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02 February
Astral Resources
Investor Insight
Astral Resources presents a compelling investment case as an ASX-listed gold explorer with a 1.46 Moz resource base in Western Australia's premier Kalgoorlie region, anchored by its flagship Mandilla project which demonstrates robust economics with an AU$442 million NPV and 11-year mine life.
Overview
Astral Resources (ASX:AAR) is a gold mineral exploration company with three gold projects in tier 1 mining jurisdictions of Western Australia. The three assets are the Mandilla gold project, the Feysville gold project, and the Carnilya Hill gold project. The flagship and 100 percent owned Mandilla gold project has a mineral resource containing 1.27 million ounces (Moz) of contained gold. The other key project, 100 percent owned Feysville, hosts an updated Mineral Resource Estimate (MRE) of 5.0 Mt at 1.2g/t gold for 196 koz of contained gold . Feysville could potentially become a satellite source of high-grade ore feed for the flagship Mandilla gold project.
The scoping study completed at Mandilla unveils robust project economics. The cornerstone of the scoping study is the Theia deposit, which alone accounts for 81 percent of the total Mandilla mineral resource estimate. The deposit hosts a mineral resource estimate of 29 Mt at 1.1 g/t gold for 1.02 Moz of contained gold in one large open pit. The scoping study indicates a mine life of 11 years with an annual production of 100,000 oz in the first seven and a half years, dropping to 41,000 oz for the remaining three and a half years. The study outlines compelling financial metrics, including NPV@8 percent of AU$442 million, free cash flow of AU$740 million, and a payback period of nine months.
Astral benefits from a team of professionals boasting extensive expertise in geology and mining.
The company is led by managing director Marc Ducler, who has more than two decades of experience in the mining industry. The management team has a proven track record of executing several successful exploration and development projects, as well as M&A.
Company Highlights
- Astral Resources is an ASX-listed gold exploration company in the Kalgoorlie region of Western Australia, a tier 1 jurisdiction and a mature mining region with a successful development history and granted mining leases.
- The company has three assets - the Mandilla gold project, the Feysville gold project, and the Carnilya Hill gold exploration project.
- The focus is on advancing its flagship Mandilla gold project, with a mineral resource estimate of 37 Mt at 1.1 g/t gold for 1.27 Moz.
- The scoping study at Mandilla highlights the project’s robust economics with a mine life of 11 years, NPV@8 percent of AU$442 million, and free cash flow of AU$740 million.
- Mandilla’s cornerstone Theia deposit comprises 81 percent of the project’s resources, contains 29 Mt at 1.1 g/t gold, with 1.02 Moz of contained gold in one large open pit.
- Updated JORC 2012 mineral resource estimate (MRE) at the Feysville gold project is 5.0Mt at 1.2g/t gold for 196koz of contained gold.
- Including the Mandilla MRE of 37Mt at 1.1g/t gold for 1.27Moz of contained gold, Astral’s total gold MRE is now calculated to be 42Mt at 1.1g/t gold for 1.46Moz of contained gold (Group MRE).
- The company is led by an experienced team with a proven track record of advancing projects to development and M&A.
Key Projects
Mandilla Gold Project
The Mandilla gold project is located within the northern region of the Widgiemooltha greenstone belt, approximately 70 kilometers to the south of the prominent mining hub of Kalgoorlie, Western Australia. Mandilla includes four deposits namely, Theia, Iris, Eos and Hestia. The cornerstone of the project is the Theia deposit, constituting 81 percent of Mandilla's resources, totaling 29 Mt at a grade of 1.1 g/t gold, amounting to 1.02 Moz of contained gold in a single open pit. Mandilla has a total mineral resource estimate of 37 Mt at 1.1 g/t gold for 1.27 Moz.
The scoping study indicates a mine life of 11 years with an annual production of 100,000 oz in the first seven and a half years, dropping to 41,000 oz for the remaining three and a half years. Astral estimates the pre-production capital spend at AU$191 million, and the project is anticipated to generate a free cash flow of AU$740 million (assuming a gold price of A$2,750/oz). The project’s NPV @8 percent is estimated at AU$442 million, and the IRR at 73 percent.
