Ausgold has launched a significant 44,000-metre drilling campaign at its Katanning Gold Project in Western Australia, signalling a major push to expand the site’s 2.44 million-ounce resource.
Ausgold announced in August that it had purchased 860 hectares of land from four farming families for its Katanning Gold Project, located 290 kilometres south-east of Perth.
The drilling program will focus on both resource growth and regional discovery across Ausgold’s 3000km² of tenure. It includes 32,000 metres of reverse circulation (RC) drilling, with an additional 12,000 metres of regional drilling. A second RC rig is set to join the program in November, and a diamond rig is scheduled for January 2026 to support deeper drilling and metallurgical testwork.
Ausgold executive chairman John Dorward said this next phase is an “exciting step”, noting that newly-acquired freehold land opens up opportunities to extend known mineralisation at depth.
“Backed by up to $360,000 of EIS funding to test high-grade underground potential, the newly accessed areas allow us to return to unfinished business at the Katanning Gold Project,” Dorward said.
“The program will also advance high-priority regional targets with strong potential to deliver satellite deposits to support mine life extensions.”
The campaign will also work to de-risk the project’s early mine life by conducting infill drilling in high-margin zones. This is aimed at converting resources to reserves ahead of a final investment decision (FID) expected in mid-2026.
Ausgold’s exploration is supported by two $180,000 Exploration Incentive Scheme (EIS) grants, totalling $360,000. This includes a Round 32 grant to test deep, high-grade extensions within the Jinkas–White Dam structure, the project’s primary value driver, and a Round 31 grant for the Datatine prospect.
Previous drilling in these target zones has returned standout intercepts, such as 16m @ 19.25g/t Au and 26m @ 6.60g/t Au, underscoring the high-grade potential. The regional program will also test high-priority targets, including at the Nanicup Bridge–Zinger prospect, with the goal of targeting a maiden resource to support mine life extensions.
