Orbit drilling set to grow 1.7Moz NSW polymetallic resource

Orbit Resources has fired up the drill rig for a new campaign at its 1.7-million-ounce gold equivalent, gold-silver-base metals, Lewis Ponds project in New South Wales. The company is targeting resource expansion after a fresh batch of assays confirmed a significant mineralised zone sitting outside the current deposit.

Orbit, formerly known as Godolphin Resources, is using a track-mounted diamond drill rig to test high-priority targets at the 148-square-kilometre project 15 km east of Orange. The program comes amid a backdrop of renewed interest in NSW’s Lachlan Fold Belt, where the likes of Regis Resources and C29 are chasing precious and polymetallic base metal systems.

The company’s new program will test several key targets, including a specific off-hole electromagnetic conductor in the footwall of the main deposit, which Orbit believes represents a concealed accumulation of sulphides. The rods will also be turning at Tom’s Lode in the south of the company’s project area to gather samples for metallurgical test work and to upgrade resource confidence levels.

The move follows the receipt of all remaining assays from a five-hole, 1663m reverse circulation and diamond drilling program completed earlier this year.

One of the most encouraging results came from a hole that intersected 27 metres at 0.97 grams per tonne (g/t) gold equivalent from 83m, including a higher-grade 10-metre section running 1.44g/t gold equivalent from 89m.

Notably, the intercept hit the Quarry Lode, a zone of mineralisation that sits outside both the current mineral resource estimate and the proposed open pit defined in a February 2026 scoping study. The company says bringing Quarry Lode into the resource inventory could increase the project’s scale and support future mining studies.

The intersection of meaningful gold and base metal mineralisation within the Quarry Lode is particularly important given its location outside the current Mineral Resource Estimate and proposed open pit. The results demonstrate the potential for this area to contribute additional mineralisation and support future mining studies aimed at evaluating open pit expansion opportunities.

The latest assays also include a full breakdown from the impressive Cousin Jack prospect discovery hole, announced in June. The hole hit two broad sulphide zones, with the upper zone returning 79 metres running at 1.3 per cent zinc equivalent from 311m and a lower zone delivering a hefty 104 metres grading 1.3 per cent zinc equivalent from 527m.

Within those broad zones were multiple higher-grade slices, including 15m at 2.8 per cent zinc equivalent, 11m at 4.4 per cent zinc equivalent and an impressive 1.7m intercept grading an eye-catching 13.1 per cent zinc equivalent.

Orbit says downhole electromagnetic surveys have confirmed the Cousin Jack mineralisation is strongly conductive, with readings up to 1500 Siemens. Management believes this validates its exploration model and provides a powerful targeting tool for higher-grade mineralised centres. A 1.6-kilometre-long induced polarisation trend will now be screened with a ground electromagnetic survey in the fourth quarter, while a drone magnetic survey is planned for next month-

The Lewis Ponds project already boasts a formidable JORC-compliant resource of 17.52 million tonnes grading 1.12g/t gold, 53.34g/t silver, 2.06 per cent zinc, 1.1 per cent lead and 0.14 per cent copper for a combined 1.7 million ounces of gold equivalent, including 630,000 ounces of gold and 30.1 million ounces of silver.

Beyond its flagship project, Orbit has plenty waiting in the wings across almost 1700 square kilometres of gold-copper ground around Lewis Ponds in the broader Orange region, spanning established resources, drill-ready targets and greenfields opportunities.

The company’s Mt Aubrey prospect,35km northeast of Parkes, has some runs on the board with an inferred 1.21Mt at 1.61g/t gold for 62,400 ounces within a 6km gold corridor. Meanwhile, Orbit’s Copper Hill East target offers a different prize, the hunt for a bigger porphyry system. Sitting 30km north of Molong, its 8km copper-gold corridor is less than 10km north of Golden Cross Resources’ Copper Hill porphyry deposit, which contains 280,000 tonnes of copper and 750,000 ounces of gold, with fieldwork now dialling in targets for drilling.

Behind those front-runners, the company’s Three Rivers prospect carries a 550-metre copper trend with historical samples up to a hefty 12.6 per cent copper, while its Calula target is a potential Lewis Ponds analogue across an 8km mineralised trend. Orbit’s Lyons, Auri and Sorrento targets add further pipeline depth.

The porphyry hunt runs deeper too. The company’s never-drilled CM1 hotspot provides another greenfield shot, while 70km northwest of Orange, Orbit retains exposure to the 290-square-kilometre Yeoval-Goodrich copper-gold joint venture. Great Plains Metals has earned 51 per cent and is spending towards 70 per cent, giving the company another porphyry play without footing the entire exploration bill.

With a new drill program underway aimed at growing an already significant figure, a new mineralised lode knocking on the door of the resource and a powerful geophysical tool lighting up a recent discovery, Orbit appears to have a full dance card as it looks to build on its solid foundation in a well-regarded Australian mining district.

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