Drill collars at Theia deposit
Astral continues to advance exploration and resource expansion efforts at Mandilla. The company recently completed a four-hole 1,762-metre in-fill diamond drilling program at the Theia deposit late last year. Best results included: 28 metres at 2.63 g/t gold, 15.5 metres at 1.81 g/t gold, 9.6 metres at 27.6 g/t gold, 2.4 metres at 169.1 g/t gold, 24.9 metres at 4.14 g/t gold and 72.2 metres at 1.15 g/t gold.
Astral has commenced work on a pre-feasibility study at Mandilla, which is due in the June quarter 2025.
Feysville Gold Project
The Feysville project is situated in Australia's premier gold belt, merely 14 km south of the Golden Mile deposit, which boasts 70 million ounces, located in Kalgoorlie. The project's updated JORC 2012 MRE indicates 5.0 Mt at 1.2 g/t gold for 196 koz of contained gold. Including the Mandilla MRE of 37 Mt at 1.1 g/t gold for 1.27 Moz of contained gold, Astral’s total gold MRE is now calculated to be 42 Mt at 1.1 g/t gold for 1.46 Moz of contained gold (group MRE).
At Feysville, Astral is focusing on the high-grade Kamperman prospect. A recent 31-hole (3,834 m) reverse circulation (RC) drilling program at Kamperman returned encouraging assay results. The latest drilling program returned best assay results of 33 metres at 3.75 g/t gold, 22 metres at 5.21 g/t gold, and 22 metres at 4.44 g/t gold. This high success rate continues to indicate that Kamperman has the potential to be a substantial source of high-grade satellite ore for the Mandilla processing plant.
Carnilya Gold Project
The Carnilya Hill gold project is situated about 20 kilometers south-southeast of the company's Feysville project and approximately 40 kilometers southeast of Kalgoorlie, Western Australia. The project encompasses various tenements – M26/047-049, M26/453 – spanning approximately 2.65 sq. km. Astral holds rights for gold mining, while Mincor Resources NL (ASX:MCR) holds rights to nickel and other minerals.Management Team
Mark Connelly – Non-executive Chairman
Mark Connelly is a mining industry veteran who has held positions of CEO and managing director with several multinational companies across many jurisdictions, including Australia, North America, South America, Africa and Europe. He has a proven track record in deal making and was principally responsible for the merger of Papillon Resources and B2 Gold Corp in October 2014 (value US$570 million), as well as the key person responsible for the merger of Adamus Resources and Endeavour Mining for US$579 million. He is currently the non-executive chair of Calidus Resources, Omnia Metals Group, Alto Metals, Warriedar Resources and Nickel Search.
Marc Ducler – Managing Director
Marc Ducler has more than 20 years of experience in the mining industry. He has held senior operational management roles with GoldFields, BHP, Fortescue Metals, MRL and Roy Hill. He was also the managing director of Egan Street Resources (a gold exploration and development company) until it was acquired by Silver Lake Resources (ASX:SLR).
Peter Stern – Non-executive Director
Peter Stern has experience in corporate advisory, specializing in M&A and capital raising. He has spent six years with Macquarie Bank and three years with UBS and Deutsche Bank. He is a graduate of Monash University with a Bachelor of Science (geology major). Stern is a fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and the chairman of Troy Resources.
David Varcoe – Non-executive Director
David Varcoe is a mining engineer with over three decades of experience. He has extensive operational and managerial experience across various commodities, including gold, iron ore, copper, diamonds, coal, uranium and rare earths. His expertise spans board positions, operations management, project management and consulting. Varcoe is a principal consultant with the leading Australian firm AMC Consulting.
