GoldArc Resources (ASX: GA8) has commenced a major reverse circulation (RC) drilling program at its Leonora North gold project, situated within Western Australia's prolific Leonora-Laverton greenstone belt.

The belt, part of the Eastern Goldfields, is one of the state's most productive gold regions and hosts multiple long-running mining operations. Reverse circulation drilling, which returns rock chip samples for laboratory analysis, is a standard method for first-pass gold exploration across the district.

The campaign marks the company's most significant push for new discoveries at the project in more than five years.

Largest campaign since maiden resource estimate

The 6,600m program comprises 84 planned holes across eight prospects and represents the largest exploration drilling campaign undertaken at Leonora North since the maiden mineral resource estimate was declared at Mt Stirling.

The program follows approval earlier this month of the Mining Development and Closure Proposal (MDCP) covering the Mt Stirling and Mt Stirling Well deposits, which cleared the final regulatory hurdle before development activities can commence. The MDCP is the Western Australian state approval that sets out how a deposit will be mined and rehabilitated over its life.

Six of the eight prospects to be tested lie within 1.5km of the planned operations. Managing Director Paul Stephen said mineralisation added within that radius can be brought into the mine plan and developed through the partnership with BML Ventures, meaning exploration success can be converted into production in the near term rather than requiring a separate development funding decision.

Drilling "aimed squarely at new discoveries"

"2026 has been a transformational year for GoldArc, with more than 75,000m of drilling completed," Mr Stephen said.

"Almost all of that work went into de-risking ounces we already had, and this program is the opposite, it is aimed squarely at new discoveries.

"Six of these eight prospects have never had a drill rig on them, and every one of them is close enough to the planned pits that a discovery can go into the mine plan and be funded by BML Ventures rather than by our shareholders. We have historic workings on this project that returned rock chips above 49 grams per tonne and have never been drill tested, so this is the cheapest ounce growth available to us and we intend to chase it hard."

Mr Stephen also pointed out that the planned 6,600m of RC drilling is distinct from the 34,000m grade control campaign completed at Mt Stirling and Mt Stirling Well.

"It represents the most meaningful exploration drilling at the project in more than five years," he said.

Assay results from the 84-hole campaign will be the next checkpoint for Leonora North, determining whether any of the eight prospects return mineralisation that can be added to the Mt Stirling mine plan under the BML Ventures funding arrangement.

Market reaction

GA8 was up 3.28% to 6.3¢, giving the company a market capitalisation of $41.78M.

The material in this article is provided for information only and should not be treated as investment advice. Readers are encouraged to conduct their own research and consult a certified financial adviser before making any investment decisions.