interpreted footprint?
- Can Ellendale demonstrate sufficient continuity beyond its historical intercepts?
- Will the remaining Phase 1 drilling provide enough confidence to advance a maiden Mineral Resource Estimate or justify a larger Phase 2 program?