Justin Osborne – Non-executive Director
Justin Osborne is a geologist with over 30 years of experience in exploration. He was previously the executive director at Gold Road Resources (ASX:GOR), where he played a crucial role in developing the world-class Gruyere gold deposit (6.6 Moz gold). Osborne also held senior positions on the exploration executive team at Gold Fields. He was instrumental in developing the Damang Superpit project in Ghana and achieved significant discovery success at the St Ives gold mine.
Brendon Morton – Chief Financial Officer & Company Secretary
Brendon Morton has over 20 years of experience, particularly in the global resources sector across Australia, Africa and Asia. He has held several executive financial and company secretarial roles with ASX-listed and unlisted companies in the resources industry.
Steve Lampron – Technical Services Manager
Steve Lampron is a mining engineer with more than 20 years industry experience. As well as having worked in production roles for companies such as Placer Dome, Barrick and North American Palladium he has also worked as a Consultant for over 10 years.
Julie Reid – Geology Manager
Julie Reid has 36 years of experience working across Australia, Vietnam and Indonesia, covering a variety of commodities in diverse geological terrains. She holds a Bachelor of Applied Science from Curtin University of Technology.
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Andy Schectman: Reset Happening Now — Gold is Key, Silver Has Massive Potential
Andy Schectman, president of Miles Franklin, lays out his takeaways from the latest BRICS meeting, saying he sees a reset happening now.
He also weighs in on the implications for gold and explains why he sees massive potential in silver.
"The word that I think of is asymmetrical — low downside, high upside," he said.
Don't forget to follow us @INN_Resource for real-time updates!
Securities Disclosure: I, Charlotte McLeod, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.
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Dr. Nomi Prins: Gold, Silver, Uranium and More — I'm Focusing on What's Real
Dr. Nomi Prins of Prinsights Global discusses the real asset uprising and how to invest.
"The uprising actually means that real assets don't have value just for what they are in terms of price — they have value for their positioning in the geopolitical power battle," she explained.
Don't forget to follow us @INN_Resource for real-time updates!
Securities Disclosure: I, Charlotte McLeod, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.
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Surface Metals: Gold and Lithium Portfolios in North America’s Most Strategic Jurisdictions
Surface Metals (CSE:SUR,OTCQB:SURMF) is a diversified exploration and development company advancing a portfolio of lithium and precious metals assets aligned with the global push for electrification and gold as a strategic hedge.
The company’s flagship Cimarron Gold Project in Nevada is a high-grade, underexplored oxide gold system with historic drilling by major operators including Newmont and Echo Bay. Located at the north end of the San Antonio Mountains, approximately 18 miles north of Tonopah, Cimarron hosts shallow, structurally controlled, low-sulfidation epithermal gold mineralization. Surface Metals holds a 90% interest in the project through its U.S. subsidiary, Surface Metals US Inc. The project consists of 31 lode claims in the historic San Antonio (Cimarron) mining district.
Through its subsidiary ACME Lithium US, Surface Metals is developing a suite of lithium projects in Nevada and Manitoba, Canada. These include:
- Clayton Valley: a lithium brine asset with a defined resource,
- Fish Lake Valley: a claystone-hosted lithium project,
- Shatford and Cat-Euclid claims: pegmatite-rich assets in Manitoba, developed in partnership with Snow Lake Resources.
With exposure to both critical battery metals and gold, Surface Metals is strategically positioned to capitalize on dual macroeconomic trends—electrification and financial resilience.
Company Highlights
- Dual Focus Portfolio: Combines precious metals and energy transition minerals, including a 90 percent stake in the Cimarron gold project and multiple lithium assets in Nevada and Manitoba.
- Gold Asset with Legacy Database: Cimarron contains over 190 historical drill holes with high-grade intercepts and a non-compliant historic resource of 50,000+ oz gold, open in multiple directions.
- NI 43-101 Lithium Resource: The Clayton Valley project hosts an inferred lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE) resource of 302,900 tonnes, backed by geophysics, drilling and pumping test data.
- Strategic Lithium Locations: Lithium claims are adjacent to Albemarle’s Silver Peak mine and Ioneer’s Rhyolite Ridge development in Nevada, and contiguous to the Tanco mine in Manitoba.
