Ausgold has taken a major step to increase its regional presence in Western Australia’s goldfields. The company has entered into a farm-in and joint venture (JV) agreement with Critica Resources. The agreement allows Ausgold to earn a majority stake in the E70/5077 tenement. Located 75km north of the Katanning gold project, E70/5077 offers access to a fertile gold corridor. The strategic deal allows to explore and develop new targets along the Yandina Thrust. This region is highly prospective and hosts significant gold operations like Griffins Find and Tampia. The company’s focus remains on unlocking value across the eastern Katanning Greenstone Belt. Ausgold continues to position itself as a leading gold explorer within regional Western Australia.
Map showing Ausgold’s Kulin farm-in tenement (E70/5077) near Katanning gold project and Tampia gold mine, along Yandina Thrust.
E70/5077 Positioned Along Yandina Thrust
The E70/5077 tenement covers an area of 106 square kilometres within the Wheatbelt region of WA. It captures the northern extension of the Yandina Thrust, a well-known gold-bearing geological structure. This thrust zone hosts multiple productive deposits and is key to regional exploration success. Griffin’s Find and Tampia are two known mines located along the same structural corridor. This shared geological feature provides confidence in the area’s potential for new discoveries. Nearby prospects such as Duggan and Nanicup Bridge Zinger also enhance exploration value. By securing access to E70/5077, now controls ground in a proven gold-rich environment.
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Surface Results Indicate Promising Mineralisation
Early-stage trenching and soil sampling have already revealed encouraging results at E70/5077. Key trenching results feature 31m at 1g/t gold and 20m at 0.60g/t gold. These results are significant given the shallow nature of the mineralisation observed. Despite these outcomes, the tenement remains largely untested by deeper drilling techniques. This presents a strong opportunity to discover more extensive mineralisation beneath the surface. Notably, gold-in-soil anomalies extend across a 3km zone with values exceeding 10ppb.Two central bullseye targets stand out, each extending 600m with peak gold values of 399ppb. Such data points to multiple high-priority zones that warrant systematic drill testing. Ausgold is confident that further exploration will reveal economically viable gold resources.
Ausgold Sets Exploration Timeline for E70/5077
As part of its strategy, Ausgold will commence a maiden drill program at E70/5077 in FY2025–26. The first step involves submitting a Program of Work in the first quarter of the financial year. Following this, field activities including drilling are expected in the second half of the year. Ausgold will apply modern exploration methods to better define mineralised zones across the tenement. Geophysics, geochemistry, and structural mapping will also form part of the exploration toolkit. The company’s disciplined approach ensures exploration is efficient, targeted, and data-driven. This timeline reflects Ausgold’s commitment to building long-term gold resources in the region. E70/5077 will now become an important piece of the company’s broader growth portfolio.
Soil gold anomaly map within E70/5077 showing high-priority targets, trenching, and drill hole locations in Ausgold’s Kulin farm-in area.
Farm-In Terms Support a Scalable Opportunity
Under the JV structure, Ausgold can earn up to 70 per cent interest in E70/5077 over 3.5 years. The initial phase requires Ausgold to spend $250,000 within 18 months to earn 51 per cent equity. In the second phase, spending an additional $360,000 over 24 months increases Ausgold’s stake to 70 per cent. Critica will retain a 30 per cent contributing interest in the tenement during the earn-in period. At the decision to mine stage, Critica has the right to convert its interest to a 1.5 per cent net smelter royalty. This arrangement ensures both parties benefit from any discovery success over the long term. The farm-in structure allows Ausgold to manage expenditure while steadily increasing project control. It also reflects growing confidence in the prospectivity of the Kulin farm-in region.
Reinforcing Ausgold’s Regional Growth Strategy
Executive chairman John Dorward called the farm-in a strategic move to advance the company’s growth. He emphasised that E70/5077 strengthens the company’s footprint in the eastern Greenstone Belt. Anchored by its flagship Katanning project, Ausgold is strongly positioned to expand its gold exploration efforts. The company sees E70/5077 as a natural extension of its broader exploration and discovery plans. It complements existing assets while opening new ground in a highly prospective location. By targeting underexplored zones and using data to drive drilling, Ausgold continues to build value. The Kulin farm-in is one more move in Ausgold’s vision to lead gold development in Western Australia. Through a mix of strategic partnerships, technical expertise, and high-quality ground, the company advances. As drilling kicks off in late FY2025–26, Ausgold’s potential for another major gold find increases.
