After being temporarily sidelined by unseasonably heavy rains, Augustus Minerals has fired up the drill rig once again at its 1242-square-kilometre Music Well gold project in Western Australia’s highly prospective and historic Leonora-Laverton district in WA’s Eastern Goldfields.

The company says it will complete one final reverse circulation (RC) hole at its Clifton East prospect before shifting the rig to the high-priority St Patrick’s Well target, where previous rock-chip sampling has unearthed some eye-watering gold grades.

The latest drilling at Clifton East has been designed to test a new geological interpretation of the mineralisation after structural data from an earlier diamond hole indicated that some gold-bearing veins dipped steeply to the southeast.

To put that theory to the test, Augustus reversed its drilling direction, rotating the orientation of its latest holes by 180 degrees to drill towards the northwest, opposite to the direction used in previous programs.

Adding to the anticipated newsflow, Augustus’ management says assays from five holes already completed in the current program are pending, potentially providing fresh clues to the orientation and continuity of the gold-bearing structures.

Once Clifton East is wrapped up, the rig will head to St Patrick’s Well, where sampling along a 600-metre mineralised trend delivered a standout 30.4 grams per tonne (g/t) gold – tantalisingly close to the fabled “one-ounce dirt” of old goldfields parlance – alongside further impressive hits of 21.7g/t and 20.4g/t.

Augustus now plans to sink five maiden RC holes into the largely untested prospect to see whether those spectacular surface grades extend into the rocks below.

Geologically, St Patrick’s Well lies adjacent to the same major shear zone that hosts the nearby Clifton East mineralisation and the historic Celtic gold mine, immediately west of the company’s ground, pointing to a potentially fertile structural setting.

The broader Music Well project sits just 35 kilometres north of Leonora, in a neighbourhood that hosts some of WA’s most significant gold operations, including Northern Star’s Darlot and Thunderbox mines and Genesis Minerals’ Leonora gold camp, which includes the King of the Hills mine.

The sun is now out, and the ground has dried up. Getting the rig drilling again is great news and putting the first effective holes into the highly prospective St Patrick’s Well prospect is particularly exciting.

The company’s renewed drilling comes amid a broader resurgence of exploration activity across Western Australia’s Leonora-Laverton gold district. The State Government’s latest exploration incentive scheme is providing more than $6.16 million to support 40 projects, while nearby explorers are also stepping up drilling campaigns.

The regional backdrop is also becoming increasingly supportive for new discoveries, with established producers expanding around existing Leonora and Laverton processing infrastructure and corporate interest returning to prospective gold assets.

With its drill rods turning again and a crop of assay results from five holes soon to be returned from the lab, the market may not have to wait long for the next round of news from Music Well. Additionally, with Augustus’ drill rig about to break new ground at a prospect which has already delivered “one ounce dirt” at the surface, things could quickly get interesting for this Perth-based explorer.

Is your ASX-listed company doing something interesting? Contact: matt.birney@wanews.com.au