Right Resources Limited (ASX: RRE) has started its maiden 4,800-metre diamond drilling program at the Pilot Project near Tumbarumba in New South Wales. The program follows completion of drill pad construction and detailed hole surveying and will test downhole depths of up to 700 metres, targeting the extensive Pilot Project gold stockwork system, which outcrops at surface with grades from 0.1 g/t Au to 56.6 g/t Au based on company sampling.
The start of drilling coincides with new assay results of up to 12.6 g/t Au from an area located approximately 3 kilometres east of the Pilot Project on tenement EL9712, highlighting an emerging gold mineralisation trend beyond the current focus area.
“The commencement of drilling at the Pilot Project marks an exciting milestone for the company, delivering on our timeline and commitment to shareholders,” Right Resources managing director, Graham Howard, said. “The coincident assay results from EL9712 further demonstrates our ability to rapidly identify large mineralisation trends through an integrated geology and geophysics targeting approach. It remains remarkable that no modern drilling has ever been undertaken across our Tumbarumba tenements particularly given that gold stockwork mineralisation has been confirmed to outcrop at surface.”
Reconnaissance mapping and sampling
Right Resources has identified a new gold system on EL9712, about 3 kilometres east of the Pilot Project.
The company’s geology and geophysics team has been compiling and interpreting a suite of geophysical datasets — including State and company airborne magnetic, radiometric, magnetotelluric and LiDAR surveys — to define and prioritise regional exploration targets outside the flagship Pilot Project.
In October 2025, reconnaissance mapping by Dr Jim Yaxley (Grasstree Resources) and Paul Mutton (Touchstone Geophysics) was undertaken to ground-truth features identified in the LiDAR and regional magnetic data. Rock chip sampling was completed across EL9712, EL9449 and EL9028, with 25 samples collected for assay. Three samples returned significant anomalous gold grades:
- RTRK00005: 12.6 g/t Au, EL9712
- RTRK00018: 10.3 g/t Au, Pilot Project, EL9449
- RTRK00003: 0.35 g/t Au, Peony Prospect, EL9449
Field mapping in EL9712 confirmed multiple rhyolites and porphyritic mafic and acid intrusive units that are not recorded in the NSW Geological Survey database, exhibiting strong hydrothermal alteration and quartz-dominated stockwork. Mineralisation is exposed at surface over a north–south strike length of about 2 kilometres, and the area has seen no modern drilling.
In addition to rock chip sampling, 24 samples were collected for fluid inclusion and petrology studies at the University of Tasmania (UTAS) as part of ongoing collaborative work between Right Resources and UTAS. Results are pending and are expected to provide further insight into the mineralisation style and genesis of the newly identified zones, informing future exploration planning.
Right Resources intends to undertake follow-up mapping and systematic rock and soil sampling along the structures hosting the high-grade and anomalous samples within EL9712 to better constrain the geological architecture and the extent of the anomalies.