After a frustrating period of delays that saw just five holes drilled in six weeks, Gateway Mining has put its foot on the accelerator, unleashing a five-rig exploration blitz at its flagship Yandal gold project in Western Australia.
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Mining → see → Australia
The aggressive ramp-up comes as gold remains near historically elevated levels, with the Australian Government forecasting prices to stay high through 2026 and 2027.
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prices → come → 2026
The broader WA exploration sector is also running hot, with spending in the State hitting a record $843.6 million in the June quarter, creating intense competition for drilling contractors and equipment.
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spending → run → contractors
That backdrop may help explain the operational headwinds the company faced following its major Cowza discovery in September; however, Gateway says its exploration program is now fully back on track.
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program → help → track
With two reverse-circulation (RC) rigs, one diamond rig and one aircore rig now humming on site and a second diamond rig expected to arrive later this week, the company appears to be making up for lost time.
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company → hum → time
Management says it’s on to its third RC drilling contractor, with the new outfit hitting its stride and the two rigs punching out a combined average of 300 metres per day.
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rigs → say → day
The RC rigs are focused on following up mineralisation along the highly prospective Cowza-Celia South trend.
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rigs → focus → trend
‘We are confident we now have the exploration program fully back on track.’Gateway Mining chief executive officer Richard Pugh
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program → have → track
Meanwhile, the first of two diamond rigs has kicked off drilling at Cowza, tasked with twinning the original discovery hole.
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first → kick → hole
That hole returned a spectacular intercept of 41 metres grading two grams per tonne (g/t) gold, featuring a richer nine-metre core assaying a hefty 7.5g/t gold.
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hole → return → gold
Twinning the hole with a diamond core will provide crucial geological data on the orientation of the gold-bearing vein structures, helping guide the ongoing RC drill-out.
Once the second diamond rig arrives on site, it will be put to work, testing for extensions to the current mineral resources at the nearby Horse Well deposit.
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it → twin → deposit
Rounding out Gateway’s comprehensive program, an aircore rig has been brought back to drill a suite of pipeline targets, mostly focused on splay structures branching off the major regional Celia Shear zone.
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rig → round → zone
Notably, the company remains well-funded to undertake the extensive campaign, reporting a healthy $52.8 million in its war chest at the end of the September quarter.
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company → remain → quarter
Gateway Mining chief executive officer Richard Pugh said: “It has been a frustrating period for Gateway trying to source appropriate drilling contractors who can handle the ground conditions and maintain appropriate daily metreage rates.
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who → say → rates
Only five holes were successfully completed in the six weeks following the discovery announcement at Cowza.
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holes → complete → Cowza
We are now onto our third RC contractor, and very pleasingly we are achieving normal drilling rates -over 300 metres per day between the two rigs, on average.
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we → achieve → rigs
Gateway’s Yandal project sits in the seriously well-endowed gold and regional-scale Yandal greenstone belt.
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project → sit → belt
The area hosts a treasure trove of multi-million-ounce gold deposits, including the nearby Jundee, Bronzewing and Darlot mines.
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area → host → mines
Yandal already holds a global gold inventory of 400,400 ounces.
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Yandal → hold → ounces
Running through Gateway’s patch is the gold-bearing Celia shear, a major geological structure linking a string of the company’s prospects and deposits.
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shear → run → prospects
Among them are the Dusk ’til Dawn gold camp, boasting 108,900 ounces and the Horse Well gold camp with 291,500 ounces.
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camp → boast → ounces
The shift to a multi-rig program follows a recent board reshuffle that saw chief executive officer Richard Pugh elevated to managing director, sharpening Gateway’s focus on exploration-led growth.
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Pugh → follow → growth
Under Pugh’s leadership, the company has delivered multiple discoveries including Haflinger, Hummer, Rubicon and the recent high-grade find at Cowza.
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company → deliver → Cowza
Further drilling success could add serious ounces to its golden tally, potentially setting the stage for a resource upgrade next year.
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success → add → upgrade
With a recently restructured board, a formidable cash war chest and a fleet of five rigs now set to spin the rods around the clock, Gateway appears to have put its operational frustrations firmly in the rear-view mirror.
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Gateway → restructure → mirror
After a quiet spell on the news front, Gateway appears poised to unleash a torrent of assay results as it looks to build on its existing 400,400-ounce gold inventory and pursue its ambition of creating Australia’s next multi-million-ounce gold camp.
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it → appear → camp
Is your ASX-listed company doing something interesting?
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company → list → something
The Aporia
