Ora Banda Mining has kicked off underground mining at its Waihi gold project near Kalgoorlie, marking the third underground mine the company has put into production at its Davyhurst hub in as many years.
The company says Waihi is considered a very big, under-drilled system that features multiple high-grade North-dipping gold lodes, including its soon-to-be mined Golden Pole lode.
The start of underground operations at Waihi was accompanied by a volley of exceptional high-grade drill results from the newly-named “Midnight” prospect just 500m south of the new portal.
Step-out drilling at Midnight returned a stunning 11.5-metre intersection grading 26 grams per tonne (g/t) gold, which lit up with an even richer 8.9-metre core at a bonanza grade of 32.4g/t gold.
Recent shallow drilling targeting the southern extensions of the nearby Golden Pole lode also delivered the goods, with hits of 4.5m at 8.4g/t gold, 2m grading 14.5 g/t and another 2m running at 6.9 g/t, all extending the deposit.
The high-grade mining milestone at Waihi is yet another key pillar in the company’s “DRIVE to 300” strategy, which is chasing an ambitious production target of 300,000 ounces per year from a gold hub that appears unlikely to run short of golden feed anytime soon.
The Waihi underground mine lies just three kilometres west of Ora Banda’s Davyhurst processing plant. It is an important part of the company's plan to de-risk the production profile ahead of the delivery of its newly planned three-million-tonne-per-annum processing plant, scheduled for commissioning in early 2028.
Management says the new decline will allow access to the high-grade Golden Pole lode, which boasts a hefty ore reserve grade of 5g/t gold. The drive will also enable the development of underground platforms for intensive drill programs to define and expand its high-grade system, with first ore from Waihi expected for the middle of next year.
The nearby Midnight prospect is shaping up as its own substantial new discovery. Drilling has confirmed thick, visual gold zones within the same geology as Waihi, with multiple parallel lodes and a major north-south shear zone interpreted to be a conduit for gold-mineralising fluids.
Ora Banda Mining managing director Luke Creagh said: “The newly identified Midnight Prospect adds to a growing list of high-grade underground targets at Waihi, with the establishment of underground drill platforms a key near-term objective to extend and infill what is considered a large and under-drilled system.”
The work at Waihi adds to what is already a massive inventory for Ora Banda. The company says its total combined mineral resources at its Davyhurst production hub have climbed to a hefty 56.5 million tonnes grading two grams per tonne gold for 3.69 million ounces.
The ever-expanding discoveries give Ora Banda five principal mining areas across the project: its Waihi underground, Waihi open pit, Round Dam trend, Sand King underground and Riverina underground, combined with low-grade in-situ material and stockpiles.
Round Dam has been the standout mover of late, with its open pit resources soaring to 25.4 million tonnes at 1.6g/t gold for 1.33 million ounces, after previously sitting at 125,000 ounces – a massive hike of 964 per cent.
Ora Banda's growth story is increasingly being built using development metres rather than drill metres. With the Waihi decline officially underway and the high-grade Midnight discovery emerging as a potential future source of ounces, the company's march towards 300,000 ounces a year appears firmly on track.
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By Andrew Todd
