Xpedra Resources has fired the starting gun on a maiden drilling campaign at its Springfield gold deposit in central New South Wales, mobilising a reverse circulation drill rig to test a gold system that has sat untouched for more than 25 years.
The rig is expected to arrive on site in the coming days, with drilling set to begin immediately on arrival.
Importantly, the Springfield project has not seen a drill bit since 1999, despite historical exploration delivering a compelling suite of thick, high-grade gold intercepts from shallow depths.
Xpedra’s initial program will comprise between 30 and 40 reverse circulation (RC) drillholes for a planned 3500 metres. The company is targeting fresh gold mineralisation and is looking to extend known zones along strike and at depth.
The campaign will include infill drilling aimed at improving confidence and continuity within the mineralised areas, combined with shallow extensional drilling to the north and south where gold remains open.
Historical near-surface results in those areas included 27 metres assaying 3.65 grams per tonne gold (g/t) from surface, featuring 6m going 8.29 g/t gold from 1m depth and 3m running 9.23g/t gold from 11 metres downhole.
Deeper drilling will follow up limited historical drill intercepts that indicate a strengthening of the system at depth, including a solid 86m run going 1.04g/t gold from 104m, including 12m at 2.90g/t gold from 160m and 26m at 1.83g/t gold from 146m depth.
The company will also test oblique structures it believes could have potential to host higher-grade mineralisation - an exploration angle that has never been systematically assessed at Springfield.
In addition, shallow drilling is planned at Springfield North, marking the first follow-up of old anomalous aircore drill results that returned 2m at 1.43g/t gold from 13m and 1m at 1.12g/t gold from 10m to the end of the hole, indicating that mineralisation was not closed off by the drilling.
Xpedra acquired its 100 per cent interest in the Springfield gold deposit in November last year 2025.
Historical exploration has outlined a mineralised intrusive system extending for more than 1700m along strike, yet only about 6568m of drilling has been put into the project throughout its history.
Deeper testing has been limited to just a 500m stretch of the total strike distance.
With modern exploration techniques finally being applied to a proven but underexplored gold system, the Springfield gold play - with its considerable strike, thick intercepts and good grades - looks like shaping up as a genuine opportunity for Xpedra to unlock meaningful value.
The program looks impeccably timed, with the current surge in the Aussie gold price soaring through a multi-day run to almost A$7500, driven by intense safe-haven demand following last weekend’s major geopolitical escalation in the Middle East.
Rising inflation fears and a potential energy crisis are also working together to power the gold price to historic highs.
With the drill bit about to probe the secrets of the project for the first time in a generation, the long-hidden treasures of Xpedra’s Springfield venture may finally be revealed.
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By Doug Bright
