Navigator acquired the Leonora Gold Project in September 2004 from the Administators of Sons of Gwalia Ltd. Since that time the tenement holding in the area has approximately doubled in size to the current 268km2. At the time of purchase, the Project had an Inferred resource base of approximately 220,000oz gold. The current combined Indicated and Inferred resources are 750,000oz gold contained mainly within an A$2,000/oz pit shell.
Gold was first discovered in the Leonora district in about 1896. Historical production from Navigator’s tenements totals about 0.3Moz gold with the bulk of that production occurring in the time interval 1986-93.
Within the Leonora Gold Project, the first gold production was from the Merton’s Reward underground mine which was discovered in 1899. The main producing period lasted up to 1911 with further production up to 1915 and some very limited mining occurring in 1941-42. Total gold produced was about 60,000oz at an average grade of about 21g/t Au.
| Fred Merton at Merton's Reward (c.1904) |
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Open pit mining commenced in late 1986 at Mertondale 4, followed by Mertondale 3, Mertondale 2 and finally Mertondale 5 at the northern end of the area in 1992-93. Total gold produced from open pit mining was about 214,000oz at an average grade of 3.9g/t Au.
Triton Resources mined a small open pit at Forgotten Four, in the Raeside area, around 1990-92 for a total of about 6,300oz gold at an average grade of 3.9g/t Au.
Sons of Gwalia acquired full ownership of the then Cardinia – Mertondale tenement portfolio from Aurora Gold Ltd in 1996 and the Raeside tenements from Triton Resources in 2000.
| Navigator's Exploration Drilling at Leonora |
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