Larvotto Resources has intersected high-grade gold-antimony-tungsten mineralisation at four lodes in the Metz Mining Centre at its Hillgrove project in New South Wales, including a newly identified lode called Echidna. At Blacklode, drilling returned 20.5 metres at 9.4 grams per tonne gold equivalent, including 6.2 metres at 27.2 grams per tonne. At Midas, the result was 20.0 metres at 6.7 grams per tonne from 218 metres, including 8.0 metres at 11.8 grams per tonne, with an estimated true width of 14 metres.
Endurance returned 3.4 metres at 13.7 grams per tonne gold equivalent from 109.6 metres and 2.0 metres at 15.0 grams per tonne from 120 metres. The Echidna hole returned 11.2 metres at 6.7 grams per tonne from 63 metres, including 3.2 metres at 17.5 grams per tonne from 71 metres. Managing director Ron Heeks said the results show scale, continuity and growth potential across a widening footprint, with new structures found outside the current resource model.
Three surface diamond rigs and one underground rig are operating, with assays pending from a further 17 holes. Larvotto is working toward a maiden Midas mineral resource, building on a June exploration target, but says current drill spacing is insufficient for resource estimation and has given no timeline.
Hillgrove is now in production as Australia’s largest antimony mine, with first concentrate produced in September. That operating status is what makes Metz more than an exploration story: every lode added at Metz is potential feed for a plant already running, in a metal where supply outside China is scarce.