High-grade gold intercepts from Ora Banda Mining’s Golden Pole deposit are boosting the underground potential of the Waihi project near Kalgoorlie, with targeted follow-up drilling extending mineralisation along strike and at depth. The company is focusing on narrow, high-grade lodes accessible from existing underground development, aiming to convert recent hits into JORC-compliant resources and near-term ore feed for the Davyhurst processing plant. For geotechs and mine planners, the results point to deeper stoping fronts, tighter ground control requirements and potential schedule changes for underground access development.

Austral Resources has agreed to acquire Glencore AG’s Lady Loretta underground copper mine in north-west Queensland, adding a high-grade sulphide operation to its existing heap leach–SX/EW oxide business at Anthill. The Lady Loretta asset, previously a major zinc–lead–silver producer near Mount Isa, includes established underground workings, a decline, ventilation infrastructure and a permitted mining lease, giving Austral a second ore source within trucking distance of regional concentrators. The deal signals a shift towards a mixed oxide–sulphide portfolio, with implications for new concentrator offtake, mine planning and geotechnical management of deeper stopes.

Victory Metals has reported “breakthrough metallurgical results” from its North Stanmore rare earths project in Western Australia, described as one of the largest clay-hosted rare earth deposits in the country. Testwork on the ionic clay mineralisation indicates significantly improved rare earth recoveries using relatively simple leach conditions, pointing to lower acid consumption and shorter residence times than hard-rock counterparts. For process engineers and mine planners, the results suggest potential for lower capital-intensity heap or tank leach circuits and more competitive operating costs if scaled successfully.