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Copper extensions sit within existing leases, 4.5km from Austral Resources' processing plant

JMM

Key Facts:

Austral Resources has expanded the known strike extent of its McLeod Hill copper system to more than 1 km, substantially beyond the approximately 470 m covered by the existing Mineral Resource.

Drilling returned 5m @ 2.32% Cu from 70m in hole MTKC0747, alongside 8m @ 1.18% Cu from 43m in MTKC0749.

Mineralisation has been extended approximately 340 m south and 160 m north of the existing resource footprint and remains open along strike to the north and south.

McLeod Hill sits within existing Mining Leases, approximately 4.5 km from AR’s Western Operations copper processing facility.

Chairman David Newling described McLeod Hill as a strategic brownfields growth opportunity, with resource modelling and metallurgical test work to follow.

Copper producer Austral Resources Australia Ltd (ASX: AR1) has confirmed copper mineralisation over more than 1 km of strike at its McLeod Hill deposit, within its Western Operations Hub. The deposit currently hosts a Mineral Resource Estimate of 1.68 Mt @ 0.64% Cu, defined over approximately 470 m of strike.

Of the 20 holes completed, 12 returned significant copper intersections. Some of the strongest results came immediately south of the existing resource, where mineralisation is largely concealed beneath alluvial cover and colluvial scree. The programme followed a reinterpretation of the geological and structural controls at McLeod Hill, which found that some historical holes had been collared too close to a faulted basement contact to test the mineralisation effectively.

Next steps include incorporating the results into the geological and resource models, metallurgical test work, further extension drilling, and systematic testing of the McLeod Hill–Canyon corridor, which the Company considers extends for approximately 3 km.

Austral Resources' Chairman, David Newling, says:

“McLeod Hill continues to demonstrate why exploration close to existing infrastructure is such an important part of our growth strategy.

The latest drilling has materially expanded the known copper system beyond the footprint of the current Mineral Resource, with mineralisation now demonstrated over more than one kilometre of strike and remaining open in multiple directions. 

Importantly, this growth is occurring within our existing Mining Leases and only approximately 4.5 kilometres from our Western Operations facility. This combination of existing copper resources, shallow oxide mineralisation, established infrastructure and further exploration potential makes McLeod Hill a strategic brownfields growth opportunity for AR.

The next phase of work will focus on incorporating these results into the geological and resource models, advancing metallurgical test work and continuing to test the broader McLeod Hill–Canyon corridor.”

About us:

Austral Resources is building Australia’s next mid-tier copper powerhouse, underpinned by a differentiated position in North West Queensland. With a focused Queensland copper portfolio and processing capability across both oxide and sulphide ore, Austral Resources combines established infrastructure with a strategy for disciplined, long-term growth. Commercially, we are an ASX listed copper producer operating in Queensland, Australia. We operate dual processing facilities with our Western Operations (Mt Kelly) a copper oxide heap leach and solvent extraction electrowinning (SX-EW) plant with a nameplate capacity of 30,000tpa of copper cathode, and our Eastern Operations (Rocklands) a copper sulphide concentrator with a nameplate capacity of 3Mtpa. We own a significant copper inventory including total in-situ Mineral Resources (JORC 2012) of 62.5 Mt @ 0.73% Cu (454 kt contained Cu), comprising 51.2 Mt @ 0.73% Cu at the Lady Annie Project (8.5 Mt Measured @ 0.74% Cu, 31.8Mt Indicated @ 0.75% Cu and 11.0 Mt Inferred @ 0.69% Cu), and 11.3 Mt @ 0.69% Cu at the Rocklands Project (9.1 Mt Indicated @ 0.72% Cu and 2.1 Mt Inferred @ 0.55% Cu), alongside 2,101km2 of highly prospective exploration tenure in the heart of north west Queensland, a world class copper and base metals province. The Company intends to implement an intensive exploration and development program designed to further plan the life of mine, increase its Mineral Resource and Ore Reserve base and continually review options to commercialise its copper resources.

Contact details:

Austral Resources Corporate Affairs and Stakeholder Relations: Emma Godfrey, 0419 523 719, [email protected]

Jane Morgan Management Investor and Media Relations: Wilamina Russo, 0450 646 609, [email protected]