Brightstar Resumes Drilling At Sandstone Gold Project

Brightstar Resources has officially resumed its 2025 drilling program at the 1.5 million ounce Sandstone gold project in Western Australia, marking a significant step forward in the company’s growth strategy for the newly consolidated Sandstone district. The district, which integrates the Sandstone and Montague East gold projects, boasts a combined resource of 3 million ounces at an average grade of 1.5 grams per tonne (g/t) gold across three hubs.

The company sees this consolidation as an excellent opportunity for staged development, leveraging the strategic location and existing infrastructure to expand its gold production capacity. Brightstar Resources also operates the underground Second Fortune Gold mine near Laverton and recently completed its Selkirk Mining JV at Menzies, with the first gold pour scheduled for March 2024.

Drilling Resumes at Lord Nelson Deposit

At the Sandstone project, drilling has recommenced at the Lord Nelson deposit, with plans for around 3,000 meters of reverse circulation (RC) drilling to finish the program that began in December 2024. This drilling forms part of a larger, ambitious 55,000-meter RC drilling campaign designed to expand and upgrade the existing resource base across the project, as well as identify new exploration targets within the Sandstone district.

The Lord Nelson and nearby Lord Henry deposits currently host a combined mineral resource of 0.4 million ounces at a grade of 1.6 g/t gold. The initial drilling is aimed at infilling and upgrading the resource within optimized pit shells, a critical step in advancing the project towards a potential mining decision.

Vanguard Camp and Beyond

Following the Lord Nelson drilling, the program will move to the Vanguard Camp, where a 4,000-meter RC drilling program is planned to extend and infill the high-grade, open-pit gold resource. The Vanguard Camp currently has a resource of 0.2 million ounces at an impressive 4.5 g/t gold, and this drilling aims to increase the resource’s scale and confidence level.

Looking ahead, Brightstar plans significant diamond drilling programs at Sandstone later in the first half of CY25, focusing on further expanding the resource potential of the district.

Expansion and Exploration Ambitions

Brightstar Resources (ASX: BTR) Managing Director Alex Rovira expressed enthusiasm about the company’s exploration plans. “We’re excited to launch our 2025 drilling campaign at Sandstone, where our geology and engineering teams have been diligently working since the acquisitions of Alto and Montague East,” Rovira said. “Our goal is to expand the total mineral resource beyond the current 1.5 million ounces at 1.5 g/t gold and to increase the resource confidence classification, which will be essential for advancing mining studies and future development.”

Rovira highlighted that the company’s advanced exploration targets across the Sandstone district are particularly encouraging. “We plan to test many of these targets in the current program, with drilling results expected over the next few months from key deposits including Montague-Boulder, Whistler, and Lord Nelson in the Sandstone Hub,” he added. Additionally, diamond drilling results are anticipated from the Lord Byron deposit, part of the Jasper Hills-Laverton Hub.

Ongoing Drilling Across Other Hubs

While drilling intensifies at Sandstone, Brightstar Resources will also continue drilling at its other projects in the Laverton and Menzies hubs. At the Laverton Hub, work is progressing on the definitive feasibility study for the Fish underground mine, the company’s second mining operation, which will complement the production from the Second Fortune mine.

“These drilling programs will be instrumental in building robust future mining operations across our more advanced projects,” Rovira concluded.

As the exploration efforts progress, Brightstar Resources is focused on solidifying its position as a key player in the Western Australian gold sector, with a promising portfolio of high-grade gold resources and a pipeline of development projects in the works.