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Peak Hill Gold Mine

Sustainable rehabilitation

Peak Hill

Gold; EL6319 + Mining Leases

Located 15km south of our Tomingley Gold Operations (TGO), and part of the Tomingley Gold Project, our Peak Hill Gold Mine operated from 1996 to 2005.

Around 153,000 ounces of gold were recovered from the oxide cap of a large sulphide (pyrite) body, which was mined to a depth of 100 metres and processed via a heap leach operation. Since mining ended in 2005, the site has been extensively rehabilitated.

In 2005, it was not economical to produce gold from the large sulphide ore body below the oxide cap, but technological advances and gold price increases in the last two decades have made the Peak Hill deposit worth re-evaluating.

A revised Mineral Resource (JORC 2012), completed in October 2018, identified an initial Inferred Resource of 108,000 ounces of gold. In January 2019, 10 diamond cores were drilled from the western edge of the rehabilitated Proprietary open cut, angled below historic underground workings. Advanced metallurgical testing has shown that the ore can be pre-treated before processing at TGO. The economic possibility of doing so is being evaluated.

Alkane retains its Mining Lease and Environment Protection Licence for Peak Hill Gold Mine, but any further mine development would require further environmental assessment, government approval, and consultation with the community and Parkes Shire Council.

Peak Hill Mineral Resource (as at 30 June 2019)

Deposit Resource category Cut-off Tonnes (Mt) Gold Grade (g/t) Gold Metal (Koz) Copper Metal (Koz)
Proprietary Underground 2g/t Au Inferred 1.02 3.29 108 0.15
Total 1.02 3.29 108 0.15

This Mineral Resource estimate is based on, and fairly represents, information that has been compiled by Mr Craig Pridmore, Geology Superintendent Tomingley Gold Operations, who is a Member of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy and an employee of Alkane Resources Ltd. Mr Pridmore has sufficient experience that is relevant to the style of mineralisation and type of deposit under consideration and to the activity that is being undertaken to qualify as a Competent Person as defined in the 2012 Edition of the Australasian Code for Reporting of Exploration Results, Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves.

Rehabilitation

New woodland areas

Prior to Alkane’s operations, the site was littered with abandoned mining activities (from decades past), and the hill had become a dumping ground for building rubble and abandoned cars.

Alkane cleared the whole area of rubbish and immediately began rehabilitating the land surrounding the mining operations. Thousands of native tree and shrub species were planted around the perimeter – 20 years later these have evolved into a maturing woodland, home to many different species of birds and animals.

To help measure the success of the site’s rehabilitation, Landscape Function Analysis (LFA) is used as a tool to quantify landscape stability and ecosystem function. This takes the form of periodic and systematic measurements of vegetation patches and bare soil areas to determine the rate at which resources (such as water infiltration, soil nutrients, biodiversity etc) are returning to the area – a mark of rehabilitation success.

Results indicate that the site condition is actually better than when mining commenced – the direct result of Alkane’s activities.

Open Cut Experience

The Peak Hill Gold Mine site now hosts the Open Cut Experience – a free tourist attraction that provides the public with insights into the history and practice of gold mining from 1889-1917 and 1996-2005.

Peak Hill Gold Mine is one of only a few modern gold mines with an active mining lease open to the public, providing a unique opportunity for visitors to learn about modern mining and land rehabilitation.

Visitors can experience the five open cuts in a pleasant bushland setting, learning from 22 interpretive signs provided by Alkane that describe the site ecology, mining and Aboriginal history, mine rehabilitation activities and more.

The Open Cut Experience was a 2003 finalist in the NSW Tourism Awards. Parkes Shire Council, which maintains the site, was awarded $120,000 under the NSW Government’s Regional Visitor Economy Fund to go towards the Peak Hill Gold Mine Visitor Experience Improvement Program.

Plans and reports

Environmental reports

2023 Annual Environmental Management Report
2022 Annual Environmental Management Report
2021 Annual Environmental Management Report
2020 Annual Environmental Management Report
2019 Annual Environmental Management Report
2018 Annual Environmental Management Report

Surface water results

There were no Surface Water discharges from the site during 2023.

Peak Hill community hub

Visit our Peak Hill community hub for FAQs and information about our activities.
We welcome community members to engage with us directly about any of our projects.

Complaints register

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