Forrestania Resources has outlined a maiden 223,300-ounce JORC Mineral Resource at Tampia, a previously mined deposit positioned 140km from the Edna May processing plant. The estimate gives the newly acquired Westonia Hub another potential ore source, but relies on an AUD 6,000/oz gold price assumption and includes 104,800 ounces classified as Inferred.
- 4.6Mt at 1.50g/t gold for 223,300oz
- 118,500oz Indicated and 104,800oz Inferred
- Resource constrained by an AUD 6,000/oz pit optimisation
- Tampia was mined by Ramelius from 2021 to 2023
- Potential haulage distance of 140km to Edna May
Maiden Tampia Estimate Adds 223,300 Gold Ounces
Forrestania Resources Limited (ASX:FRS) has put a number on the gold it sees remaining at Tampia, defining a maiden JORC Mineral Resource Estimate of 4.6 million tonnes at 1.50 grams per tonne for 223,300 ounces of gold. The resource comprises 118,500 ounces in the Indicated category and 104,800 ounces classified as Inferred.
The estimate covers mineralisation beneath the former open pit, which Ramelius Resources mined between 2021 and 2023. Ramelius reported producing about 3.0 million tonnes at 2.1g/t gold for roughly 201,100 ounces, with ore trucked around 140km to its Edna May plant. Forrestania acquired Tampia from Ramelius in September 2026, making this the first company-level resource statement for the deposit under its ownership.
Edna May Haulage Shapes the Development Case
Forrestania has positioned Tampia as part of its Westonia Hub strategy, which is intended to assemble multiple deposits within trucking distance of existing processing infrastructure. The company says the deposit is about 140km by road from Edna May, while its resource model used open-pit mining, processing and transport assumptions to test the prospect of eventual economic extraction.
That assessment was constrained by an AUD 6,000 per ounce gold price and an optimised pit shell. The figure is an economic modelling assumption rather than a forecast or a realised project price, and the announcement does not establish an Ore Reserve, development timetable or capital requirement. The practical value of the resource will therefore depend on how the remaining tonnes fit with haulage, processing capacity and future mine planning.
Historic Drilling Supports the Resource Model
The estimate draws on 4,496 holes totalling 180,027.5 metres, including 1,040 reverse-circulation holes, 3,409 grade-control reverse-circulation holes and 47 diamond holes. Drilling patterns range from 40m by 40m resource definition spacing to 8m by 8m grade-control drilling within the former pit, with Indicated material generally limited to areas drilled at 25m by 25m or closer.
Forrestania says the model was prepared using Ordinary Kriging and depleted against the as-mined surface. The company is still validating the inherited dataset, however, and the resource has been internally reviewed but not externally audited. That matters because the announcement is built largely on work completed by previous owners rather than a fresh Forrestania drilling campaign.
Metallurgy Points to Arsenic and Recovery Questions
Historical metallurgical testwork presents a mixed but potentially workable picture. Oxide material produced recoveries above 96%, while fresh mineralisation recorded an average recovery of 91.4% in the reported testwork. The results also identified a close relationship between gold and arsenic-bearing minerals, with recovery varying according to the gold-to-arsenic ratio.
About 35% of the pre-mining gold inventory was estimated to be gravity recoverable. Flotation and ultra-fine grinding tests produced additional recovery results, but those outcomes came from historical testwork and do not amount to a project-level processing plan. The presence of arsenic, sulphur and coarse, nuggety gold will remain important variables as Forrestania assesses whether the resource can support a future operation.
Resource Growth Remains the Next Test
Forrestania has flagged possible extensional and regional drilling at Tampia. The current resource spans roughly 900m by 500m, with mineralised lodes typically 2m to 20m thick and dipping shallowly to the southeast, leaving room for the company to test the geological interpretation beyond the reported model.
The headline number is meaningful for a company building a multi-deposit gold portfolio, but its immediate quality is uneven: just over half the ounces are Indicated, while the balance remains Inferred. The next question is not simply whether Tampia contains more gold, but whether drilling, metallurgy and mine planning can convert enough of the estimate into a defined, economically mineable inventory linked to Edna May.
Bottom Line?
Tampia gives Forrestania another 223,300 ounces in its Westonia Hub, but conversion of Inferred material and proof of a workable haulage and processing plan will determine how much of that resource becomes actionable.
Questions in the middle?
- How much of the 104,800 ounces classified as Inferred can be converted through follow-up drilling?
- Can Tampia’s arsenic-linked metallurgy support consistent recoveries at commercial scale?
- What mining, haulage and processing studies will determine whether the 140km route to Edna May is practical?