Ausgold Launches 44,000m Drilling Blitz to Expand Katanning Gold Resources

A Major Step Forward for Katanning

Ausgold Limited (ASX – AUC) is gearing up for one of its most ambitious exploration efforts yet, announcing a comprehensive 44,000-metre drilling campaign across its 2.44 million ounce Katanning Gold Project (KGP) and extensive greenstone tenure in Western Australia. Scheduled to commence in October 2025, this multi-rig program combines reverse circulation and diamond drilling techniques to aggressively pursue resource expansion and new discoveries.

The campaign is strategically divided, with 32,000 metres dedicated to resource growth and in-fill drilling within the KGP. This includes targeting open pit extensions and unlocking underground potential in the Central and Northern Zones, areas that have been inaccessible for several years. The remaining 12,000 metres will focus on regional exploration, aiming to define a maiden mineral resource at the Nanicup Bridge-Zinger prospect and test high-impact targets at Kraken and Moulyinning.

Unlocking Value and De-Risking the Project

Ausgold’s Executive Chairman John Dorward highlighted the significance of this program, emphasizing the combination of low-risk resource growth with high-reward regional exploration. The in-fill drilling is particularly crucial as it aims to increase confidence in the early years of the mine plan, maximizing resource-to-reserve conversion and de-risking the project ahead of a final investment decision (FID) expected in mid-2026.

The Central Zone, which holds 90% of the KGP’s resource base, remains the primary focus. Here, drilling will extend high-grade lodes down-plunge along the Jinkas-White Dam synformal structure, a key value driver for the project. Previous drilling has returned impressive intercepts, including intervals exceeding 19 grams per tonne gold, underscoring the potential for significant resource growth both within and beyond current pit shells.

Regional Exploration – New Frontiers

Beyond the core project, Ausgold’s dominant tenure across 3,500 square kilometres of greenstone belts offers a fertile ground for new discoveries. The regional drilling program will test several compelling targets along major structural trends, including the Nanicup Bridge-Zinger, Kraken, and Moulyinning prospects.

Nanicup Bridge-Zinger, located just 40 kilometres from the KGP, is a standout opportunity where previous drilling has expanded the known mineralised system to a 5-kilometre strike length. The upcoming 8,000-metre program aims to establish a maiden satellite resource that could complement the main project.

At Kraken and Moulyinning, Ausgold plans to test large-scale gold-in-soil anomalies and structural intersections that bear hallmarks of major gold systems. These targets represent exciting greenfields opportunities that could significantly extend the company’s resource base and mine life.

Looking Ahead

With this extensive drilling campaign, Ausgold is positioning itself to not only grow the Katanning resource but also to build a robust pipeline of discoveries that could underpin long-term production. The results of this program will be critical in shaping the company’s development plans and investment decisions over the coming year.