The next Fosterville Gold Mine could be unearthed in Kyneton as Currawong Resources sets its sights on the region for a five-year exploration licence.
The Canadian-backed group has mapped a 280km2 interest area spanning Kyneton and further north, Trentham, Tylden, and to the west of Woodend to expand the company’s activities in the Taradale area.
Exploration manager Neil Motton said the company believed there was “substantial potential for a deep underground mining project”.
Mr Motton said recovery of 356,230 oz of high-grade gold at Fosterville last year, just outside Bendigo, had triggered interest in deeper exploration of previously mined areas nearby.
“There’s a bit of a gold rush in Victoria at the moment – everyone is looking for one of these Fosterville mines,” Mr Motton said.
“We’re interested in exploring what is underneath some of the older mines that are amenable to modern drilling techniques.
“We would be looking for trace elements that indicate gold mineralisation such as antimony and arsenic.”
The group has a special interest in exploring the length of the Whitelaw Fault and particularly where the Whitelaw Fault converges with Axe Creek Fault, Redesdale Fault and Pipers Creek Fault.
Mr Motton said there was huge interest in mining exploration for the region and there were many others “pegging the area”.
Currawong Resources proposes to use geochemistry and geophysics in initial exploration works including bore water sampling and establishing a trace element program.
The company has described the testing as “low impact” and stated private landowners would be contacted for access permission but many have already expressed concern at the size of the proposed search area.
Macedon Ranges Residents Association secretary Christine Pruneau said the state government had recognised the Macedon Ranges as an area that needed special protection.
“This is supposed to be a special area and, while it’s a rural area, it’s not the Yukon,” Mr Pruneau said.
“It’s the wrong place. We don’t need this kind of cowboy thinking. They should have some respect.”
A similar mining exploration licence for 234km2 around the Lancefield and Romsey townships was stopped last year with a 5276-strong petition led by Romsey comedian Tom Gleeson.
An exploration licence, if granted, entitles the holder to explore and search for minerals in the relevant land but does not entitle the holder to undertake mining. Public submissions to the process are now open.
