Premier1 fires up discovery drilling in prime WA gold real estate
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Andrew Todd
Premier1 has begun drilling at the Mt Kersey gold mine, one of the few gold targets remaining virtually untouched in the prolific Western Australian Yalgoo greenstone belt.
The company has begun 3700 meters of reverse circulation (RC) drilling at the site, tracking a large-scale hydrothermal system to the east of the Wadgingarra initial resource.
The accelerated program comes on the heels of Premier1’s recent acquisition of the entire Yalgoo gold project, which encompasses 266 square kilometers of prime WA gold real estate and is located in an area where major producers are heavily consolidated.
Cost-effective drilling will focus on a protected hydrothermal system over 1 km east of the project that has so far eluded meaningful drilling.
With an initial resource of 13,000 ounces grading 2.7 grams per tonne (g/t) gold at Wadgingarra, the high-grade Yalgoo project is now in a strong position to rapidly add ounces to the region, the company says.
‘We now have full exploration potential at Mount Kersey and many other targets across the Project.’
Premier1 managing director Simon Phillips
Drilling will attempt to quickly solidify some other prospects on the opposite side of the greenstone belt, testing the hanging wall of a major reverse fault where a tantalizing surface gold footprint appears.
The anomaly extends north-south with clear zones of deeper, hotter molybdenum in the south, passing from bismuth-telluride and tungsten zones to cooler, shallow arsenic-dominated zones in the north.
Such a robust system is rare in Yilgarn and significantly increases the attractiveness of the target.
High-grade rock fragments from the area have already returned impressive smelts of up to 26.4 g/t gold, indicating the possibility of high-grade systems at depth.
Premier1 plans to pursue 15 holes of structural and geochemical sweet spots with an average depth of 250 meters. The company says past studies, mostly limited to depths of just 50 meters, either missed key targets or focused elsewhere, leaving the main hydrothermal footprint largely untouched.
The program benefits from the WA government’s smart non-diluent co-contribution of up to $180,000, as well as a $176,000 loan from contractor Strike Drilling.
The fitout is expected to be completed in approximately two weeks, and analysis results are expected by the end of the quarter.
Premier1 managing director Simon Phillips said: “The rig’s entry into operation at Mt Kersey is a significant milestone for the Company, particularly following our recent acquisition of 100% of the Yalgoo Gold Project. We now have full exposure to the exploration potential at Mt Kersey and a number of other targets across the Project, which are located within an emerging large-scale mineralized centre.”
Yalgoo is located in the Yalgoo-Singleton greenstone belt, sandwiched between major producers Ramelius Resources in the north and Capricorn Metals in the south.
The belt is known for its high-grade orogenic gold and base metal potential, along with new discoveries such as the long-standing Golden Grove metals operation and Capricorn’s Golden Range gold-antimony project and the ultra-high-grade Deflector mine.
Premier1’s Wadgingarra prospect is anchored on the Yalgoo holding and hosts a near-surface resource of 13,000 ounces that remains open throughout the strike and at depth.
Despite limited modern drilling averaging only 46m of historical holes and focusing on oxide zones near older facilities, reverse circulation runs in early 2025 produced strong results, including bonanza hits of up to 3m at 31.5g/t gold at Crescent and 10m at 3.1g/t gold at Carlisle; Possibility of two eastern wings.
The company also holds the Abbotts North gold project east of the Meekatharra-Murchison greenstone belt, 35km north of Meekatharra and 20km from New Murchison Gold’s high-grade Crown Prince deposit. The Rochefort prospect stands out with its 350 meter by 350 meter gold anomaly above the dolerite. Heritage permitting is progressing for airspace and ultrafine soil programs planned for later this year.
Premier1’s groundwork is set for renewed momentum following a recent $650,000 raise that will accompany drilling loans and 2026 work programs.
With shallow high grade at Wadgingarra, walk-in drilling at Mount Kersey and processing options nearby, Premier1’s Yalgoo focus appears to be gaining traction.
As major players build areas to the north and south of both projects, the company’s growing resources may soon bring more shine to the state of the region.
The explorer, which currently has a market cap of around $10 million, is eyeing a new round of drilling and there is a real possibility of a discovery before the end of the first quarter.
Is your ASX-listed company doing something interesting? Contact: mattbirney@bullsnbears.com.au
