Western Yilgarn NL (ASX: WYX) - Massive 188Mt Bauxite Resource Footprint Emerges in Western Australia
- Noel Ong
- Jul 1
- 7 min read
Announcements:
From Clarification to Confirmation: Building a Bauxite-Driven Foundation
Western Yilgarn Limited (ASX: WYX) has recently reinforced its standing in the Western Australian bauxite landscape with a significant update to its Mineral Resource base. Following a clarification to the ASX on 5 March 2025, the Company has confirmed a massive 168.3Mt Inferred Mineral Resource Estimate (MRE) under the 2012 JORC Code for its Julimar West Bauxite Project. Just days later, on 17 June 2025, Western Yilgarn announced an additional 20Mt bauxite resource from the Cardea 2 Project, pushing its total JORC-compliant bauxite inventory to 188Mt.
This sequence of updates positions Western Yilgarn as an emerging participant in the high-grade bauxite market, capitalising on its landholding within the Darling Range—a region globally recognised for its high-quality gibbsite-rich deposits (Figure 1).
Figure 1: Location Map showing the Julimar West Project area with nearby major infrastructure (source: WYX)
Key Highlights from the Julimar West Bauxite Project (E70/5111) (Figure 2)
Inferred MRE (JORC 2012):
o 168.3Mt @ 36.1% Al₂O₃ and 14.7% total SiO₂ using a ≥25% Al₂O₃ cut-off
o 97.1Mt @ 40.5% Al₂O₃ and 11.3% total SiO₂ using a ≥35% Al₂O₃ cut-off
Geometry & Location (Figure 1):
o Covers a contiguous 348km² area along a 49km strike
o Mineralisation from surface to 8m depth across seven defined zones
Metallurgical Advantage:
o Predominantly gibbsitic bauxite—ideal for low-temperature Bayer process
o Low reactive silica (<5%), favourable for Direct Shipping Ore (DSO) export
Figure 2: Julimar West MRE (source: WYX)
With a robust dataset comprising 5,765 drillholes over 32,405m and previous metallurgical test work confirming DSO potential, the Company is moving toward drill approvals across four defined growth zones within the tenement.
The Cardea 2 Project: Strategic Add-On Resource (E70/6702) (Figure 3)
Maiden Inferred MRE (JORC 2012):
o 20Mt @ 32.1% Total Al₂O₃ and 26.3% Total SiO₂ using a ≥25% Al₂O₃ cut-off
o 2.15Mt @ 35.7% Available Al₂O₃ and 2.8% Reactive SiO₂ using a ≥25% Available Al₂O₃ cut-off
Project Footprint:
o 2.8km strike, averaging 1.3km width
o Mineralisation extends from surface to 5.5m vertical depth
Strategic Advantage:
o Located just 16.5km southeast of Julimar West
o Proximal to Perth and key port/logistics corridors
Figure 3: Location Map showing the Cardea 2 Projects area with nearby major infrastructure (source: WYX)
The Company plans to advance metallurgical bomb digest testing across Cardea 2 to enhance conversion rates of Total Al₂O₃ to Available Al₂O₃. This could further derisk the DSO pathway for this asset.
Supporting Metrics and Capital Position
ASX Code: WYX
Share Price (29 April 2025): $0.034
Market Capitalisation (5 March 2025): $4.6 million
Cash Position (as at 31 December 2024): $670,000
Shares on Issue: 123,809,548
Options on Issue: 80.6 million
Weighted Average Exercise Price: $0.13
Expiry Dates: Between April 2025 and November 2027
Top 20 Shareholders Hold: 57.71% of issued capital
Major Shareholders:
Oceanic Capital Pty Ltd, St Barnibas Investments Pty Ltd & Payzone Pty Ltd – 24.97%
Mr Glen Goulds – 5.9%
Alladrenalin Pty Ltd – 3.7%
The company is guided by an experienced Board, including Peter Lewis (Chairman), Pedro Kastellorizos (Non-Executive Director), and others with deep domain expertise.
WYX Share Price Trends: A Closer Look
The current share chart for Western Yilgarn (ASX: WYX) shows the stock trading at $0.025, with fluctuations between $0.021 and $0.048 over the past six months (Figure 4). The price has softened slightly since early May, though volume spikes in April and June suggest renewed market interest.
Figure 4: WYX Share Price Chart as on 17 June 2025 (source: ASX)
Western Yilgarn Non-Executive Director Mr Pedro Kastellorizos commented:
“We are extremely pleased with the outcomes of our Bauxite Resource Estimations at the Cardea 2 Project. The result confirms strong scalability and significant potential to increase tonnage through further exploration. Importantly, the current resource is located within trucking distance of a multi-user railway - an advantage that comes at a time of record alumina and bauxite prices”.
“The Cardea 2 Bauxite Project, together with our extensive Julimar West Bauxite Project, represents a compelling opportunity to deliver shareholder value, create jobs in local communities, and establish Western Yilgarn as a new, independent, and e supplier of high-quality bauxite. Our technical team is confident that the bauxite deposits offer substantial upside potential, with room for further resource growth towards the western portion of the Exploration Licence. Planning is already underway for the next phase of drilling across untested zones within the Cardea 2 and Julimar West areas, aimed at expanding the current mineralised footprint.”
Samso’s Review: Prospectivity, Location, and Next Steps
Western Yilgarn's prime strategy is now to establish a resource base before transitioning into feasibility and potentially development phases. The proximity of Julimar West and Cardea 2 to existing infrastructure and their metallurgical compatibility with low-energy refining processes add logistical and economic value.
Exploration remains key to Western Yilgarn’s next steps. The untested areas—particularly Zones 1 to 4 at Julimar West and the western side of Cardea 2—highlight the potential for resource expansion. Moreover, the Company's engagement with metallurgical testing and planning for regulatory approvals reflects a realistic and incremental growth approach.
Samso Concluding Comments
From the perspective of a developing resource narrative, there’s no overstatement here—it’s early days for Western Yilgarn. However, their 188Mt bauxite resource puts them in the right place, both geologically and strategically. The updates confirm that work is being done, targets are growing, and the data is shaping a clear direction forward.
At a market cap of under $5 million, the Company’s resource base may raise eyebrows in the context of current bauxite demand outlooks, especially with China's and the Middle East’s hunger for DSO-grade material. The cash position is modest, and there lies some of the challenges. For those looking for the negatives or not yet positives, I see the land access and the cash position.
In my opinion, I don't see the ability to attract funding as an issue for the market. Bauxite is a good product, and it does look like Western Yilgarn has the goods. I suspect it will be down to whether the majority shareholders want to dilute themselves, as it's only a sub-AUD $5M market capitalisation.
Land access will be the one that will take time. It can happen very fast or very slow, so this game is all about patience, and Who Dares Waits ultimately will be the winner.
Samso will be watching closely for the metallurgical testing outcomes and exploration activity across the Julimar and Cardea corridors. Investors should take the time to understand the geology, the regional infrastructure, and the scale of the opportunity. It’s still a developing story, but Western Yilgarn’s groundwork is increasingly difficult to ignore.
For a AUD $5M market capitalisation company, this is something one should seriously contemplate DYOR. It's a bauxite-bulk tonnage Julimar waiting to happen.
As always, I encourage investors to do the work — read the technical, track the drilling updates, and watch how the next 6–12 months unfold. There’s no rush to conclusions here. But there’s a story worth following.
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