Star Minerals reaches Tumblegum South processing milestone

Tumblegum South reaches the processing stage

Star Minerals Limited (ASX:SMS) has completed mining to 445mRL at its Tumblegum South Gold Project in Western Australia, moving the project from an active mining phase to the point where its first mineralised material can be processed. Mining by MEGA Resources is currently paused, while stockpiles have been built on the run-of-mine pad and await transport to the mill.

The milestone follows the company’s

Catalyst milling agreement sets the next operational step

Star Minerals has a 250,000-tonne milling agreement with Catalyst Metals Limited (ASX:CYL), under which the stockpiled material is to be processed at commercially competitive rates. The company said the arrangement provides the route to first processing, but the filing does not disclose when material will reach the mill or when processing is expected to begin.

Before that point, Star Minerals plans about 50 grade-control holes for roughly 2,500 metres. The program is intended to improve geological control across the remaining benches in the initial open pit, while deeper holes will test whether additional mineralisation could support an underground mining scenario after open-pit operations.

Cash position narrows as project spending rises

Cash stood at $1.457 million at 30 September, down from $2.103 million at the start of the quarter. The company also held 230,536 Catalyst shares valued at $1.351 million at quarter end, giving it a liquid-asset position beyond cash alone.

Net operating cash use was $698,000 for the quarter, including $290,000 recorded against production-related expenditure, $274,000 in administration and corporate costs, and $23,000 on exploration and evaluation. On that reported spending rate, the Appendix 5B estimates 2.09 quarters of funding available. That calculation may become less informative as Star Minerals shifts from exploration and evaluation towards mine production and processing expenditure.

Merredin adds exploration upside outside the mine plan

The company also continued work on its 219-square-kilometre Merredin Gold Project, reviewing exploration data, examining the Indigenous Land Use Agreement and engaging with regional landholders. The project contains a folded magnetic trend extending for more than 14 kilometres and sits about 30 kilometres from the Edna May processing plant, which is currently on care and maintenance.

Merredin, secured through the company’s

Processing results become the critical evidence

The next meaningful evidence will come from the physical chain of execution: transport from the ROM pad, commencement of milling, gold recovered and cash generated. In parallel, the grade-control and deeper drilling could alter the mine plan, but the report does not provide new assay results or an updated resource estimate.