It’s all go in the Gulf of Carpentaria where Savannah Goldfields is sprinting to get back into production at the Georgetown Project, 480km south west of Cairns.

Savannah has set themselves just weeks to check, refurbish, replace and test units along the run-of-mine in time for an October gold pour.

Maintenance works started at the plant on 22 September and includes repairs and maintenance on the ball mills, agitators, pumps, hoppers and the electrowinning cell, among others.

Savannah Goldfields CEO Brad Sampson said it was pleasing to see the significant progress that the Savannah Goldfields team and the maintenance team have made in a short timeframe. 

“We all remain focused on safely producing gold as soon as possible,” he said.

Contractors are on track to meet the deadline, the company said.

All environmental authorities and approvals are in place to allow the commencement of mining at Big Reef.

Ore supply

It’s all happening at the coalface as well. 

Feedstock is in train with haulage of the remaining 950 tonnes of crushed gold bearing material from Charters Towers to the Georgetown pad expected to be complete this week.

Haulage of around 7,100 tonnes of gold bearing material from run-of-mine stockpiles at the Agate Creek Mine started this week.

Savannah Goldfields also planned to mine and process around 18,200 tonnes of inferred mineral resource from the Big Reef deposit during this gold production campaign, the company said.

‘When haulage of the ROM stockpiles from Agate Creek is complete the Company plans to relocate further stockpiles from the Georgetown area and these collectively will form the first feed into the plant on re-commissioning.

‘The mining and the drill and blast contractors have been selected and they will be mobilised to site shortly. Recruitment of the operational workforce for this production campaign has now been underway for a number of weeks and is progressing well.’

‘The current trajectory remains in line with the Company’s goal to pour gold in October.’

The crushing contractor has been selected and commenced mobilisation of equipment to site on 29 September and should be ready to commence crushing feed for the plant during the first week of October, the company said.

Recruitment of the operational workforce for the 2025 production campaign is underway. Laboratory and gold assay arrangements are in place with a north Queensland based laboratory.

Accommodation and messing for operational staff have been arranged in Georgetown.