Dart sharpens drill focus in Victorian gold hunt

A target Dart deems worthy of following up at the Star of the West prospect relates to previous New Holland Mining work that threw up 3m at 16.2 grams per tonne gold from 3m downhole in rotary air-blast (RAB) drilling in 1993 and 2m at a stunning 80.7g/t gold within 12m going 13.96g/t from 4m downhole from reverse-circulation (RC) drilling in 1999. The intersections are shallow and have not been subject to further investigation.

The company’s Shellback prospect sits between the historically-mined Mouse Reef and West Growlers Reef. Interestingly, New Holland Mining completed RC drilling at Mouse Reef in 1993 and recorded a result of 3m at 11g/t gold.

The result was also never followed up and Dart plans to test its nearby Shellback with four diamond holes.

Star of the West West boasts a stack of historic surface mining features and the company will drill three holes to test it at depth.

Dart reported its initial four holes within the program were logged and sent for assaying mid-last month and results are due in the next few weeks. The company considers the Growlers Hill prospect to be a prime target in view of historic gold grades of more than 200g/t being reported when mined by old-timers back in the day.

It featured significant gold production from a northerly-striking quartz vein mined to more than 100m depth, in addition to the adjacent east-west-striking West Growlers reef that is mined to a similar depth.

Any results in the near-term resembling those grades would surely see Dart focus its aim even higher with its historic Rushworth ground.

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