- Experienced Leadership: Led by resource sector veterans with a track record of successful exits, technical development and public company management.
- Energy Transition Strategy: Well-positioned to benefit from macro tailwinds in lithium demand and US domestic critical minerals supply chain policies.
This Surface Metals profile is part of a paid investor education campaign.*
Click here to connect with Surface Metals (CSE:SUR) to receive an Investor Presentation
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15 July
Rule Symposium 2025: Gold, Geopolitics and the Real Asset Uprising
The resource investing community descended on Boca Raton, Florida, during the first full week of July for another edition of the Rule Symposium, hosted by veteran investor and speculator Rick Rule.
The five day event featured an illustrious array of speakers, panelists and companies sharing a wealth of investor knowledge. As in years past, gold remained a top focus, with many presenters stressing the value it offers investors.
Opening the conference, Rule provided a sobering overview of the current economic trajectory. He urged investors to set aside political narratives and instead focus on the raw arithmetic of America’s financial condition.
“It’s not about politics, it’s about math,” said Rule.
He pointed to three figures that define the US financial landscape: US$141 trillion in aggregate private net worth, a US$27.71 trillion GDP and a personal savings rate of just 4 percent. That's set against mounting obligations — US$36.6 trillion in federal debt held by bondholders and over US$100 trillion in unfunded federal entitlements.
Rule cautioned that the imbalance between assets and liabilities points to a looming reckoning, potentially echoing the inflationary erosion of the 1970s, when the US dollar lost 75 percent of its purchasing power.
“There’s no way out of this without reducing the value of the dollar,” he told the audience. “(The) increase in gold (prices) will mirror the decrease in purchasing power of the US dollar."
To hedge against this risk, Rule encouraged attendees to adopt a more self-reliant approach.
He advised listeners to question government guarantees, focus on building personal financial resilience and consider investing in inflation-sensitive assets such as gold and silver. “The math doesn’t lie — it’s time to prepare, not just react,” said Rule. ”I need you not to panic when the time is right, but rather to pounce.”
Watch a recap of key Rule Symposium takeaways.
Tailwinds turning to headwinds
In addition to strategically allocating to gold, geopolitical uncertainty was as a key theme at the Rule Symposium.
During his presentation “Back to the Old Drawing Board: First Principles and the Lost Art of Investing Through Crisis,” author and publisher Grant Williams made the case that longstanding tailwinds — globalization, demographic expansion and low interest rates — have reversed, giving way to persistent uncertainty.
Grant Williams (@ttmygh) is the first keynote speaker in a jam-packed day at the #RuleSymposium.
— Resource Investing (@INN_Resource) July 8, 2025
Offering advice on #investing during times of crisis, Williams told the full room that the “world has been on a debt binge for the last four decades.” pic.twitter.com/wWBtOu598W
Williams provides an overview of shifting market dynamics.
He traced the last four decades of wealth creation to a rare alignment of forces that pushed asset prices, particularly US equities, sharply higher. However, since 2020, a new macro regime has emerged, defined by tighter monetary policy, rising geopolitical risk and fading confidence in the US dollar.
Like many speakers at the Rule Symposium, Williams also underscored the massive gold purchases central banks are making. During Q1 of this year, central banks added 244 metric tons of gold to their official reserves, a 24 percent increase above the five year quarterly average, according to World Gold Council data.
For Williams, this shift signals growing concern within the financial system — a trend investors shouldn't overlook.
“When central banks are exchanging their reserves for gold in record amounts, if they feel the sudden urgent need to own more gold, you better believe that we should feel that too,” he noted.
The expert went on to illustrate how major economic and societal cycles are converging, suggesting more volatility ahead. A live poll of the audience taken during his session revealed growing unease among attendees, with many already adjusting their portfolios and long-term goals. In response, Williams called for a return to key principles: scarcity, durability, resilience, trust, patience and a clear-eyed acceptance of uncertainty.
