Adavale Resources Boosts Drilling Efforts to Unlock Gold Potential in Lachlan Fold Belt
Adavale Resources is significantly ramping up its exploration activities, particularly at its London-Victoria gold project within the Lachlan Fold Belt of New South Wales. This intensified focus comes after recent drilling results confirmed both the grade and continuity of mineralisation, bolstering confidence in the potential for substantial resource expansion.
The company has secured a second reverse circulation (RC) drilling rig, which will support a more extensive and continuous drilling program. This data-driven approach is designed to systematically grow and upgrade the existing inferred resource of 115,000 ounces of gold, which is currently defined over a shallow portion of the overall mineral system.
Allan Ritchie, Executive Chairman and CEO of Adavale, expressed his enthusiasm for the current momentum. “This is exactly the type of momentum we set out to deliver at Parkes,” he stated. “We are combining a high-quality brownfields asset with systematic exploration to unlock scale. The results to date at London-Victoria are demonstrating the potential for meaningful resource growth, while our broader landholding provides multiple additional avenues for discovery.”
Strategic Drilling and Assay Expectations
The expanded drilling program, initially planned at 6,000 metres, is now being accelerated and enlarged based on the promising recent findings. The primary objective is to extend the resource along strike and at greater depths.
David Ward, Managing Director of Adavale, highlighted the strategic shift in their approach. “Importantly, we are now transitioning into a more systematic, model-driven phase of resource drilling, using the growing geological and drilling dataset to target extensions to the resource,” Ward explained. “The focus of this expanded drilling program is to continue growing the resource base along strike and at depth. The addition of a second rig will allow us to accelerate this process and maintain strong news flow as results are delivered.”
The first assay results from the current drilling phase are anticipated in April, with a consistent stream of data expected to follow.
Comprehensive Exploration Strategy
Adavale’s strategy extends beyond just drilling. The company is also undertaking preliminary metallurgical testwork to assess recovery rates, which will be crucial for future development studies. These early-stage scoping studies aim to evaluate potential development pathways and inform project prioritisation.
Furthermore, high-resolution airborne geophysical surveys are being conducted to refine structural interpretations, enhance targeting accuracy, and pinpoint areas for follow-up drilling. These efforts are complemented by the initial drill testing of priority greenfields targets, which are being generated from geophysical and geochemical data.
Expanding Horizons and Future Catalysts
The company is not solely focused on its existing known resources. Adavale plans to expand its geophysical survey area by extending a drone magnetic survey over the broader London-Victoria region. At the Ashes prospect, magnetic geophysics and soil sampling programs are being extended into newly acquired tenure from Alkane Resources. The aim here is to refine targets associated with previously identified IP anomalies and high-grade surface rock chip sampling.
A significant area of interest for Adavale is the potential to extend mineralisation south of the current London-Victoria pit, towards the Victoria South Prospect. A comprehensive review of historical surface and drilling data is currently underway for this area. Victoria South is interpreted as a direct extension of the known mineralisation within the existing resource, representing a shallow, unmined continuation. Historic soil auger sampling in this area yielded a coherent gold anomaly with a peak result of 600ppb Au, which Adavale considers to be very encouraging for soil samples.
Ritchie concluded by emphasising the company’s strong position. “With drilling accelerating, strong funding in place and a pipeline of catalysts including assays, geophysics and regional targeting, Adavale is well positioned to deliver sustained news flow and continue building value across the Parkes Gold-Copper Project,” he said. The combination of brownfields development and greenfields exploration provides Adavale with multiple avenues for discovery and value creation in the prospective Lachlan Fold Belt.
