Augustus Minerals Makes Strategic Move into PNG's Mining Heartland
In a significant expansion of its Pacific operations, Augustus Minerals has lodged an application for a substantial 1906 square kilometre exploration licence in Papua New Guinea's highly prospective Vanapa River region. The move, confirmed on 17 November 2025, positions the company just 35km north of Port Moresby in what industry insiders call 'elephant country' due to its history of yielding massive mineral deposits.
A Region Steeped in Mineral Wealth
The application area falls within the legendary New Guinea Metallogenic Belt, a 2300km long geological formation recognised as one of the world's richest gold-copper belts. This region hosts some of the planet's most monstrous deposits, including:
- PanAust's Frieda River project with 12 billion pounds of copper and 10 million ounces of gold.
- Barrick Mining-New Porgera's project containing 32 million ounces of gold.
- Newmont Mining and Harmony Gold's Wafi-Golpu JV boasting a staggering 22 billion pounds of copper and 23 million ounces of gold.
Augustus Minerals Chief Executive Officer James Warren expressed enthusiasm about the opportunity, stating the company was 'very pleased to have been invited into the Hira Koiari District by the local landowners'. He emphasised this presents 'a rare and unique opportunity to conduct true frontier exploration in an area synonymous with giant orebodies'.
Geological Promise and Strategic Positioning
The Vanapa River project shows immediate promise, with management observing local artisanal miners extracting decent amounts of alluvial gold during a recent site visit. Geologically, the area features low-sulphidation style epithermal systems typically containing high-level fissure veins formed in a classic epithermal-porphyry environment.
The licence area sits within the Kira Koiari District in PNG's Central Province and is merely 40km from the Tolokuma gold mine, which hosts a resource of 1.5 million ounces at an impressive grade of 13 grams per tonne gold.
Dual Front Expansion: The Mt Kare Play
Augustus Minerals isn't stopping with Vanapa River. Through its acquisition of ACM Contract Mining PNG, the company has also applied for an exploration licence covering the substantial Mt Kare gold project, located approximately 600km north-west of Port Moresby.
Mt Kare has been the subject of legal disputes in recent years, but historical data reveals its significant potential. ASX-listed Indochine previously controlled the project and had reportedly spent around $125 million on development, unveiling a resource of 42.5 million tonnes at 1.54 g/t gold and 13.5 g/t silver – equivalent to 2.11 million ounces of gold and 18.4 million ounces of silver.
Remarkable drill results from Mt Kare include:
- 111 metres at 9.8 g/t gold from just 4 metres depth
- 17.7 metres at 100 g/t gold from 59 metres
- A stunning 20 metre intersection grading 443 g/t gold
Augustus currently sits third in line for Mt Kare approval behind Tribune Mt Kare Gold Ltd, giving the company options to either negotiate with the party ahead or lodge an objection based on its superior technical knowledge and financial capacity.
PNG Opening for Business
Papua New Guinea has historically presented regulatory challenges for mining companies, but there are growing indications the country is becoming more open for business. Augustus executives are spending considerable time in PNG navigating the regulatory framework, positioning the company at the forefront when opportunities arise.
With its dual-front strategy targeting both the frontier Vanapa River region and the historically significant Mt Kare project, Augustus Minerals has firmly planted its flag in one of the world's last great mineral frontiers, signalling serious intent to uncover the next generation of elephant-sized discoveries.
