ASX-listed explorer Reach Resources has successfully concluded a significant reverse circulation (RC) drilling campaign at its Murchison South gold project, located near Payne's Find in Western Australia. The extensive program is a key step towards upgrading the project's existing mineral resource estimate, with assay results anticipated next month.
Drilling Details and Strategic Targets
The company completed 48 RC holes for a total of 5,281 metres, focusing on priority pit-scale targets. The work was strategically designed to infill and extend known mineralisation within and adjacent to four conceptual open-pit shells at the project site.
This infill drilling is critical for converting portions of the current inferred gold resources into the higher-confidence indicated category. By closing gaps in the geological model, Reach aims to bolster confidence in near-surface ounces and refine data for ongoing mine development studies. The drilling campaign commenced in mid-November and has now wrapped up.
Parallel Exploration and CEO Commentary
In tandem with the drilling, Reach executed a broad rock-chip sampling program across several prospects, including Blue Heaven, Jacamar, Pansy, Shamrock, and East Daffodil. The team collected approximately 500 samples, tracing mapped quartz veins and historic workings along a strike length of up to one kilometre from the Blue Heaven deposit.
Reach Resources Chief Executive Officer, Jeremy Bower, emphasised the program's importance. "This drilling program was essential to increase resource confidence and close gaps in or near our conceptual pit shells," Bower stated. "We have a busy start to the new year planned, with results from our metallurgical drilling and this RC and rock chip program, all likely to be available during February."
He added that these results are expected to be the catalyst for definitive action at Murchison South in 2026, providing crucial information to define the project's next steps.
Project Context and Future Pathway
The recent drilling update builds on steady progress at Murchison South. Earlier in December, Reach secured a new mining lease over its Jacamar deposit, effectively creating a continuous corridor of granted tenure alongside the Great Northern Highway, linking Jacamar with the Blue Heaven and Pansy deposits.
Blue Heaven and Pansy currently host a combined mineral resource of roughly 67,100 ounces of gold in shallow, near-surface deposits. Notably, metallurgical test work earlier this year indicated average gold recoveries of about 97 per cent, suggesting the ore is highly amenable to conventional processing.
This data is feeding into a scoping study, which has already initiated environmental, heritage, and engineering workstreams. With drilling complete and samples at the laboratory, the company and its investors now await the February results, which will encompass RC assays, rock chip findings, and metallurgical data. These outcomes will directly shape the scale and design of any potential future development at the Murchison South gold project.
