Dundas Minerals Launches 5,000m Drill Program Across Kalgoorlie Gold Projects
Key Takeaways
- Dundas Minerals has commenced a 5,000+ metre RC drilling programme across three Kalgoorlie gold projects — Capricorn, Baden-Powell, and Rockland — with the rig already turning and no permitting hurdles remaining.
- Capricorn holds a 659,300t @ 1.2 g/t Au Inferred Resource with a high-grade southern intercept of 3m @ 9.14 g/t Au not yet included in the current resource model, representing quantified upside the current programme will test.
- Baden-Powell's granted mining lease carries no royalties, with the majority of its 595,000t @ 1.2 g/t Au resource sitting within 100m of surface and multiple operating mills within trucking distance.
- Rockland's best intercept of 1m @ 20.35 g/t Au sits within shoots that remain open down dip, and a 500-metre untested gap on the same structural corridor as Capricorn adds further exploration optionality.
- Assay results are expected to flow progressively through the December 2026 quarter, providing investors with multiple potential news flow catalysts across three separate deposits.
Drilling kicks off across three Kalgoorlie gold projects
Dundas Minerals (ASX: DUN) has commenced reverse circulation (RC) drilling across its three advanced Kalgoorlie gold projects, Capricorn, Baden-Powell and Rockland, located approximately 40km north of Kalgoorlie, Western Australia. The programme spans more than 5,000 metres and is being carried out by Nexgen Drilling Pty Ltd using a track-mounted Schramm T450 RC rig. Assay results are expected to flow progressively through the December 2026 quarter, giving investors a clear near-term news flow schedule.
All three projects sit on granted tenure with approved Programmes of Work and heritage survey clearance already in place. The rig is turning now, meaning there are no permitting hurdles standing between the company and results.
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What’s being targeted at each project
Capricorn — resource extension and infill
Drilling at Capricorn targets growth of the 659,300t @ 1.2 g/t Au Inferred Mineral Resource on granted Mining Lease M24/1004, a deposit that has never been mined. The resource remains open to the north, south and at depth, with holes planned to both infill the interior and step out beyond current drilling extents.
Previous results at Capricorn include:
- 12m @ 3.6 g/t Au from 28m
- 5m @ 6.6 g/t Au from 43m
- 3m @ 9.14 g/t Au from 114m (southernmost drill line — not yet included in the current resource model)
That final intercept is worth noting. If follow-up drilling confirms continuity to the south, it represents resource upside not yet captured in the existing estimate.
Baden-Powell — open-ended shallow resource
Baden-Powell targets extension and infill of the 595,000t @ 1.2 g/t Au Inferred Mineral Resource, the majority of which sits within 100m of surface. The sub-vertical lodes remain open along strike and at depth, and the granted mining lease carries no royalties, a meaningful commercial positive for any future production economics.
Previous results include:
- 9m @ 4.0 g/t Au from 18m
- 8m @ 2.8 g/t Au from 76m
Rockland — following up a high-grade discovery
Rockland is the newest story in the portfolio. Drilling will follow up a shallow high-grade gold discovery made earlier in 2026, with mineralisation occurring in discrete east-dipping shoots at approximately 30°, all of which remain open down dip.
Key intercepts from earlier work include:
- 3m @ 6.94 g/t Au from 138m (including 1m @ 20.35 g/t Au)
- 2m @ 3.25 g/t Au from 59m
Rockland sits on the same interpreted north-south structural corridor as Capricorn, with an untested zone of more than 500m separating the two projects. That gap represents meaningful exploration upside if the corridor proves continuous.
| Project | Resource | Grade | Status | Key Previous Intercept |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capricorn | 659,300t Inferred | 1.2 g/t Au | Never mined; open N, S and at depth | 3m @ 9.14 g/t Au from 114m |
| Baden-Powell | 595,000t Inferred | 1.2 g/t Au | Majority within 100m of surface; no royalties | 9m @ 4.0 g/t Au from 18m |
| Rockland | Discovery stage | High-grade shoots | Follow-up; shoots open down dip | 3m @ 6.94 g/t Au from 138m (incl. 1m @ 20.35 g/t Au) |
What is RC drilling and why does it matter for gold explorers?
Reverse circulation drilling works by forcing air down through the drill rods and back up through the centre, returning rock chips to surface in a clean, uncontaminated stream. That matters because it gives geologists reliable, representative samples from every metre drilled, without the cost or complexity of diamond core. The Schramm T450 rig being used here is capable of drilling to 300m, well-suited to the shallow-to-moderate depth targets across all three projects.
For investors, the practical benefit is speed. RC programmes generate assay results relatively quickly compared to other methods, which translates directly into a sequence of news flow catalysts. With 5,000+ metres across three deposits, that means multiple potential result announcements flowing through the December quarter.
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The investment case taking shape
Jonathan Downes, Managing Director
“This is the programme we have been building towards all year. Granted mining leases, approved Programmes of Work and a clear Heritage Survey — and now a rig turning. Capricorn and Baden-Powell hold open ended shallow gold resources. Both were estimated when gold averaged around A$2,650 an ounce, neither has been mined, and both are open in every direction. Rockland is the newer story, with high-grade sitting in shoots that are open down dip on every section. More than five thousand metres across three deposits inside a two kilometre corridor is a meaningful programme, and we look forward to a steady flow of results over the coming months.”*
*a very shallow cut was taken off the top of Baden Powel over 20 years ago.
The key de-risking work is already done. Before a single hole is drilled in the current programme, Dundas had already secured:
- Granted mining tenures across all three projects
- Approved Programmes of Work at each site
- Heritage survey clearance completed
- Proximity to multiple operating mills within trucking distance
- Existing Inferred Mineral Resources at both Capricorn and Baden-Powell, estimated when gold was averaging approximately A$2,650/oz
That fifth point carries context worth considering carefully. Resource estimates reflect the gold price assumptions underpinning the economic modelling at the time they are calculated. The gold price has moved materially since those estimates were completed, though what that means for project economics is a matter for investors to assess with appropriate advice.
What is clear from the announcement is the structure of near-term news flow. With 5,000+ metres across three deposits sitting within a roughly 2km corridor, assay results are expected to arrive progressively through the December quarter, giving investors multiple potential moments where the market can re-assess the value of what sits in the ground.
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