Falcon’s Olsen Well first drilling program: design and RC insights for mine planners
Reviewed by Tom Sullivan
First reported on Australian Mining
30 Second Briefing
Falcon Metals has secured full regulatory approvals for the first-ever drilling program at its Olsen Well prospect within the Errabiddy gold project in Western Australia, targeting a largely under-explored gold anomaly. The company plans about 3,500m of reverse circulation drilling starting in September, with the drilling contractor tender process already in an advanced stage. Early RC results will be critical for defining mineralised structures, guiding follow-up diamond drilling, and refining resource modelling across the broader Errabiddy tenure.
Technical Brief
- Early contractor engagement allows optimisation of rig selection, sample handling and access tracks for remote terrain.
- Olsen Well work will establish first subsurface geological control across the prospect, replacing reliance on surface geochemistry.
- RC chip logging and assay data will be the primary input for initial structural and lithological models.
- Results will also influence prioritisation and sequencing of other targets within the wider gold project area.
- For similar greenfields gold anomalies in Western Australia, securing full approvals pre-tender typically de-risks mobilisation and cost escalation.
Our Take
Gold projects in Western Australia feature heavily in our 1263 Mining stories, so early-stage work at Falcon Metals’ Errabiddy gold project will be competing for attention and capital against a crowded pipeline of WA gold exploration and development plays.
Recent coverage of the Native Title Mining Agreement for Victory Metals’ North Stanmore project in Western Australia suggests that progressing drilling at prospects like Olsen Well will likely hinge on timely heritage and land access arrangements, even before any major development decisions.
With Australian Mining also highlighting heavy-haul rail expansions for bulk commodities, any future scale-up at Errabiddy in Western Australia would benefit from the state’s relatively mature logistics backbone compared with greenfield gold regions elsewhere in Australia.
Prepared by collating external sources, AI-assisted tools, and Geomechanics.io’s proprietary mining database, then reviewed for technical accuracy & edited by our geotechnical team.
Related Articles
Related Industries & Products
Mining
Geotechnical software solutions for mining operations including CMRR analysis, hydrogeological testing, and data management.
CMRR-io
Streamline coal mine roof stability assessments with our cloud-based CMRR software featuring automated calculations, multi-scenario analysis, and collaborative workflows.
HYDROGEO-io
Comprehensive hydrogeological testing platform for managing, analysing, and reporting on packer tests, lugeon values, and hydraulic conductivity assessments.
GEODB-io
Centralised geotechnical data management solution for storing, accessing, and analysing all your site investigation and material testing data.