Astral Resources NL (ASX:AAR) has secured a Land Use Agreement (LUA) with the Marlinyu Ghoorlie Native Title Claimant Group covering the Mandilla Gold Project and recently acquired Spargoville tenements, clearing an important pathway as the company advances a definitive feasibility study (DFS) for Mandilla.
The agreement, executed through wholly owned subsidiary Mandilla Gold Pty Ltd, establishes protocols for heritage surveys, protection of identified sites and clearance procedures to support future mining activities.
Combined with an earlier LUA covering key Feysville tenements signed in October 2025, the latest agreement means all tenements included in the Mandilla DFS are now covered by land use agreements.
The Mandilla DFS is underway and scheduled for completion in the March quarter of 2027.
Framework for project development
The new LUA covers Mandilla and Spargoville, about 70 kilometres south of Kalgoorlie, and establishes a framework for ongoing engagement between Astral and the Marlinyu Ghoorlie.
Its provisions include heritage survey protocols, measures to minimise impacts on heritage sites and clearance procedures to facilitate mining activities.
The agreement also provides opportunities for Marlinyu Ghoorlie people to participate in Mandilla activities and includes compensation benefits relating to the effect of project rights and future mining and exploration on native title.
Astral managing director Marc Ducler said the agreement formalised Marlinyu Ghoorlie participation in the project while providing a framework for protecting Aboriginal cultural heritage.
“Importantly, following the signing of an agreement over the Feysville Gold Project with the Marlinyu Ghoorlie in October last year, all tenements incorporated in the ongoing Mandilla DFS are now covered by Land Use Agreements,” he said.
The Mandilla Gold Project
Mandilla hosts a mineral resource estimate of 53.5 million tonnes at 1.0 g/t gold for 1.74 million ounces of contained gold, announced in April 2026.
Astral completed a preliminary feasibility study (PFS) for Mandilla in June 2025, incorporating gold deposits at Feysville.
The study outlined a standalone operation comprising 7 open pits feeding a 2.75 million tonnes per annum processing facility and producing around 95,000 ounces of gold annually for the first 12 years.
Using a base-case gold price of A$4,250 an ounce, the PFS generated an NPV8 of A$1.4 billion. At a gold price of A$6,250 an ounce, the NPV8 increased to A$2.9 billion.
Spargoville, meanwhile, has a mineral resource of 3 million tonnes at 1.4 g/t gold for 139,000 ounces of contained gold.
Next steps
Astral is focused on completing the Mandilla DFS, securing the approvals required for mine development and progressing the project towards development.
Ducler said the company would continue working closely with the Marlinyu Ghoorlie and other stakeholders as those activities advance.