An aggressive rush of capital has hit Australia’s exploration sector, according to the latest findings of advisory service BDO.

BDO’s September Quarterly Cash Update shows $3.49 billion flowing into the sector, taking explorers to their strongest financing quarter in years.

BDO global natural resources and energy leader Sherif Andrawes said the intensity of the funding surge marked a turning point, signalling that the race for strategic resources was accelerating at a pace the market had not seen in years.

“The scale of these raisings tells you exactly where global priorities are shifting,” he said. “Investors are backing assets that matter to energy security, electrification and industrial capability.”

The quarter delivered an 81 percent rise in funding from June, driven by 78 ASX-listed exploration companies raising more than $10 million each and capturing $2.88 billion of the total inflow.

Gold remained the largest contributor, with 21 explorers raising $552.50 million as record gold prices and global uncertainty continued to push investors toward safe haven assets.

Copper-linked companies also featured strongly, reflecting the metal’s central role in electrification, transmission upgrades and the expansion of energy-intensive infrastructure such as data centres.

Zinc re-emerged after a nine-month absence, driven largely by Develop Global’s $180 million raise.

Uranium funding lifted sharply, with three explorers securing $223.67 million against the backdrop of rising prices and renewed global interest in nuclear as a clean baseload energy source.

Lithium funding also strengthened despite subdued prices, reflecting strategic intervention by both industry and government.

“Rare earths and lithium are being funded because governments are stepping in, not because commodity prices are strong. This is about capability, not cycles,” Mr Andrawes said.

Exploration spending by Australian listed companies climbed to $843.66 million – a 16 per cent rise driven by gold and copper explorers.

Cash balances rose to an average of $11.02 million, the first lift in a year, while net investing outflows increased to $511.37 million as explorers advanced development pipelines.

“Companies are no longer sitting on their hands. They are deploying capital because the long-term demand story is unavoidable,” Mr Andrawes said.