Ore Resources (ASX:OR3) is set to continue its drilling schedule at its Coolgardie gold and lithium projects in Western Australia, with infill and exploration programs planned across multiple prospects. The Coolgardie area is one of Western Australia's most established gold districts, with production dating back to the 1890s gold rush, and continues to attract exploration interest along the mineral-rich Yilgarn Craton.

The company has received initial assay results from a regional aircore (AC) drilling program at the Coolgoldfields gold projects in the Goldfields region. The program, part of the broader gold-focused Phase 4 drilling campaign, has further confirmed the 6.2km-long Miriam shear zone as a fertile and under-explored gold system with significant exploration upside. Shear zones are key structural features in Archean gold systems of the Yilgarn, often serving as conduits for gold-bearing fluids, and the confirmed scale of the Miriam structure positions it as a priority target for follow-up resource definition.

Assay results from 290 AC drill holes testing high-priority regional prospects at Miriam and Burbanks East highlighted numerous zones of elevated gold in shallow regolith lithologies. Notable intercepts included 8.0m at 1.90 grams per tonne (g/t) from 20m, 4.0m at 2.70 g/t from 40m, and 12m at 0.92 g/t from 24m at Miriam, along with 4.0m at 4.29 g/t from 44m and 1.0m at 1.98 g/t from 86m at Burbanks East. These intercepts, returned from first-pass regional drilling, are comparable in grade to mineralisation thresholds that have underpinned nearby historical and operating gold operations across the Coolgardie district.

Managing Director and CEO Nick Rathjen said the initial assessment of district-wide gold potential at the Coolgardie gold projects has delivered highly encouraging first-pass drilling results.

"At Miriam, regional AC drilling has confirmed significant gold potential at key prospects within the Miriam shear zone," he said. "This program has also highlighted potential strike extensions to our flagship Forrest deposit at Miriam, with significant gold mineralisation intersected approximately 250m south of the currently defined gold system."

Initial AC drilling at Burbanks East also returned significant gold intercepts, validating historical drilling at key intrusion targets.

"Building on these results, we intend to undertake detailed follow-up exploration to further define the extent, continuity and significance of gold mineralisation at Burbanks East, which remains a highly compelling gold exploration opportunity within a geological setting analogous to Miriam," Mr Rathjen said.

"Our gold exploration footprint at Coolgardie continues to grow and we look forward to further defining the scale of this opportunity through the continued advancement of our Phase 4 drilling program at the Coolgardie Gold Projects in Q4 2026 and beyond."

On the lithium front, Ore continues to advance its Coolgardie lithium projects, where a current 3,000m RC drilling program is progressing steadily at Kangaroo Hills. The program targets further extensions to the Big Red and Potoroo pegmatite systems and represents the first systematic drill testing of the Miriam lithium project, located 1.7km north of Kangaroo Hills. Western Australia is a globally significant source of hard-rock lithium from spodumene-bearing pegmatites, and the Coolgardie region sits within the broader Eastern Goldfields province that hosts multiple lithium operations and development projects.

"With assay results expected from late August 2026, we look forward to gaining further insights into the scale and growth potential of these emerging pegmatite systems," Mr Rathjen told shareholders.

Ore also plans to recommence gold-focused exploration through a comprehensive drilling program at Coolgardie Gold in Q4 2026.

Prior to market open, OR3 shares were steady at 6.8¢ with a market capitalisation of $57.92 million.