76g/t Gold Hit Ignites Aurumin’s Comeback at Johnson Range – Shallow High-Grade Fuel for a Fast-Track Mine?
- Noel Ong
- May 30
- 5 min read
Announcement
When we talk about "high-grade" in gold exploration, the term can sometimes lose its meaning in a market awash with numbers and drilling updates. But now and then, an announcement cuts through the noise, and Aurumin's latest results from the Gwendolyn deposit at the Johnson Range Gold Project do just that.
To me, this is more than just a tick-the-box resource upgrade campaign. What we’re seeing is a quiet but decisive unlocking of value, one that aligns with a strong macro backdrop (gold holding above A$5,000/oz) and Aurumin’s growing momentum in Western Australia’s gold corridor.
This drilling campaign is the first at Johnson Range since 2013, and Aurumin didn’t just dust off an old model—they revalidated it with data. The standout hit of 6m @ 16.5g/t Au
(including 1m @ 76.1g/t Au) isn’t just flashy—it’s strategically shallow, beginning at just 65 metres depth. Several intercepts start even closer to surface, like 7m @ 9.3g/t Au from just 16m downhole.
This changes the development equation. With Gwendolyn already sitting on a granted mining lease and surrounded by processing options, it’s not a stretch to see how this could evolve quickly from a resource upgrade into mine planning.
Aurumin's Managing Director, Daniel Raihani, commented:
“The assay results from our first drilling program at Johnson Range in more than a decade have exceeded expectations. These high-grade intercepts confirm the strength of the Gwendolyn deposit and support a resource upgrade — a key step in positioning this asset for near-term development.
“Importantly, several of the strongest results are from shallow depths, including 7m @ 9.3g/t Au from just 16m downhole. This highlights the potential for a low-strip, low-cost open pit mining scenario, which is particularly attractive given the current gold price environment.
“With gold trading above A$5,000/oz, the timing is ideal to progress this asset. Our technical team is now advancing resource modelling and planning the next phase of drilling. We anticipate further news flow in the months ahead as we continue to drive Johnson Range toward development and integrate it into our broader Sandstone gold production strategy.
The Numbers That Matter
Aurumin drilled 18 RC holes for a total of 1,353 metres across three high-priority zones (Figure 2), targeting the top 80 metres of the deposit (Figure 1 & Figure 3). This wasn’t about chasing deep, speculative structures—it was about validating what’s already there and converting Inferred resources into indicated ones.
Figure 2: Gwendolyn Target areas over block model. Mineralisation 100m below surface area is based on geological modelling. It does not constitute a Mineral Resource and is subject to further exploration. There is no guarantee that further work will result in resource estimation. (source: AUN)
Key Intercepts:
6m @ 16.5g/t Au from 65m
– incl. 3m @ 32.1g/t Au and 1m @ 76.1g/t Au (GWRC250008)
7m @ 9.3g/t Au from 16m
– incl. 2m @ 23.4g/t Au (GWRC250013)
9m @ 3.6g/t Au from 111m
– incl. 2m @ 13.3g/t Au (GWRC250002)
20m @ 1.28g/t Au from 12m
– incl. 1m @ 5.30g/t Au (GWRC250011)
Figure 1: Plan View of Gwendolyn Deposit with Aurumin April 2025 Drilling (source: AUN)
Figure 3. Gwendolyn cross-section showing drilling and existing resource model. (source: AUN)
These grades, especially at such shallow depths, reinforce the potential for a low-strip, open-pit mining operation. That’s important because in the current market, low-cost ounces are the real currency.
Location, Location, Location
Gwendolyn sits within the Johnson Range Project, located between Southern Cross and Sandstone in WA. Importantly, it’s on a granted mining lease and within trucking distance to several mills (Figure 4 of the announcement shows proximity to processing options). This infrastructure optionality de-risks the path to production.
Figure 4. Johnson Range Location Map with Potential Processing Options (source: AUN)
Let’s not forget that the broader Sandstone Operations now boast a 950koz gold resource across multiple deposits, including the Central Sandstone Project acquired in 2022.
Strategic Implications
From a business strategy perspective, this drilling is doing more than improving the resource category. It’s feeding into:
Mine permitting studies
Scoping-level economic evaluations
Modelling for future pit design
Further drilling for down-dip and strike extensions
There’s a bigger play here: integrating Gwendolyn as a satellite feed or standalone pit in Aurumin’s Sandstone gold hub strategy.
A Little History – And A Lot of Upside
Gwendolyn isn’t a discovery. It has a mining history dating back to the 1980s, including a bulk sample by Vector Resources in 2014 that produced over 3,000 ounces at a recovered grade of 3.35g/t Au. That historical data gives Aurumin a solid baseline to build from, and what they’re uncovering now suggests there's more left in the tank.
Samso’s Concluding Comments
These drilling results are simply getting set for a mining proposition. Recently, Aurumin announced that they have executed a binding agreement with Newcam Minerals Pty Ltd ("Newcam"), which is a private company that will manage the development of the Johnson Range and Mt. Dimer gold projects.
The results will be part of the process of getting the Feasibility studies underway and completed. Investors should look back at the ASX releases by Aurumin and see that the Johnson Range is a mineable project. The rising and surging gold price is making this asset come alive. There are going to be some serious dollars to be made.
In some way, the longer proposition may be that Aurumin look at putting the Sandstone project into a production phase, and then you are talking about some serious business. On the other hand, with all the mergers and acquisition activities happening, one would see Aurumin as fair game for the bigger gold players.
I think time will show that the value that is not being given to Aurumin may ultimately be an investor's gift. Samso has had several conversations with the company, and there is no doubt about the hidden value. Hidden or Underappreciated. Take your pick.
DYOR. Stay grounded. Think forward.
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