Thunderbird Resources Limited (ASX: THB) – Kookabookra Gold Project Exploration Update.
- Noel Ong
- Aug 29
- 6 min read
Announcement
Thunderbird Resources Limited (ASX: THB) has delivered another strong set of results from its Kookabookra Gold Project in north-eastern New South Wales (Figure 1). The latest announcement highlights continued success from surface sampling programs and the emergence of a new high-grade target, reinforcing the district-scale potential for an intrusive-related gold system.
Figure 1: Kookabookra Project (source: THB)
🔹 Key Highlights - A Gold Exploration Story
High-grade assays confirmed at Bear Hill and Butchers Reef, including up to 17.35g/t Au at Bear Hill and 2.79g/t Au at Butchers Reef.
New Kojak target identified – assays from historical workings returned up to 23.0g/t Au, with mineralisation associated with a north-east trending fault over a 400m strike length.
Ongoing soil sampling and geological mapping programs at Bear Hill, Butchers Reef and Kojak to define drill targets (Figure 2).
Recently completed geophysical surveys at Mannix and Mt Secret outlined strong IP anomalies, providing further drill-ready opportunities.
Collectively, results continue to demonstrate potential for a large-scale intrusive-related gold system within the project.
Figure 2: Geology, mineral occurrences and historical exploration (source: THB)
Exploration Results
Assays from 79 rock chip and grab samples collected in July confirm significant mineralisation across multiple prospects (Figure 3).
Figure 3: Examples of high-grade mineralisation from Bear Hill and Kojak samples (source: THB)
Bear Hill: Samples up to 17.35g/t Au, with several exceeding 9g/t Au, from historical mine dumps (Figures 4 & 5).
Figure 4: Bear Hill and Butchers Reef prospect area – surface sampling and simplified geology (new results highlighted in yellow) (source: THB)
Butchers Reef: Assays up to 2.79g/t Au, approximately 1km north-west of Bear Hill (Figures 4 & 5).
Figure 5: Bear Hill and Butchers Reef prospect area – surface sampling and simplified geology - New results highlighted in yellow (source: THB)
Kojak Prospect: Newly identified from LiDAR data, assays included 23.0g/t Au, 5.64g/t Au, 3.11g/t Au, and 2.88g/t Au, hosted in a granite-associated fault zone extending at least 400m (Figure 6).
Figure 6: Kojak prospect sampling and historical workings (source: THB)
Geological Interpretation
The mineralisation styles observed point towards a large Intrusion-Related Gold System (IRGS) model.
Bear Hill & Butchers Reef: Fault-controlled vein style hosted within metasediments and monzogranite.
Mannix & Mt Secret: Disseminated and sheeted vein style mineralisation associated with Bi-Te-Mo anomalies, comparable to the Timbarra gold deposit.
Kojak: Granite-hosted mineralisation within a 3m wide quartz-veined fault zone.
Figure 7: Schematic exploration model for intrusion-related gold systems (Lang et al., 2000) (source: THB)
Thunderbird Executive Chairman, George Ventouras, commented:
“We are very encouraged by these latest assay results, which continue to support the significant exploration and discovery potential we see at Kookabookra. Every field program has revealed new targets, and we are now advancing towards our maiden drilling program. The Kojak discovery is particularly exciting as it opens up a new part of the tenement with strong potential for large-scale intrusive-related gold deposits.”
“What is most exciting is that every field program we’ve conducted has revealed more targets, and we have still only explored a very small percentage of the total area of the Kookabookra Project.
“This is an important development as it opens up a new part of the tenement area as being prospective for large-scale intrusive-related gold deposits. Given that a major discovery requires only a small surface footprint (for example Kidston in Queensland, which had a surface expression of ~1,100m x 900m and delivered >5Moz of gold), the pathway for a discovery at Kookabookra is compelling, particularly with these latest results.
Next Steps
Drill permits to be lodged for Mannix and Mt Secret in August, testing strong IP chargeability anomalies.
Soil sampling and mapping underway at Bear Hill/Butchers Reef, with further work planned at Kojak and Columbo (Figure 8).
Maiden drill program at Bear Hill and Butchers Reef to be planned following completion of current soil and mapping programs.
Figure 8: Central Goldfields area - Geology and surface geochemistry (Au) (new assay results highlighted in yellow) (source: THB)
Samso Concluding Comments
The current release is one part of the story building process and the Kookabookra story is being unfolded. Bear Hill and Butchers Reef continue to validate their historical significance with repeatable high-grade numbers, while the emergence of Kojak demonstrates underexplored part of the story. For investors, the ability to generate new targets from surface allow the generation of newsflow highlighting the concept of “low-hanging fruit” before the drill rig turns up.
The Kojak discovery of a 23g/t gold rock chip within a coherent structural setting is a signpost to the potential scale and fertility of the system. Linking this to the regional intrusive-related gold system model adds geological weight. In many cases, discoveries of this type start with a single overlooked prospect can lead to a system that may be part of a much larger mineralised corridor.
The company has steadily advanced Kookabookra alongside its other NSW and Canadian projects, each step supported by data. Every announcement over the past six months has layered more information onto the geological picture—moving from reconnaissance sampling, to geophysics, and now towards drilling. This approach is a good sign of authenticity and its what explorers do which creates the transparency that the market needs.
For investors, the coming drill program will be the real test. Rock chips and soil anomalies are encouraging, but it is the drill bit that will define the economic potential. What we can say at this point is that Thunderbird has done the groundwork well, setting up multiple compelling drill targets across Bear Hill, Butchers Reef, Kojak, Mannix and Mt Secret. The market will be watching closely to see if the promise of a large-scale intrusive-related gold system becomes a tangible discovery. This is where patience and independent research matter most.
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