Nexus Minerals Ltd (ASX:NXM, FRA:YAK) has launched a major reverse circulation (RC) drilling campaign at its Wallbrook Gold Project in Western Australia, targeting a significant expansion of the project’s existing 304,000-ounce gold resource.
The ~22,000-metre program marks a shift from earlier-stage exploration into resource definition, with drilling under way across multiple prospects aimed at delivering a broader, multi-deposit mineral resource estimate later in 2026.
The campaign will focus on three advanced targets — Clement, Payns and Branches — alongside extension drilling at the established Crusader–Templar deposit, which currently underpins the project’s resource base.
Nexus Wallbrook regional prospects location map.
Managing director Andy Tudor said the program builds on 18 months of systematic exploration that has generated a “pipeline of high-quality prospects” now ready for resource drilling.
“This RC program is a key step in progressing Wallbrook from systematic exploration success toward meaningful resource growth,” Tudor said.
RC drilling at Wallbrook Gold Project.
Multi-prospect growth strategy
The drilling push reflects a broader strategy to grow Wallbrook into a multi-deposit gold system rather than relying solely on the Crusader–Templar resource.
Clement, Payns and Branches have emerged as priority targets following extensive aircore and early RC drilling, which defined coherent mineralised systems with encouraging scale, continuity and grade profiles.
At Clement, located adjacent to Crusader–Templar, drilling has already outlined a multi-lode system over a 650-by-250-metre footprint, with mineralisation extending from surface to around 200 metres’ depth.
Clement Prospect plan view with existing drilling.
Payns, by contrast, represents a larger near-surface system spanning roughly 900 by 750 metres, with consistent gold anomalism and evidence of higher-grade zones linked to structural complexity.
Payns Prospect plan view with existing drilling.
Branches adds further scale potential, with a 1.5-kilometre-long mineralised corridor that remains open along strike and across parallel structures.
Branches Prospect plan view with existing drilling.
Across all three prospects, the current program will combine infill and step-out drilling to tighten geological understanding and support maiden resource estimates.
Expanding an established resource base
While new targets are a central focus, Nexus will also test extension opportunities at Crusader–Templar, where recent technical work has identified potential to expand beyond the current resource envelope.
The deposit currently hosts a combined mineral resource estimate of 1.7Mt at 1.7g/t gold for 304,000 ounces, providing a strong foundation for further growth.
Crusader-Templar Deposit isometric view with existing block model.
Drilling will target both lateral extensions and areas of previously unmodelled mineralisation, with the aim of increasing overall ounces and upgrading resource confidence categories.
An independent competent person has been engaged to oversee the updated resource estimate, which is expected later this year.
Crusader-Templar Deposit long section with existing block model.
Building on recent exploration momentum
The program follows a steady flow of exploration results and permitting progress at Wallbrook over the past year, including aircore drilling campaigns that helped define the current pipeline of targets.
Earlier work highlighted the emergence of multiple new gold prospects across the broader tenement package, reinforcing the scale potential of the system beyond its initial resource base.
With assays from the current program expected from May, Nexus is set to deliver a steady stream of results as drilling progresses.
The company is also advancing plans for a complementary diamond drilling program to support resource definition and further refine geological models.
Together, the dual-track approach signals a more aggressive push to convert exploration success into defined ounces — and position Wallbrook as a larger, multi-source gold development opportunity in Western Australia’s Eastern Goldfields.
Nexus Wallbrook Gold Project location map.