King River Resources Starts Its Biggest Mindoolah Drill Program With 11,082m Planned
Key Takeaways
- King River Resources has begun its largest targeted campaign at Mindoolah, with 11,082m of Phase 2 RC drilling across eight prospects from 7 October 2026.
- About 73% of planned metres go to Excelsior (3,252m), the Demagnetised Target (3,150m) and Excelsior Repeat (1,710m), showing a priority on larger structural targets.
- Excelsior gets its first meaningful deep test, with holes to roughly 354m after Phase 1's small rig couldn't reach target depth.
- Follow-up drilling at Bertram's (720m) and Le Soleil (480m) targets Phase 1 intercepts including 3m @ 4.70 g/t Au, though no resource has been declared.
- A second aeromagnetic survey starts mid-October 2026 while drilling runs through October and November, setting up a steady stream of assay and geophysics updates.
Phase 2 RC drilling underway at Mindoolah across 11,082m
King River Resources has commenced Phase 2 Reverse Circulation (RC) drilling at its Mindoolah Gold Project, with approximately 11,082m planned across eight priority prospect areas. Drilling began on 7 October 2026, undertaken by Jarahfire Drilling, in what the company describes as its largest targeted drilling campaign at Mindoolah to date.
RC drilling fires compressed air down twin-walled rods and returns rock chips to surface for logging and gold assay. Mindoolah is a historically mined, high-grade gold project located approximately 70km north-west of Cue in the Murchison Province of Western Australia.
Key points from the update:
- 11,082m of planned RC drilling across eight prospect areas.
- Approximately 73% of planned metres allocated to Excelsior, the Demagnetised Target and Excelsior Repeat.
- Follow-up drilling at Bertram’s and Le Soleil, testing Phase 1 gold intercepts.
- A second aeromagnetic survey scheduled to start in mid-October 2026.
Graham Gadsby, Managing Director
“With the rig active on site and the expanded aeromagnetic survey kicking off this month, we are entering a catalyst-rich period…”
For you as an investor, that points to a run of drilling and geophysics updates over the coming weeks.
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Where will the 11,082m be drilled at Mindoolah?
The table below shows how planned metres are split across the eight prospects, taken directly from the company’s announcement.
Metres by prospect
| Prospect | Planned RC metres |
|---|---|
| Excelsior | 3,252m |
| Demagnetised Zone | 3,150m |
| Excelsior Repeat | 1,710m |
| Mindoolah Main Reef | 780m |
| Bertram’s | 720m |
| Cundy | 630m |
| Le Soleil | 480m |
| Double barrel More Pork | 360m |
| Total | 11,082m |
The top three prospects account for the bulk of the program, which tells you management is prioritising larger-scale structural targets over small step-outs.
Excelsior: first meaningful test of the deeper target
Excelsior was part of the Phase 1 program, but drilling was not completed there because the small rig used at the time could not achieve the planned target depths. Phase 2 is designed to provide the first meaningful test of the deeper target, with planned holes extending to depths of up to approximately 354m beneath the pit.
Historical drilling includes a previously reported intersection of 4m @ 9.30 g/t Au from 33m in RCH004. Interpretation of recent magnetic data also identified a north-south-trending structural corridor through the Excelsior area.
Excelsior Repeat and the Demagnetised Target
Excelsior Repeat (1,710m) lies northeast of the historical workings, within the same interpreted structural corridor. It has no known historical workings or drilling, despite occupying a comparable structural position, and Phase 2 is designed to provide the first direct drill test of whether the structure repeats.
The Demagnetised Target (3,150m) sits immediately west of Le Soleil. Its interpreted demagnetised footprint extends well beyond the historical workings, and Phase 2 is designed to provide the first systematic drill test of this potential hydrothermal alteration system. These are interpreted targets, and no discovery has been made.
What are the Phase 1 follow-up and additional targets?
Phase 1 drilling at Bertram’s and Le Soleil confirmed gold mineralisation beneath the historical pits. Phase 2 will test strike and depth continuity at both.
At Bertram’s (720m), Phase 1 returned:
- 1m @ 13.59 g/t Au from 43m in 26MD001
- 12m @ 1.10 g/t Au from 35m in 26MD021
- 4m @ 1.62 g/t Au from 24m in 26MD007
At Le Soleil (480m), hole 26MD022 returned 3m @ 4.70 g/t Au from 38m, including 1m @ 10.70 g/t Au. These are exploration intercepts only, and no resource has been declared.
Other planned targets include:
- Mindoolah Main Reef (780m): a 2-4m wide chlorite-altered mafic intrusive dyke, with a surface sample returning 1.15 g/t Au.
- Cundy (630m): a major fold hinge interpreted from high-resolution geophysics.
- Doublebarrel / More Pork (360m): a surface sample returned 8.11 g/t Au from a sub-vertical quartz vein.
Drilling of historical waste dumps returned localised gold anomalism, but not sufficient grade and continuity to support further priority work at this stage. The focus therefore remains on in-situ targets.
Why do magnetic surveys matter to gold explorers?
Magnetic surveys measure variations in the magnetic field of rocks, helping geologists map faults, contacts and alteration zones. At Mindoolah, zones of magnetic depletion (demagnetisation) are interpreted as potentially reflecting hydrothermal alteration, where gold-bearing fluids may have moved through the rock.
That matters to you because this data helps the company rank targets and decide where to place its drilling metres. The second survey is scheduled for mid-October 2026, subject to final aircraft availability and weather conditions, and is independent of the drilling program, so it will not delay the RC campaign.
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What are the timeline and next catalysts?
The announcement outlines the following sequence:
- RC drilling is expected to continue through October and November 2026.
- The aeromagnetic survey is expected to commence in mid-October 2026.
- Assay results will be received and reviewed as they become available.
- After drilling and survey completion, the company will integrate the datasets and rank priority targets for subsequent follow-up drilling.
The company describes Phase 2 as a shift from initial reconnaissance and target definition toward systematic testing of the structural corridors considered most prospective for significant gold mineralisation.
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