These, he said, should now anchor any sound investment approach. He urged Rule Symposium attendees to shift their mindset from chasing returns to preserving capital by reducing overexposure to US equities, diversifying by geography and asset class and focusing on businesses with real staying power.
The investment playbook of the past no longer fits the world we’re entering, he stressed.
Navigating what Williams calls an “age of headwinds” will require humility, discipline and a willingness to rethink what truly creates and protects wealth.
Hard assets set to shine
Economist, author and former Wall Street executive Dr. Nomi Prins laid out a case for what she calls the “real asset uprising,” a global shift in value and power driven by hard assets like gold, silver, copper, uranium and rare earths.
Drawing on her experience in high-level banking and her current work in the mining sector, Prins argued that rising geopolitical friction, shifting trade dynamics and financial system strain are fueling a renewed focus on tangible resources. She pointed to surging institutional interest in commodities, noting that Wall Street deal flow tied to real assets is up 24 percent year-on-year, while hiring in commodity finance roles has increased by 15 percent.
Gold, once dismissed on trading desks, is now seen as a strategic monetary tool.
According to Prins, the yellow metal will not replace the US dollar as the reserve currency, but it will play a central role in bilateral trade and power negotiations. Gold's jurisdiction — where it is stored and mined — is now more important than ever, she explained, as nations seek to shield assets from sanctions and instability.
Silver, copper, uranium and rare earths are all finding support through similar structural tailwinds, Prins pointed out.
Silver demand is rising due to its industrial applications, and limited aboveground supply is driving long-term contracts.
For its part, copper has become so strategically important that the US is conducting a Section 232 national security investigation into its supply chain, a move historically reserved for defense resources. Major buyers like China and India are stockpiling copper in anticipation of supply constraints.
Uranium is also surging back into focus, driven by bipartisan support for nuclear energy. Legislation and executive orders are fast tracking uranium permitting and enrichment, with utility demand expected to outstrip supply.
Rare earths = real assets
Prins highlighted rare earths as a critical new front in the ongoing global shift in value and power.
"Rare earths are intrinsic to the nation," she said, pointing to their essential role in defense, electronics and energy technologies. With 85 percent of processing controlled by China, the US has launched Section 232 investigations to assess domestic vulnerabilities — reports on copper and rare earths are expected this fall.
Prins described her decision to join the board of a rare earths company as a natural extension of her belief in physical assets: “It’s not just about the asset — it’s about controlling the asset, the processing and the movement.”
That theme underpins the investment case: security of supply, efficient processing and strategic jurisdiction are key to value creation. She also noted a dramatic capital rotation, saying that US$330 billion has exited bonds over the past year, while US$230 billion has flowed into commodities.
“Wall Street is following the real asset story,” Prins emphasized.
.@porterstansb of Porter’s Daily Journal joins @RealRickRule for a #RuleSymposium fireside chat about the investment landscape.
— Resource Investing (@INN_Resource) July 8, 2025
“There are a good two or three years left in the #resource boom,” said Stansberry, who is working on a book about Warren Buffet’s #investing mistakes. pic.twitter.com/K9FdihfJO3
Rule sits down with Porter Stansberry to discuss his investment strategy.
Prins then said real upside now lies not just in owning resources, but in having processing capability.
New technologies, like advanced rare earths separation methods, are increasing economic viability and attracting private capital. “Where private money and public power combine, that’s where the investment opportunity is,” she said.
With key policy announcements and trade shifts looming in the fall, she warned investors this is a “very critical time” in the real asset uprising. For Prins, the message is clear: investors, policymakers and mining leaders must position accordingly, because, in today’s world, “whoever controls the ground controls the game."
Don't forget to follow us @INN_Resource for real-time updates!
Securities Disclosure: I, Georgia Williams, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.
Editorial Disclosure: The Investing News Network does not guarantee the accuracy or thoroughness of the information reported in the interviews it conducts. The opinions expressed in these interviews do not reflect the opinions of the Investing News Network and do not constitute investment advice. All readers are encouraged to perform their own due diligence.
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