Astral Resources NL (ASX:AAR) has signed a Land Use Agreement with the Marlinyu Ghoorlie Native Title Claimant Group, paving the way for the grant of a mining lease and early development of the Think Big gold deposit within its Feysville Gold Project near Kalgoorlie, WA.
The agreement, executed through Astral’s wholly owned subsidiary Feysville Gold Pty Ltd, covers key tenements M26/846 and L26/295 and establishes a framework for heritage protection, cooperation and economic participation by Marlinyu Ghoorlie members.
Cooperative path to development
The Land Use Agreement formalises protocols for heritage surveys, activities to safeguard identified cultural sites, and clearance procedures to facilitate mining. It also outlines opportunities for the Marlinyu Ghoorlie People to participate in Feysville’s activities and receive compensation benefits for any future impacts on native title.
Astral said the signing builds on its recent Letter of Intent (LOI) with specialist mining services provider Mineral Mining Services Pty Ltd (MMS) to jointly develop Think Big as an early production opportunity. Under the proposed development partnership, MMS will fund 100% of project development costs, to be recovered from initial cash flows.
Read more: Astral Resources secures development partner for early production at Think Big gold project
Managing director Marc Ducler described the agreement as a milestone that strengthens Astral’s community partnerships and clears an important step towards bringing Think Big into production.
“We are delighted to announce the execution of this Land Use Agreement, which marks another step forward in our collaborative and positive relationship with Marlinyu Ghoorlie,” Ducler said.
“This agreement provides a clear and cooperative framework, safeguarding Aboriginal Cultural Heritage and laying the foundations for Marlinyu Ghoorlie’s participation in the development of the Think Big Project,” he said.
Ducler added that the deal “underscores Astral’s strong commitment to maintaining a close and collaborative relationship with our stakeholders and provides a strong platform for us to now execute definitive, binding agreements for the Think Big Development JV”.
Early-stage gold production opportunity
The Think Big deposit hosts a current Mineral Resource Estimate of 2.4 million tonnes grading 1.1 grams per tonne gold for 85,200 ounces of contained metal. In Astral’s Mandilla Pre-Feasibility Study, Think Big was previously slated to contribute about 30,000 ounces to life-of-mine output from year three of production. Under the MMS partnership, those ounces are expected to be brought forward to the start of the mine plan, providing an earlier revenue stream.
Astral views Think Big as a fully funded, low-risk pathway to early cash flow that can support development of its flagship Mandilla Gold Project, potentially reducing debt and equity funding needs and minimising shareholder dilution.
Strengthening relationships and portfolio
The Feysville Project lies just 14 kilometres south of Kalgoorlie and continues to form a key part of Astral’s broader strategy to advance a pipeline of Western Australian gold assets. The company recently reported broad, high-grade gold intersections from in-fill drilling at the nearby Theia deposit and in October announced the LOI with MMS to bring Think Big into production.
Read more: Astral Resources’ in-fill drilling at Theia returns broad high-grade gold zones
Together, these milestones position Astral to accelerate its transition from explorer to producer while maintaining a strong focus on heritage, environmental and community stewardship.