Barton Gold (ASX: BGD) (OTCQB: BGDFF) has completed pit optimisation drilling at its Challenger gold project in South Australia as it advances a definitive feasibility study (DFS) aimed at a Stage 1 restart of the Central Gawler Mill.
The latest program added 1,322 metres of diamond drilling across 23 holes to generate geotechnical data and metallurgical samples for open-pit design work following the recent completion of 8,065m of reverse circulation (RC) resource upgrade drilling.
Barton is targeting conversion of existing open-pit mineralisation and new near-surface targets into JORC 2012 indicated resources and, subject to completion of the DFS, into ore reserves in the second half of calendar 2026.
The company said the work supports a simplified baseline Stage 1 operation designed to underwrite a lower-risk restart while preserving broader development flexibility across its operations.
Focus on Lower-Risk Restart
The DFS is built around an initial three- to four-year Stage 1 operation using only higher-grade historical tailings from tailings storage facility 1 and limited near-surface material.
That approach is designed to avoid disturbing Challenger’s historical underground mine, its mineralisation, and its infrastructure access during the first phase of operations.
Barton said this model defers the technical risk and cost of underground mining until after Stage 1 operations have themselves been de-risked, while allowing it more time to optimise longer-term development plans.
The company is using the newly completed diamond drilling to refine open-pit designs and support metallurgical optimisation as part of that study work.
Advancing Resource Conversion Path
The diamond program followed Barton’s recently completed RC drilling campaign aimed at upgrading resources around Challenger’s open pit and near-surface zones.
First assays from that RC drilling are expected shortly, adding the next layer of information for the ongoing DFS.
Managing director Alexander Scanlon said Challenger’s open pit and near-surface gold mineralisation next to the existing Central Gawler Mill provided “an ideal foundation for an initial ‘baseline’ operation that underwrites a lower-risk restart.”
Mr Scanlon confirmed that Foraco Drilling would now move on to development drilling at Barton’s neighbouring Tunkillia gold project after completing the Challenger work despite recent extreme rains across outback South Australia.
Unlocking Regional Optionality
Barton said reinstatement of the Central Gawler Mill would materially increase development options across several of its regional assets including Tarcoola, Wudinna, and the high-grade Tolmer silver prospect.
Those assets could potentially feed the mill in future, giving the Challenger restart a broader strategic role beyond the immediate Stage 1 mine plan.
The company’s Challenger project currently hosts a 313,000-ounce gold mineral resource, while Barton’s wider South Australian portfolio contains 2.2Moz of gold and 3.1Moz of silver in JORC mineral resources.
Barton is now working toward a Stage 1 definitive feasibility study and ore reserve conversion by the second half of calendar 2026 as it positions Challenger and the Central Gawler Mill for a potential restart.
