Tasman clears approval path for 20-hole Parkinson Dam drilling

Parkinson Dam drilling receives final approval

Tasman Resources (ASX:TAS) has removed the main regulatory obstacle to its next Parkinson Dam campaign, receiving the South Australian Government’s approved Program for Environment Protection and Rehabilitation. The approval means the work programme for up to 20 holes at the company’s wholly owned South Australian project is now fully authorised.

That does not mean the rigs are turning yet. Tasman is still finalising the engagement of critical contractors and has not provided a drilling start date. The company says timing will be announced once those arrangements are complete.

Twenty targets replace the earlier six-hole focus

The campaign has expanded materially from the six targets outlined in earlier company updates. A 2026 review by Archimedes Consulting, supported by consulting geologist Tony Belperio, identified 60 targets using new geophysical data, regional information and results from 81 historical drill holes. Tasman selected the 20 it considers most prospective for testing.

The targets are concentrated on possible hydrothermal and epithermal systems, with some potential iron oxide copper gold targets also included. The programme will use reverse circulation drilling to test depths of up to 600 metres, while allowing holes to serve as pre-collars for deeper diamond drilling where warranted. The Uno Fault system, which crosses the project area, is among the areas to be tested.

Historical assays supply the exploration rationale

The case for the campaign rests partly on earlier drilling rather than new results. Tasman cites hole PD63, which returned 21 metres at 21 g/t gold and 83 g/t silver from 179 metres, including a nine-metre interval at 31 g/t gold and 152 g/t silver. Other historical holes also recorded lead, zinc and copper mineralisation.

Those numbers are notable, but they remain historical exploration results and do not establish a mineral resource. Tasman says the mineralised system extends across at least 3 square kilometres and may be associated with the Mesoproterozoic Gawler Craton metallogenic event, which also hosts major South Australian deposits. The upcoming programme is intended to test whether the newly prioritised geophysical targets contain comparable mineralisation.

Contractor appointments become the immediate catalyst

The approval gives Tasman a clearer path to the field, after the company’s 20-hole Parkinson Dam plan was previously described as dependent on government approvals and rig availability. It is now seeking a high-capacity RC driller with an experienced deep-drilling team, alongside a support contractor to supervise operations.

The next useful milestones are therefore practical rather than geological: contractor appointments, mobilisation and the first completed holes. Results will need to show whether the review’s geophysical interpretations translate into mineralisation in the ground, and whether any intersections justify follow-up diamond drilling.